photo: Michael Girsch, Bill DeWitt Jr., John Mozeliak, Paul DeJong, Mike Matheny (Scott Rovak/USA TODAY Sports)
St. Louis Cardinals press release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced today (Monday, March 5) that they have agreed to a six-year contract thru 2023 with infielder Paul DeJong that also includes club options for both 2024 and 2025. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.
“We are committed to winning at the Major League level, through scouting and player development, and Paul is a great example of this,” said Cardinals’ Owner and Chief Executive Officer Bill DeWitt, Jr.
“Paul moved quickly through our minor leagues and he had a breakout season last year and has shown all the attributes we look for in a player.” stated Cardinals’ President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak. “We are excited to know that Paul is someone we can build around, and we look forward to seeing him in a Cardinals uniform for years to come.”
DeJong, 24, burst on to the Major League scene last season, hitting a home run in his first big league at-bat on May 28 at Colorado (9th Cardinal to ever do so) and he went on to hit a team-leading 25 round-trippers, becoming the first rookie since Albert Pujols (37 in 2001) to lead the club in homers.
After hitting 13 home runs in 48 games with Memphis (AAA) to begin the season, DeJong added a .285 batting mark with 25 HR’s, 65 RBI and a team-best .532 slugging pct. in his 108 games with St. Louis. As a result, he finished 2nd in National League Rookie of the Year balloting to the Dodgers Cody Bellinger, the highest finish ever by a Cardinals shortstop.
DeJong, drafted by the Cardinals in 2015 (4th round) out of Illinois State University, ranks 2nd to Pujols in home runs (26 to 25) and extra base hits (54 to 52) in first 108 career games played among all Cardinals and his 20 home runs as a shortstop in 2017 tied Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. for 8th all-time among rookie shortstops.
The former Collegiate Academic All-American was voted the National League’s Rookie of the Month for July, when he led all rookies with eight home runs and 28 hits while batting .298 with eight doubles and a .638 slugging pct. His eight home runs set the Cardinals rookie record for the month of July.
DeJong made history on July 8, 2017 vs. the New York Mets when he collected four extra base hits (HR & three 2B’s), becoming the Cardinals first-ever shortstop and 8th-place hitter to have four extra base hits in a single game. He was also the first Cardinals rookie since Terry Moore (Aug. 28, 1935) to have four long hits in one contest. DeJong finished with eight extra base hits in the three-game series (July 7-9) against the Mets, the most ever by a Cardinals player during a three-game series in the modern era (post 1900).
DeJong appeared at 88 games at shortstop and 20 games at second base in 2017.
Brian Walton’s take
Well, Cardinals fans wanted their team to spend money – and they did so on Monday. But, they did it their way – on another young, homegrown talent rather than on more expensive free agents.
On one hand, DeJong’s six-year $26 million contract could be considered a surprise. Then again, the team has made a habit of these kinds of spring specials with pre-arbitration players, including Stephen Piscotty in 2017 and Kolten Wong the year before.
Unlike his predecessor as starting shortstop, Aldemys Diaz, who was in a similar place experience-wise a year ago, DeJong must already be considered by the Cardinals to be a core player. Hence, he receives the long-term commitment that Diaz did not.
The key questions about the deal are its timing and the amount. $26 million is the largest commitment given to any player with less than one year of service time in the history of MLB. The deal includes two options, for 2024 and 2025, which are worth $12.5 million and $15 million, respectively, making the maximum $51.5 million. The option buyout is $2 million, which is included in the $26 million base, as is customary for how MLB contracts are reported.
A record-setting deal for a player with such little experience may raise eyebrows across the game as other clubs have many players with as much or more experience who are not getting this kind of money this soon. Further, many more veteran free agents are still without jobs at all.
Under the normal process, DeJong would have been eligible for arbitration for the 2021-2023 seasons and perhaps also for 2020*. His first opportunity for free agency would have been for the 2024 season.
* The top 17 percent of players each year based on their service time – with at least two but fewer than three years of service – are allowed to participate in the arbitration process early. This essentially gives them a fourth year of higher salary during their six years prior to free agency.
DeJong currently has 127 days of service time. The exact cutoff date, set by the 17 percent line, varies by year, but in 2017, it was two years, 123 days. The possibility of DeJong qualifying for this fourth more expensive year may have added to the club’s motivation to push for the deal now.
Despite the contract being somewhat controversial, perhaps, both sides can benefit. DeJong receives financial stability several years before he would have otherwise. In return, if DeJong continues to grow, the Cardinals may be in a position to pay him at an under-market rate. Further, they can hold him two years into his free agent years, if they choose.
As was demonstrated in both the Allen Craig and Piscotty cases, even if there is a drop off in the performance of a player on a long-term deal, the club has been adept at securing value in trade by not holding onto him too long.
I just wish I felt better about DeJong’s chances of cutting down his strikeouts and increasing his walks.
In this article from late last summer, I showed that just two others in MLB history had comparable rookie seasons to DeJong – with the combination of high home runs and strikeouts plus low walks. Cory Snyder quickly faded away, while Jonathan Schoop is having a solid career.
https://thecardinalnation.com/could-paul-dejong-become-jonathan-schoop-or-cory-snyder/
Of course, by putting at least $26 million on the table, the Cardinals’ actions indicate they are not expecting DeJong to become another Snyder. Only time will tell if they are right.
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Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian on Twitter.
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