Former Cardinals shortstop signs with his famously detested New York Yankees

One of the St. Louis Cardinals' old friends in on the move again, but he might not be too happy about signing on the dotted line. Paul DeJong, a shortstop for the Cardinals from 2017 through the first half of 2023, agreed to a minor league contract with the New York Yankees with an invite to spring training. The move ordinarily wouldn't make many waves around baseball, but DeJong's longtime disdain for the pinstripes could ruffle some feathers among those in the Bronx.

DeJong's viral anti-Yankees X post may have him putting his foot in his mouth.

After the Cardinals traded DeJong to the Toronto Blue Jays at the 2023 trade deadline, a post of DeJong's on X from 2011 was unearthed where he had said "I hate the Yankees." As a divisional rival of New York's, the Blue Jays embraced DeJong's loathing of the Yankees, and their fans welcomed him with open arms. Unfortunately, the honeymoon phase ended almost before it began, as DeJong owned all of three hits in 44 at-bats for Toronto before they released him 20 days after the trade.

Following his release, DeJong embarked on a nomadic journey, playing with the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals from 2023 to 2025, never finding the form he exhibited in his first year with the Cardinals, where he hit .285 with an .857 OPS and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting to Cody Bellinger.

Now with his longtime foe, the 32-year-old DeJong may feel that time is running out for him to revive his career. For many players, team allegiances from their younger days tend to fade as they ascend the ladder to the major leagues, and finicky Yankees fans need to hope that this is the case with DeJong. It's a low-risk move for the Yankees and one that could pay dividends if he rediscovers his power stroke that few middle infielders possess.

And the Cardinals? They may have made out like bandits in DeJong deal, as their return from the Blue Jays was minor league pitcher Matt Svanson, who performed admirably out of the Cardinals bullpen in 2025.

DeJong and Yankees fans will need to put aside their differences as the shortstop fights to preserve his career. Meanwhile, the Cardinals can rest easy knowing they have a potential bullpen linchpin for years to come.