Blue Jays acquire shortstop Paul DeJong from Cardinals

The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired some insurance to replace Bo Bichette in the interim, agreeing to a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals for shortstop Paul DeJong, the club announced on Tuesday.

The Blue Jays will send 24-year-old minor league pitcher Matt Svanson to the Cardinals as part of the deal. To make room for DeJong on the 40-man roster, the Blue Jays designated outfielder Jordan Luplow for assignment.

DeJong has a $12.5-million team option next season and a $2-million buyout. Should the Blue Jays exercise that, the veteran infielder would carry a $15-million club option and $1-million buyout for 2025, too.

Bichette left Monday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles in the third inning with a sore knee after rounding first base. An MRI revealed no significant structural damage, manager John Schneider said in an update. The 25-year-old is considered day-to-day for now but appears to have avoided a major injury.

DeJong, who turns 30 on Wednesday, has played his entire seven-year career with the Cardinals. A 4th-round draft pick of the Cardinals in 2015, DeJong burst onto the scene as a 23-year-old rookie in 2017 but has not been able to regain that form and has struggled to produce offensively.

From 2021 to 2022, the infielder slashed .182/.269/.352 across 190 games — a far cry from his first three seasons in the majors, during which he hit .251/.318/.467 with an average of 25 home runs per season and 3.6 wins above replacement (WAR).

DeJong has played better this season, with 13 home runs and 32 RBIs across 81 games with the Cardinals. His current OPS+ is 93, the highest since the 2019 campaign. He’s hit left-handed pitchers well this season (.266/.368/.453) in 38 games, a trait the Blue Jays had been reportedly looking into on the trade market.

DeJong is also well-rounded defensively and is known to be a capable shortstop, a position he’s primarily played throughout his entire major-league career.

Blue Jays adding SS Paul DeJong from Cardinals, per source. @jonmorosi mentioned talks were advanced.

Third deal with Cardinals in recent days.

— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) August 1, 2023

This is the third trade between the Cardinals and Blue Jays this season. On July 21, Toronto acquired lefty reliever Génesis Cabrera, designated for assignment by the Cardinals, for prospect Sammy Hernandez.

On Sunday, the Blue Jays acquired hard-throwing reliever Jordan Hicks from the Cardinals for right-handed pitching prospects Sem Robberse and Adam Kloffenstein. Hicks, 26, will be a free agent at season’s end and will likely serve as the closer until Canadian Jordan Romano returns from the injured list.

Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins noted ahead of Monday’s game that both front offices had discussed a larger framework, presumably leading to the DeJong trade coming together quickly in light of Bichette’s injury.

The MLB Trade Deadline is at 6 p.m. today.