The Yankees are taking a calculated risk with this $1 million shortstop addition, a player whose recent track record has been marked by inconsistency and uncertain roles. After early promise, his production declined through lower batting averages, rising strikeouts, and difficulty holding everyday playing time. Frequent team changes and limited usage suggest he profiles more as depth than a dependable option if the Yankees are forced to rely on him.

That player is Paul DeJong, who joins the Yankees on a minor-league deal that will pay $1 million only if he makes the active roster.

A tweet from 2011 is suddenly back in the spotlight after the Yankees’ latest move. “I hate the Yankees,” Paul DeJong wrote as a teenager, a post he later deleted but which has gone viral now that he is set to join the organization years later.

The signing itself is pretty straightforward. “Paul DeJong has agreed to a Minor League deal with the Yankees, per source. He will make $1 million if he makes the active roster,” Jon Heyman reported. After struggling at shortstop in 2025, the Yankees are clearly adding some insurance with an experienced option rather than taking another gamble.

That said, nothing is locked in. DeJong only earns the $1 million if he makes the active roster, so he still has to perform and prove he can help defensively.

The concerns around his track record start with an apparent offensive decline after an early peak. From 2017 to 2019, he produced at an above-average level, but that output has steadily fallen off.

In 2025, he hit .228 with a .269 on-base percentage and a .642 OPS across 193 at-bats, numbers that closely mirror his career line of a .229 average and .710 OPS over more than 3,100 at-bats.

His late-season splits underline the issue further, with a .067 average over his final seven games and a .159 average across his last 15 games, pointing to prolonged cold stretches rather than short slumps.

That decline has directly impacted how teams have used him.

He has not held a full-time, everyday role since his St. Louis years, instead bouncing between clubs and filling situational or bench roles.

Even in 2025, his defensive usage was spread across multiple infield positions, with fewer appearances at shortstop than earlier in his career. That pattern reflects league-wide hesitation to trust him as a long-term solution at a premium position, especially for a team with postseason expectations.

The contract structure reinforces that reality.

Recent deals have been short-term or minor-league agreements, and the Yankees followed the same approach by offering a deal that pays $1 million only if he makes the active roster.

It is a familiar Yankees move, similar to past bets on veterans like Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa at shortstop, or Marwin Gonzalez, players brought in for experience and versatility rather than upside.

That cautious approach did not come out of nowhere.

Anthony Volpe’s 2025 season explains why the Yankees are hedging at shortstop. Over 539 at-bats, he hit .212 with a .272 on-base percentage and a .663 OPS, numbers that fell short of expectations for a former first-round pick.

While he added 19 home runs and 18 stolen bases, the overall efficiency and consistency were lacking. His career line of a .222 average and .662 OPS over 1,717 at-bats suggests the struggles were not isolated. When paired with a season disrupted by a shoulder injury, it was enough for the Yankees to start planning for protection behind him.

But the shortstop question feeds into a much larger conversation around the organization’s direction.

Is the team ‘wasting’ talent?

That question has followed the Yankees for years, and it has only grown louder recently.

Despite their history, the team has not won a World Series since 2009.

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The current trend has seen them relatively quiet in recent off-seasons, leading to criticism over conservative or underwhelming roster decisions. Many point to Aaron Judge, one of the game’s elite players, and argue that the lack of a consistently substantial supporting cast amounts to wasted prime years rather than a true championship push.

“The truth is, they’re absolutely wasting a top talent,” social media personality VinnyTalksYanks said in a recent video.

Judge debuted with the team close to a decade ago and has been described by many as one of the greatest players of all time.

Despite his strong performance and dominating stats, the 33-year-old sits without a ring. This is seemingly because no single player can take a team to a World Series victory.

With the Toronto Blue Jays signing the likes of Kazuma Okamoto and eyeing Bo Bichette and Kyle Tucker, many have expected the Yankees also to make strong moves in the offseason. However, Paul DeJong’s minor-league deal seems to be the only highlight for now.

Would the team be able to make remarkable gains with a change in their shortstop?