Yankees' Paul Goldschmidt Turned Down Larger Opposing Offers, Per Insider

This insider revealed that Paul Goldschmidt took less money to join the Yankees.

Sep 28, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals infielder Paul Goldschmidt (46) takes a lead from third base against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Over the past weekend, the New York Yankees acquired their starting first baseman by signing Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year, $12.5 million contract.

Despite a down year by his standards in 2024, the 37-year-old Goldschmidt isn't too far removed from his NL MVP campaign back in 2022, and showed signs of improvement in the second half of the season (.271/.319/.480, 19 doubles, nine home runs, 28 RBI, 120 wRC+) with the St. Louis Cardinals. If the 14-year veteran can rediscover what made him one of the league's best hitters, then his contract would look like an absolute bargain.

However, it appears that the Bronx Bombers managed to already get Goldschmidt at a bargain price. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, at least three other teams were competing with the Yankees for Goldy's services, those being the Washington Nationals, Cleveland Guardians, and Arizona Diamondbacks (Goldschmidt played eight seasons for the latter). Heyman also added that the veteran first baseman reportedly turned down offers that were bigger than what New York ultimately signed him for, which was a straight one-year deal with no options for another season.

https://t.co/7uPLkEtDEp. After the shock of losing Juan Soto to the so-called second team in town, Yankees respond and recover so big they are already a winter winner (in here: inside stuff on the 4 big Plan B moves)

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 24, 2024

The Nationals, Guardians, and Diamondbacks have since pivoted after losing out on Goldschmidt; Washington and Arizona traded for Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Naylor, respectively, and Cleveland reunited with Carlos Santana. However, with the knowledge that the 14-year veteran turned down bigger offers, it's clear that Goldschmidt wanted to join the Yankees, which is a highly encouraging sign after the team lost Juan Soto earlier in the offseason due to perceived family reasons (at least according to Heyman).

For all of his individual success, Goldschmidt has yet to play in the World Series, so perhaps the 37-year-old believes that he has a great chance to win that elusive championship ring with the Yankees, especially after their 2024 playoff run and significant roster retooling this offseason.

But regardless of the real reason, the Yankees and their fans should be thrilled that Goldschmidt was more than happy to join the team, especially given his pedigree.