Paul DeJong Signs a Contract With the New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are doing exactly what savvy front offices do when the snow is falling and Opening Day feels a lifetime away: they are stacking the deck with veteran insurance. The New York Yankees have agreed to a minor league deal with Paul DeJong.
It isn’t the kind of signing that breaks the internet or sends fans rushing to buy customized jerseys, but for a team staring down a complicated spring, it might just be the most sensible move of the week.
Filling the Void Left By Volpe
The Yankees are in a bind. With Anthony Volpe shelved until at least May following shoulder surgery, the left side of the infield is suddenly looking a little thin. You never want to start a season scrambling for depth, and General Manager Brian Cashman knows it.
By bringing in DeJong, New York isn’t just signing a warm body; they are bringing in a guy who has been to the All-Star game and knows what it takes to play shortstop at the highest level. Sure, Amed Rosario is already in the fold, and José Caballero looks like the Opening Day favorite, but you can never have too many options when your starter is watching from the dugout in a sling.
The Journeyman’s Road To Redemption
It has been a wild ride for the 32-year-old. DeJong has bounced around the league recently, wearing more uniforms in the last two years than a ballpark vendor. After a solid seven-year run with the Cardinals, including that standout 2019 season where he launched 30 homers, he’s had stops with the Blue Jays, Giants, White Sox, Royals, and Nationals.
Last season in Washington was rough, to put it mildly. DeJong hit just .228 with a .642 OPS. But let’s add some human context to those cold numbers: his season was derailed in April when a 90-plus mph fastball from Mitch Keller fractured his nose.
Can DeJong Find His Groove?
The narrative on DeJong lately has been “glove first, bat second.” And frankly, the metrics back that up. In 2023, he was in the 95th percentile for Outs Above Average, proving he can still pick it with the best of them. That defensive reliability is exactly what Yankee pitchers will love, even if his bat takes a while to wake up.
However, the upside is tantalizing. We aren’t that far removed from him being a genuine power threat. If DeJong can stay healthy and rediscover even a fraction of that 2019 pop, this minor league deal could look like a massive steal by July. It’s a low-risk lottery ticket for New York. If he doesn’t crack the roster, it costs them nothing. But if he finds his swing in the Florida sun? The Yankees just got a whole lot deeper.
