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St. Louis Cardinals: 6 players with something to prove
Paul DeJong
The rumor mills seem to indicate that the Cardinals will be on the lookout for one of the free-agent market’s top shortstops. Whether it’s Trevor Story, Carlos Correa, Javier Baez or Marcus Semien, it would leave current shortstop Paul DeJong without an everyday job.
According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, DeJong is owed $6 million in 2022, $9 million in 2023, a $12.5 million club option ($2 million buyout) in 2024, and a $15 million club option ($1 million buyout) in 2025.
DeJong has truly struggled this season with injuries, a lack of production, and some rough plays on defense. He has played in 87 games and has a .199/.291/.389 with a +87 wRC. He has 17 home runs. He is a 1.3 WAR player.
It is pretty staggering to see from a once very productive player.
Hopefully, DeJong will see fit to take the next few weeks to step it up. Focus and get some timely hits that will help this team down the stretch. You can pretty much see the writing on the wall that the Cardinals will be moving on to a new everyday shortstop, but it would be great to see him improve enough this season that a team will seek him out in a trade to get him some everyday play again.
Some improvement from DeJong would also signal that he could net a big fish, in the form of a starting pitcher, a reliever, or even a bat.
I’ve enjoyed DeJong’s time with the Cardinals, but if it must come to an end, I hope the return is good for both parties involved.