Paul Goldschmidt would help one of Cubs' biggest weaknesses

Jeff Curry - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 2 hours ago

Despite the Cubs signing Tyler Austin for what looks to be the backup to Michael Busch, the Cubs can't be satisfied with that move. After all, Austin was a former top prospect in the Yankees organization, but after struggling to make much of an impact at the MLB level, he was forced to take his talents to Japan, where he has spent the past six seasons.

Granted, he has performed well since his trip to Japan, but with no MLB experience over the past six seasons, one has to wonder how much impact Austin will actually make. Knowing that, and knowing that Busch has still had his issues against left-handed pitching, the Cubs need to prioritize a potentially right-handed platoon bat to pair with Busch, and Paul Goldschmidt is someone who comes to mind.

Even if his best days as a player are behind him, adding Goldschmidt to this roster does have its benefits, with the most significant benefit being not having to face him. Similar to Eugenio Suarez and his career, Goldschmidt has made a living crushing the Cubs and their pitching, connecting for 32 homers and 92 RBIs in 136 career games against them.

He has done that while posting a .931 OPS, which is something the Cubs can't afford to have against them should he land with someone the Cubs will see frequently. Goldschmidt has multiple Gold Glove awards at first base, and even if he is seldom used there, he has still shown the ability to play strong defense, which is something the Cubs will continue to focus on as they round out their roster.

Unless the Cubs are content with Austin or even Jonathon Long being the backup to Busch, the Cubs do need to make another roster addition, and the addition of Goldschmidt on a one-year team-friendly deal makes far too much sense to ignore. Entering what will now be his 16th professional season, Goldschmidt is one of the best ever to do it at first base, hitting .288 for his career with 372 homers and 1232 RBIs.

He is coming off arguably one of the worst seasons of his career, but with a .274 average in 2025 and 10 homers and 45 RBIs, the Cubs will take that type of production off the bench, as it remains very solid for someone who had a down season. Even if his best days are behind him, adding Goldschmidt is an instant upgrade over what the Cubs had on their bench last season, which has to be one of the main focuses for the team this offseason.

As good as their offense was at times last year, it was still very inconsistent, and, as hard as it is to believe, they were one of the worst offenses against left-handed pitching. The addition of Goldschmidt would help as well, as he has crushed lefties most of his career, including last season, when he slashed .336/.411/.570 against southpaws.

That type of production is hard to find on the free agent market, so when a proven hitter with those types of numbers becomes available, you have to make at least a modest effort to try and add them to your roster. Goldschmidt will turn 39 in September, but despite that, he has played in at least 140 games in all but two of his seasons.

Having longevity in this league is one thing, but knowing you have someone you can pencil into your lineup nearly every day is often overlooked at the MLB Level. Even if the Cubs want to give Austin every opportunity to succeed in Chicago, Golschmidt is the better option as he is a much more proven hitter who knows where he stands at this point in his career.

Even with his power numbers declining with age, there is still plenty of juice left in his bat as he is pushing toward the 400 mark for homers. It has been reported that Goldschmidt is still hoping to be a starter next season, but the reality is that may not happen, so he is open to all deals at this point in his career.

Adding him to the Cubs' bench will not only give them a massive veteran presence but also add plenty of thunder they didn't have a season ago. As logical as that sounds, Goldschmidt has to be willing to accept a bench role, as this could be the first time in nearly a decade when he doesn't reach 100 games as a player.