The Baseball Buffet for 1/5/2026

NYY signs infielder Paul DeJong. According to an article by Bryan Hoch at MLB, the Yankees are signing Paul DeJong to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training. DeJong is 32 years old and had 24 HR in 2024 with the White Sox and Royals, but only managed 6 HR and a .228 average in 57 games in 2025 for the Nationals.

He has some power, but the key thing he provides the Yankees is position versatility, as he has primarily been a SS during his career, but can also play 3B, 2B, and even 1B. DeJong joins Amed Rosario, Oswaldo Cabrera, and José Caballero as players on the roster who have infield flexibility, so he’s far from guaranteed an opening day roster spot. But as Hoch notes, starting SS Anthony Volpe isn’t expected to be ready until May—so the Yankees look like they will need both someone else to start at SS early in the season and at least one guy (maybe two) as a versatile reserve for the infield.

1B Paul Goldschmidt - Cardinals (2019-24)

SP Andy Pettitte - Yankees (1995-2003, 07-13)

SP Jim Maloney - Reds (1960-70)

SP Burt Hooton - Dodgers (1975-84), Rangers (1985)

RP Lee Smith - Cubs (1980-87)

SP Mike Flanagan - Orioles (1975-87, 91-92), Blue Jays (1987-90)

RP Bob Stanley - Red Sox (1977-89)

RP Craig Kimbrel - Braves (2010-14, 25), and seven other clubs

SP Larry Jansen - Giants (1947-54)

RP Gary Lavelle - Giants (1974-84) and two other clubs

SP Ryan Dempster - Marlins (1999-2002), Cubs (2004-12), and two other clubs

1984: The Yankees sign veteran pitcher Phil Niekro. “The New York Yankees sign future Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro to a two-year contract. Niekro, who went 11-10 with a 3.97 ERA for the Atlanta Braves in 1983, will fill a void in New York's rotation and allow the team to move Dave Righetti to the bullpen.”

1993: Reggie Jackson is elected to the Hall of Fame. “Reggie Jackson is the lone player elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America to the Hall of Fame. Jackson, whose .262 lifetime batting average is the lowest of any outfielder in the Hall, receives 93.6 percent of the vote. His 563 career home runs make him a hit with voters in his first year of eligibility.”

1998: Don Sutton is elected to the Hall of Fame. “Don Sutton gets into the Hall of Fame on his fifth try. With 324 wins, Sutton had the most victories of any eligible pitcher not in the Hall. He reached the postseason with three different clubs (the Dodgers, Brewers and Angels), and struck out 3,574 batters in 23 seasons. Sutton receives 386 votes of the record 473 ballots cast for 81.6 percent. Tony Perez falls short with 355 votes, and Ron Santo, on the ballot for the 15th and final time, gains 204 votes.”

1999: Nolan Ryan, George Brett, and Robin Yount are elected to the Hall of Fame. “In their first year of eligibility, George Brett, Nolan Ryan and Robin Yount are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Carlton Fisk finishes fourth in the voting, missing election by 43 votes. It is the only time since the first inductees were selected in 1939 that more than two first-timers have made it into Cooperstown in the same year.”

2001: The Mariners sign Ichiro. “Outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, who has won seven batting titles in the Pacific League, is signed by the Seattle Mariners to a $14,088,000, three-year contract.”

2010: Randy Johnson announces his retirement. “Randy Johnson, who won his 300th game with the San Francisco Giants last season, announces his retirement, ending a 22-year career that began with the Montreal Expos in 1988. The 6'10" lefthander amassed 4,875 strikeouts, the second-most in major league history after Nolan Ryan, and pitched both a no-hitter and a perfect game while winning five Cy Young Awards.”

2011: Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven are elected to the Hall of Fame. Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven are voted into the Hall of Fame when the results of the 2011 Hall of Fame Election are announced. Alomar, twice a World Champion with the Toronto Blue Jays and a perennial Gold Glove winner at second base, makes it in his second year on the ballot. For workhorse pitcher Blyleven, it's been harder. He started out at 17.5% in his first year of eligibility, and finally crossed the 75% threshold in his 14th year after a dedicated campaign on his behalf conducted through the internet.

2011: The Rangers sign 3B Adrián Beltré. “The Rangers land a big name free agent, signing 3B Adrian Beltre to a six-year deal worth $96 million. The signing means veteran Michael Young will move from 3B to DH, the third time the acquisition of a new teammate has resulted in a switch of position for him.”

21-year major league career, spanning from 1891-1911, mostly with Chicago, Brooklyn, and New York in the National League

Was a strong run-scorer, especially early in his career with 100+ runs in each of his first six seasons, including highs of 150 runs in 1894 and 137 runs in 1896. He also had high batting averages of .359 and .352 in those two seasons.

Had 30+ SB in nine seasons, including a high of 60 SB in 1892

Was a top defensive SS of his era, often amongst the NL leaders in various fielding statistics

Overall had 548 SB, 163 triples, 1,590 runs, 1,234 RBI, a .272/.358/.382 slash line, and a 110 OPS+

25-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1970-1994, mostly with the Dodgers and Rangers

One of the most successful knuckleball pitchers in the history of the game, Hough started as a reliever with top seasons including 18 saves and a 2.21 ERA in 1976 and 22 saves and a 3.32 ERA in 1977

Sold by the Dodgers to the Rangers in July of 1980, he became a starting pitcher for the rest of his long career. He consistently posted 15-18 wins for seven consecutive seasons for the Rangers from 1982-1988.

All-Star in 1986 when he had a 17-10 record and a 3.79 ERA, and then in 1987 he had an 18-13 record, a 3.79 ERA, a career-high 223 strikeouts, while leading the AL with 40 games started and 285.1 IP

Overall had an even 216-216 record, 61 saves, a 3.75 ERA, and a 106 ERA+

14-year major league career, spanning from 1921-1934, all with the Indians and Cubs

Played mostly 2B early in his career, but later shifted to mostly playing LF

Received down-ballot MVP votes in three seasons, including in 1927 when he led the NL with 46 doubles, while batting .344 with 101 runs.

Batted .362 in 1929, with career highs of 17 HR, 110 RBI, and 10 SB

Despite his strong hitting ability, shoulder injuries meant he had a weak arm and overall poor defense. He was often a part-time player, only playing 110+ games in four seasons.

Overall had an impressive .336/.407/.473 slash line and a 129 OPS+

13-year major league career, spanning from 1955-1967, mostly with the White Sox and Senators/Twins

Had limited playing time for the White Sox from 1955-1959, then was traded in early April 1960 with Don Mincher and cash to the Senators for All-Star Roy Sievers.

Battey blossomed with the Senators/Twins, was an All-Star in four seasons, and won three consecutive Gold Glove Awards

Hit .270+ and had between 12-26 HR each year from 1960-64

Overall had 104 HR, a .270/.349/.409 slash line, and a 106 ERA+

9-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1884-1892, all with St. Louis and Brooklyn, across the American Association and the National League

As with most good pitchers of that era, he completed most of his starts (298 of 310 over his career). He led his league in wins twice, with a 40-13 record in 1885 for St. Louis, and a 40-11 record in 1889 with Brooklyn.

Also led the AA in ERA with a 2.07 mark in 1885.

Was a relatively good hitter for a pitcher, sometimes playing OF, 1B, or 2B in fact. He batted .334 with a league-leading .448 OBP and 26 SB in 1886, and then hit .357 with an even higher .463 OBP and 49 SB and 102 runs in 1887. For his career he had a .282/.391/.400 slash line and a 134 OPS+.

Overall as a pitcher he had a 218-99 (.688) record, a 2.83 ERA, and a 122 ERA+

15-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1983-1997, with the first half spent with the Royals and Reds, and the second half spread across five clubs

Two-time All-Star, including in 1988 for the Reds when he came in second in the NL Cy Young Award vote after posting a 23-8 record, a 2.73 ERA, and leading the NL with 15 complete games. Was also an All-Star in 1994 for the Phillies, posting a 14-6 record and 3.26 ERA.

Overall had a 112-131 record, a 4.01 ERA, and an even 100 ERA+

First-round draft pick (17th overall), spanning from 2014-2023, mostly with the Angels and Rockies

Mostly a 1B, with some time spent as a DH

Had four seasons with 25-30 HR, including his one All-Star season in 2022 when he posted 29 HR and 102 RBI

Overall had 187 HR, a .260/.320/.471 slash line, and a 111 OPS+

10-year major league career, spanning from 1982-1991, mostly with the White Sox

After several years in the lower minors, he had 40 HR and 103 RBI with a .326 average at AA Glens Falls in 1981, and then hit .345 with 50 HR and 144 RBI at AAA Edmonton in 1982.

Was an All-Star and won the AL Rookie of the Year in 1983 after hitting .254 with 35 HR and 100 RBI, though also led the AL with 150 strikeouts

Hit 20+ HR in each of the next three seasons, but with batting averages that only ranged from .215-.230.

Overall had 176 HR, a .239/.306/.473 slash line, and a 110 OPS+

13-year major league career, spanning from 2011-2023, mostly with the Twins and Diamondbacks but with some time spent with four other clubs. He has continued to play in the Venezuela Winter League in 2024/25 and 2025/26.

Had 20+ HR five times, with career-highs of 35 HR, 118 RBI, and an AL-leading 10 triples in 2019.

Was an All-Star in 2021 with a .253 average with 28 HR and 90 RBI.

Versatile on the field, he mostly played 3B, with over 150 games spent at both SS and 2B, and some time at LF and 1B too.

Overall had 164 HR, a .253/.305/.430 slash line, and a 98 OPS+

8-year major league career as a CF, spanning from 1912-1920, with two seasons in the Federal League and then the rest of his career with the New York Giants

After mostly playing for various minor league teams from 1910-1912, he hit .345 with 19 triples in 135 games at B-level Hartford in the Eastern League.

Led the upstart Federal League in batting average both in 1914 with a .370 average for Indianapolis and then in 1915 with a .342 average for Brooklyn. He also led the FL with 120 runs, 211 hits, 44 doubles and 75 SB in 1914, and with 55 SB in 1915.

He didn't produce nearly as strong numbers for the Giants for the rest of his career, but did have 40 SB in 1916, and a .308 average and 30 SB in 1917.

Overall had 234 SB, a .311/.389/.450 slash line, and a 149 OPS+

Hank Aaron - 755 HR, 3,771 hits, .305 BA

Willie Mays - 660 HR, 3,293 hits, .301 BA

Miguel Cabrera - 511 HR, 3,174 hits, .306 BA

Stan Musial - 475 HR, 3,630 hits, .331 BA

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