Inside The Pinstripes

Insider Names Under the Radar Yankees Infield Option

There's a new infielder on the New York Yankees' free agency radar, according to Jon Heyman.

Grant Young

Sep 3, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Paul DeJong (15) hits a one-run sacrifice against the Cleveland Guardians in the sixth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Sep 3, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Paul DeJong (15) hits a one-run sacrifice against the Cleveland Guardians in the sixth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
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One of the biggest points of discussion over the past couple of weeks as it pertains to the New York Yankees is what they're going to do about their second base vacancy.

Ever since Gleyber Torres signed with the Detroit Tigers, it seemed likely that New York would either sign or trade for somebody new to man second base for next season. Since then, several options have been listed as potential targets for the Yankees. Among these have been Padres infielder and hitting whiz Luis Arráez, Seattle Mariners standout Jorge Polanco, former Los Angeles Dodgers (and current Cincinnati Reds) infielder Gavin Lux, and Colorado Rockies player Brendan Rodgers.

There's also a chance that the Yankees will have Jazz Chisholm Jr. slide over to second base and seek a new third baseman or settle on having DJ LeMahieu start after several injury-plagued seasons.

All of this is to say that New York has options. And Jon Heyman of the New York Post alluded to yet another compelling option as part of his B/R Walk-Off live stream on January 8.

"I think the most likely scenario would be that [the Yankees] add a smaller piece, someone who has potential — but hasn't necessarily shown it to this point — like... maybe a Paul DeJong," Heyman said, per an X post from B/R Walk-Off.

"[DeJong] is not a name I've heard recently... but I would say Brendan Rodgers, Paul DeJong, probably more likely than any of the big names."

DeJong is a compelling option to fill the Yankees' second base void. He hit .227 with a .703 OPS and 27 home runs with the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals in 2024 while also being an above-average infielder, according to Baseball Savant.

Regardless of whether the Yankees end up acquiring DeJong, it appears they're seeking a low-risk, potentially high-reward option for second base at this point.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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