TAMPA, Fla. -- The Yankees’ path to their first World Series appearance since 2009 was partly forged by historic offensive production, powered by a lineup that paced the Majors in home runs and walks, albeit with incredibly top-heavy weighting. At times, the dynamic duo of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto could have used more help.
Enter Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt, a pair of experienced and decorated performers who believe they can provide more balance to the lineup.
“For me and Paul, it’s not necessarily replacing anybody, but coming and performing to our best capabilities,” Bellinger said. “We know what our best capability is, and if we reach those levels, I think it could be fun.”
The Yankees’ December trade to acquire Bellinger from the Cubs was the first offensive piece of their post-Soto pivot, following moves to sign left-hander Max Fried and acquire right-handed closer Devin Williams from the Brewers.
The plan is for Bellinger -- the 2019 NL MVP, a two-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove Award recipient -- to take over in center field, which will allow Judge to return to right field after playing most of the ’24 season in center to accommodate Soto.
Bellinger, 29, is coming off a season in which he slashed .266/.325/.426 (111 OPS+) with 23 doubles, 18 homers and 78 RBIs for the Cubs.
The Yankees believe playing home games in Yankee Stadium (plus, as general manager Brian Cashman noted, six road games against the Rays in George M. Steinbrenner Field) will fit Bellinger’s left-handed swing nicely. He hit a career-high 47 homers in 2019 for the Dodgers, but hasn’t belted more than 26 since.
“This is a guy in the prime of his career. He’s been through a lot already in his career,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s made some nice adjustments. An outstanding two-way player, brings a ton of defensive value, defensive versatility, really good baserunner. I think the upside offensively, I expect him to be really good. The ceiling is really high, too. I think our ballpark is going to be something that plays well for him.”
Goldschmidt signed a one-year, $12.5 million deal in December, with the four-time Gold Glover and 2022 NL MVP seeking a bounce back after a difficult ’24 season with the Cardinals in which he hit a career-low .245/.302/.414 (98 OPS+).
“The truth was, I just didn’t play well for over a year,” Goldschmidt said. “It wasn’t for a lack of effort. I was doing everything I could; took a ton of swings and all that. But this game is hard, the pitchers are good. You get off by a little bit and it can go downhill.”
Bellinger called Goldschmidt “a pro’s pro,” and though Goldschmidt is one of the league’s oldest players at 37, the Yanks saw encouraging signs in his second-half performance.
An all-fields-hitting righty, he posted a .799 OPS after the All-Star break, compared to .664 before. Goldschmidt also ranked in the 92nd percentile in hard-hit percentage, according to Statcast.
“This guy could be on a Hall of Fame track; he’s been a stud player for a long, long time now,” Boone said. “I think he really found some things [in the second half]. This is a guy that has gone to the post over 150 times every year of his career. He’s in impeccable shape. He’s a baseball gym rat. He drinks up baseball. He wants to be coached, wants to be pushed.”
Behind Judge’s second AL MVP season (223 OPS+) as well as Soto’s terrific performance (178 OPS+), the Yankees scored an AL-best 815 runs last season, 142 more than their 2023 total (673) and their most in a season since 2019 (943). It’s a tall order for the ’25 offense to improve upon that.
But the ’24 team received below-average production from several figures who logged more than 300 plate appearances: first baseman Anthony Rizzo (81 OPS+), shortstop Anthony Volpe (86 OPS+), third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera (87 OPS+), and left fielder Alex Verdugo (83 OPS+). Rizzo and Verdugo are free agents.
It is conceivable, then, that Bellinger and Goldschmidt could restore some of the lost thump -- along with, say, a breakout season from left fielder Jasson Domínguez (Bellinger and Judge have already teased the 21-year-old about this being his opportunity to win a Rookie of the Year Award).
That’s the Yankees’ hope, anyway. Bellinger and Goldschmidt have been around long enough to know what counts, a journey that begins on Opening Day.
“The hunger is there to be great. That speaks for itself,” Bellinger said. “I’ll bet on the guys in this locker room that have great character and great baseball players, that we’re all going to figure it out and have a great year.”