Yankees quickly learning the Paul Goldschmidt reality that Cardinals already knew

Throughout the first two months of the season, St. Louis Cardinals fans were jealous of Paul Goldschmidt’s incredible production for the New York Yankees. After departing St. Louis in free agency, Paul Goldschmidt made a new home in New York, signing a one-year deal worth $12.5 million. In April with the Yankees, Goldschmidt looked great, batting .349, slugging .443, and totaling an OPS of .835. While the power numbers were not quite there, the 37-year-old first baseman still offered plenty of offense. Goldschmidt’s numbers in May saw a bit of a decrease from his hot start, but still finished the month with an average above .310, a .382 slugging percentage, and a .904 OPS. However, unfortunately for Goldschmidt and the Yankees, his numbers have taken a horrendous turn in June.

The New York Yankees are finally seeing the regression from Paul Goldschmidt that the St. Louis Cardinals experienced last year

In the month of June, Goldschmidt has hit .143, with a .238 slugging percentage, and a .464 OPS. This includes a .128 batting average in his last 15 games and an even worse .043 batting average in his last seven contests. While Goldschmidt still remains serviceable on defense and is an incredible player to have within a locker room, things have certainly worked out well for the Cardinals despite not retaining Goldschmidt. Willson Contreras has been good in his move to first base, but in 70 fewer plate appearances, Alec Burleson has looked even better. The pair of first basemen has also provided the team with steady defense at first base, a calling card of the proclaimed “America’s First Baseman,” especially during his time in St. Louis.

It is safe to say that these two have tremendously softened the blow of Goldschmidt’s departure. Contreras is still under contract for a couple more seasons, and with him in addition to Burleson, fans have a lot of hope for the future Redbirds first baseman. But with all that being said, it is important to clarify that Paul Goldschmidt hasn’t had a “bad” season. His current .285 batting average, .347 on-base percentage, .426 slugging percentage, and .773 OPS are all still much higher than his totals last year with the Cardinals, and there are still plenty of games left for him to improve on those numbers.

Although Cardinals fans didn’t want to see Goldschmidt leave, with the team’s direction and the state of the roster, it never made much sense for him to return. If the Cardinals do make the playoffs this season, it will be tough to think of a postseason without the dynamic duo of Goldschmidt and Arenado together, considering the duo only made one postseason together. Goldschmidt, however, will still have a great opportunity to compete in the playoffs for New York. With all of this in mind, Cardinals fans can be happy to have moved on from their former star at the right time, knowing they have great production at the position, while also cheering on one of their all-time favorites as he continues to play in what could be his last season.