Blue Jays Trade for Cardinals SS Paul DeJong
The Blue Jays have brought in a new infielder.
The team has traded for shortstop Paul DeJong from the Cardinals, as first reported by Jon Morosi. The 29-year-old infielder could fill a spot for the Blue Jays at second base and could be some insurance at shortstop if Bo Bichette misses time with his knee injury.
The deal, which has been confirmed by the team, sees the Blue Jays sending back 24-year-old pitching prospect Matt Svanson.
DeJong has been a natural fit for the Jays this deadline for the last few weeks and became increasingly attractive with the uncertainty around Bichette's knee.
The Cardinals shortstop isn't a beast with the bat, but he's rocking a .725 OPS this season (about league average) and is particularly strong against lefties (.834 OPS).
DeJong, who has mainly played shortstop in his MLB career but has 165 innings at 2B, also grades out as a 97th-percentile defender this season. Even if Bichette is healthy, the Jays could mix DeJong in as infield depth and a platoon bat against lefties in 2023 and perhaps hand him the second base keys next season. DeJong has $12.5 and $15 million club options for the next two seasons, respectively.
Svanson, heading back to St. Louis in the deal, is a right-handed pitcher who relies on mainly sinkers and sliders. He owns a 1.11 ERA across two minor-league levels this season, recording 39 strikeouts in 23.1 innings of relief.
Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon