The New York Yankees’ quiet offseason has continued into the new year as we sit about a month and a half from pitchers and catchers reporting to their spring training complex in Tampa. On Sunday morning
though, news broke of them reportedy coming to terms with a name that many baseball fans have heard of, albeit one that’s not particularly impressive in the year 2026: Paul DeJong.
Jon Heyman had the scoop. It’s a minor-league contract with a non-roster invitation to camp. By definition, that means there’s nothing particularly atrocious about it, even though the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up looked somewhat cooked in 2025. The cellar-dwelling Nationals had signed DeJong to a one-year, $1 million deal, likely with the hope of flipping him at the Trade Deadline for a lotto-ticket prospect, as the White Sox did in 2024 in a minor transaction with Kansas City.
Instead, DeJong simply wasn’t good enough. He hit .228/.269/.373 with six homers and a 76 wRC+ in 57 games. It was a notable step down from his 96 wRC+ in 139 games in 2024, and that stands as an outlier season for DeJong this decade. There’s a reason why the Cardinals gave up on him long before Chaim Bloom took the reins on their soft rebuild.
For the Yankees’ sake, DeJong can cover all four infield positions and did slug .446 against lefties in 29 games last year, so it’s not hard to see him as Amed Rosario insurance. If Rosario (or another infielder/utilityman) gets injured in camp, then perhaps that opens the door for DeJong or Zack Short, who was signed to a similar deal a couple weeks back. Enthralling?
Let’s all say it together: Championship secured.
