White Sox Shortstop Identified As Trade Target For Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians have holes that must be filled before the MLB trade deadline on July 30 if they want to be true playoff contenders. One of the positions that they’re reportedly interested in acquiring is an offensive-minded shortstop.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com compiled a list of different trade candidates and their potential fits and identified Chicago White Sox SS Paul DeJong as a fit for the Guardians.
Here’s what he had to say about DeJong.
“DeJong has already matched his home run total from all of 2023, belting 14 in his first 70 games with Chicago. The 30-year-old's .751 OPS is his highest value since his lone All-Star season in 2019 (.762), providing great value for his $1.75 million contract. DeJong is slated to become a free agent at the end of the season, and given the dearth of middle-infield talent expected to be moved this summer, he could become a popular target for contenders.”
Brayan Rocchio has been Cleveland’s everyday shortstop since the start of the season. While Rocchio is still looking for consistency at the plate (.211/.317/.304 slash line), he’s becoming one of the game’s best defensive shortstops and still has plenty of potential being only 23 years old.
DeJong on the other hand has been an average defender this season (51st percentile in OAA) and hasn’t been that much more productive than Rocchio with his bat. The White Sox shortstop is hitting .237/.286/.462 this season.
DeJong is by no means a bad shortstop, but it’d be hard to justify giving up prospects or a bullpen arm for a rental player who may not be better than what the Guardians currently have.
The Guardians and White Sox should discuss a trade before the deadline, but one revolving around DeJong doesn’t make a lot of sense for Cleveland.
TOMMY WILD