Yankees finally sign free agent who wasn't on the 2025 roster (don't get too excited)

The New York Yankees' only 2025-26 offseason acquisition to date who wasn't already on the 2025 roster was ... Rule 5 draft pick Cade Winquest. Until Sunday. When everything changed.

While Yankees Universe at large continues to wait for Cody Bellinger's decision, and for the Yankees to fortify their rotation (just kidding, we know that won't happen), the team has finally struck to improve their depth. Meaningfully? That's for you to decide.

The Yankees just agreed to a minor-league deal with a spring training invite for veteran infielder Paul DeJong. If you remember him at all, you remember him from the St. Louis Cardinals, where he played from 2017 to 2023. A genuine underdog story - a fourth-round pick from Illinois State made good - DeJong was a 2019 All-Star, smacking 30 home runs with the juiced ball at his disposal.

He's been a power threat from time to time with normalized equipment, striking 24 homers between his Royals and White Sox tenures in 2024. Now 32 years old, he's coming off a forgettable 57-game tenure with the Washington Nationals last season.

Yankees sign infielder Paul DeJong to minor-league deal with MLB invite

Hilariously, DeJong was linked to the Yankees last offseason after his power surge in the AL Central. Now, they get a chance to see if they can rejuvenate him at a lower price/following a significant dip in production. Fun? Fun.

The Yankees' bench doesn't have too much wiggle room. Amed Rosario will play the role of "versatile infielder," even taking reps at first base from time to time to spell Ben Rice (and provide a lefty complement). Rosario will also play the strong side of Ryan McMahon's platoon. Jose Caballero might start to open the season, but when Anthony Volpe returns, he'll go back to sliding around the diamond. Jasson Domínguez/Spencer Jones will probably get a chance at a fourth outfield role, depending on Bellinger's outcome. Even so, DeJong can't fit neatly into the outfield mix, so it'll be a struggle for him to find work regardless of the rest of free agency.

Don't stress over a minor-league flyer. There's no such thing as a bad one-year deal, unless that one-year deal clogs up your budget; this one won't get in the way of anything important.

Mostly, it's just laughable that DeJong, of all people, is the Yankees' first unfamiliar addition of the winter.