Washington Nationals Target Paul Goldschmidt to Join Yankees: Report
The Washington Nationals have started to make some waves this offseason, but there is still a lot to do. One of those tasks was trying to add power at first base.
Well, another potential target is heading off the market, per multiple reports.
Former St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt has agreed to a one-year deal with the New York Yankees, pending a physical.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale and YES Network's Jack Curry were among the first to report the deal.
Earlier in the week, Nightengale reported that the Nationals had switched their focus to another Goldschmidt.
While the former MVP of 2022 is seemingly starting to decline, he still could have provided some value for Washington on a short-term deal. The 37-year-old took a one-year deal to join a team that just went to the World Series.
Last season with the St. Louis Cardinals, the right-hander batted .245 with 22 home runs, and 65 RBIs. While those numbers would be a big upgrade for the Nationals at first base, it was a significant drop for Goldschmidt.
For the first time in his career, the slugger had a OPS under .800. Even though there was a significant drop in production, Washington hasn’t gotten any offensive production from the position in quite some time.
The Nationals had clear needs going into the offseason — adding starting pitching, improving the bullpen, and finding power on the corners of the infield. So far, Washington has been relatively quiet in two of those areas.
Washington's most significant move so far has been the addition of Michael Soroka into the rotation. The right-hander has a desire to be a starter once again, and the Nationals seem willing to give him a chance.
While he was an All-Star in 2019 with the Atlanta Braves, that is a long time ago at this point, as he should be viewed more as a project, rather than someone they can rely on.
But their search for infield power has come up empty to this point.
Recently, Washington saw one of their potential free-agent targets, Christian Walker, sign with the Houston Astros on a three-year, $60 million deal.
With an ability to be a middle-of-the-order hitter and provide gold glove defense at first base, Walker would have been an excellent addition.
With the next piece off the board in the free-agent market at the position, it will be interesting to see how quickly other dominoes fall. For the Nationals, they must make sure they don’t miss on improving at first base.
