Report: SF Giants sign former Cardinals, Blue Jays shortstop to MLB contract

The SF Giants have signed former St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Paul DeJong, according to a report by Bob Nightengale.

The SF Giants have signed veteran big-league shortstop Paul DeJong to a major league contract, according to a report by Bob Nightengale of USA Today. DeJong was recently released by the Toronto Blue Jays after they acquired him at the MLB trade deadline for a pitching prospect. Per Nightengale, DeJong will join the team on Wednesday and presumably replace either Casey Schmitt or Johan Camargo on the active roster. Camargo seems like a favorite since he can be designated for assignment to free up a spot on the 40-man roster as well.

The #SFGiants have just signed shortstop Paul DeJong to a major-league contract. He joins the team Wednesday.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 22, 2023

This season, DeJong has hit .211/.269/.365 with 13 home runs in 94 games played. However, he was an abysmal 3-for-44 following the trade to Toronto. Despite his below-average offensive performance, DeJong has remained an elite defensive shortstop, ranking in the 94th percentile according to Outs Above Average. A right-handed hitter, DeJong has performed better against southpaws this season but historically has showcased reverse splits. Still, he could form a platoon with Brandon Crawford when he returns from the injured list.

DeJong was drafted by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2015 MLB Draft out of Illinois State and quickly ascended through the minor league ranks. Less than two years later, he had established himself as St. Louis' starting shortstop and hit .285/.325/.532 with 25 home runs in 108 games. With an impressive start to his big-league career, DeJong finished second in the 2017 National League Rookie of the Year voting.

The native of Orlando, Florida, proved to be a potent offensive threat alongside his defensive acumen from 2017-2019. He hit .251/.318/.467 over that span, highlighted by a 30-home run season in 2019 when he received his lone career All-Star selection.

However, since MLB stopped juicing the ball, DeJong's pop has seemingly evaporated overnight. He has not posted a single season OPS above .674 since 2019 and has managed a meager .201/.277/.355 line. Always an aggressive hitter at the plate who walked at below-average rates, DeJong's inability to get on base only exacerbated his dip in offensive production.

Despite his struggles, DeJong has been better than any of the shortstops on the Giants roster this season. He's a massive upgrade over utility infielders like Schmitt and Camargo. But his below-average overall triple slash is better than Crawford's as well. Moreover, Statcast's expected weighted on-base average suggests that he may have suffered from a bit of bad luck this season. While his xwOBA (.292) is still below league average (.315), it is notably better than his wOBA (.277).

DeJong is in the final year of a six-year, $26 million contract extension, but since he was released by the Blue Jays, San Francisco will only be on the hook for the pro-rated major league minimum salary. It's an easy buy-low opportunity for the Giants, who are desperately searching for answers.

 It would have made sense for the SF Giants to target Paul DeJong at the trade deadline, and instead, by waiting a few weeks, they added him to the roster without parting with a prospect. Time will tell if he can recapture some of his previous magic.