"DeJong, 32, was a fourth-round pick by the Cardinals back in 2015. A fast riser through the minors, he made his MLB debut in 2017 and slugged 25 homers in 108 games en route to a second place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting that season. That led St. Louis to lock DeJong up long-term, signing him to a six-year extension that ran through the 2023 campaign and included club options for 2024 and '25."
"Unfortunately for the Cardinals, regression almost immediately began to take hold for DeJong. After a few years as a league average hitter who still managed to offer solid power and good defense at shortstop, his offensive numbers began to fall off starting in the shortened 2020 season. After hitting just .196/.280/.351 over the 2020-22 seasons, DeJong bounced back to a roughly league-average level in 2023 across 81 games for the Cardinals."
"Unfortunately, DeJong went an atrocious 12-for-93 over the final two months of the season while playing in Toronto and San Francisco. That .129/.128/.183 slash line in a nearly 100 plate appearance sample tanked whatever value he might have recouped prior to free agency, and DeJong wound up signing with the White Sox on a $1.75MM guarantee. DeJong managed to put together a decent season for Chicago (and Kansas City) in 2024, with 24 homers and a 96 wRC+ across 139 games"
The Yankees signed Paul DeJong to a minor league deal that includes a big league Spring Training invite. DeJong was a fourth-round Cardinals pick in 2015 who debuted in 2017, hit 25 homers in 108 games, and finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting. St. Louis extended him for six years through 2023 with club options for 2024 and 2025. Offensive regression emerged around 2020, producing a low .196/.280/.351 line from 2020–22, before a rough late-season stretch in Toronto. He rebounded with 24 homers and a 96 wRC+ across 139 games in 2024.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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