Former St. Louis Cardinals All-Star infielder Paul DeJong is trying to keep his career going, as he signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees on Sunday.

That report came from Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

There's no guarantee that he makes New York's roster, but he'll head to spring training with a chance. Jazz Chisholm Jr., Ryan McMahon, Ben Rice, Anthony Volpe, Amed Rosario and Jose Caballero already seem assured spots in the infield/bench roles, as long as they are all healthy.

About DeJong

Now 32 years old, DeJong is a nine-year veteran of the Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals.

He was a fourth-round pick of the Cardinals in 2015 out of Illinois State University.

A career .229 hitter with a .294 on-base percentage, he hit .233 over parts of seven seasons with St. Louis. He had 115 home runs in that time, also bringing in 338 runs and stealing 23 bases. He made the All-Star Game with the Cardinals in 2019, finishing that season with a .233 average, 30 home runs and 78 RBIs. He had 20 homers or more twice in his tenure with St. Louis. 

He finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2017 when he finished with a 121 OPS+ and an .857 OPS.

He helped St. Louis to the playoffs each year from 2019-22.

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About his fall off

Again, DeJong started his career well, hitting .285 as a rookie with 25 homers (2017). In 2018, the average started to decrease, as he hit just .241, but he still provided 19 homers. He hit the 30 homers in 2019, but hit an even-worse .233. He hit .250 in COVID-19 shortened season of 2020, but then he hit just .197 in 2021. He had 19 home runs still, but then he lost the power and the average both. He hit only six homers with a .157 average in 2022. He had 13 homers in 81 games in 2023 before the Cardinals traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays. He hit only .068 with the Jays as they were swept in the playoffs.

The Cardinals received right-handed pitcher Matt Svanson in the deal.

About the rest of the Cardinals offseason

The rebuild will continue as St. Louis could trade away Brendan Donovan, JoJo Romero, Nolan Arenado and Lars Nootbaar. Donovan has been one of the most coveted players this offseason.

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