White Sox Reach Deal with Paul DeJong

By Nate Miller

November 21, 2023

The Chicago White Sox have come to terms with veteran shortstop Paul DeJong, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. It was announced on Tuesday evening. The club has not confirmed the deal, which is pending the result of a physical. The financial details are still not known, though it’s a one-year deal, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The move to add DeJong comes a few weeks after the White Sox declined a $14 million club option on longtime shortstop Tim Anderson.

Well-Traveled

The 30-year-old shortstop spent time with three teams last season. He began the year with the St. Louis Cardinals — the only team he had played for since debuting in 2017 — before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays at the Trade Deadline. The Blue Jays released Paul DeJong three weeks later. He was signed by the San Francisco Giants on August 23, but he was released less than a month later.

Four years removed from his All-Star season with the Cardinals in 2019, DeJong slashed .207/.258/.355 (.612 OPS) last season. Over the past three years, he has a .192/.265/.353 (.618 OPS) line in 302 games. Since his rookie year in 2017, DeJong has played almost exclusively at shortstop in the big leagues, especially of late. The only other spot on the diamond where DeJong has made an appearance is second base, but 20 of his 22 appearances at second came in his rookie season in 2017.

Summer Rental

There is evidence that the services of DeJong will be a short-term solution for the White Sox. The eventual answer at shortstop figures to be Colson Montgomery. He is the White Sox’ No. 1 prospect and the No. 17 overall prospect in the majors, per MLB Pipeline. Though he’s 21 years old, he’ll be 22 by Opening Day. The goal for the 6-foot-3 left-handed hitter is to break camp with the team. It was a very disappointing season for the White Sox, who finished 2023 with a record of 61–101, good enough for fourth place in the AL Central. They finished 26 games behind the division-winning Minnesota Twins. With this in mind, the South Siders look to have a busy offseason making upgrades to their roster. The addition of DeJong is a good start.