One day after losing All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette to a knee injury, the Toronto Blue Jays have acquired shortstop Paul DeJong from the St. Louis Cardinals for minor-league righty Matt Svanson ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline, the team announced. Bichette left Monday's game after suffering a knee injury coming to an abrupt stop on the bases, but an MRI revealed no significant structural damage and Bichette is day-to-day.
DeJong, 29, is a standout defensive shortstop who has elevated his offensive game with a few swing changes this season. His .710 OPS is identical to the league average at shortstop and well above the .631 OPS DeJong posted from 2020-22. While not a star, DeJong is a capable fill-in at short while Bichette is sidelined.
This is the third trade the Blue Jays and Cardinals have made in the last two weeks. Toronto acquired lefty Génesis Cabrera in a minor deal on July 21, then over the weekend the two teams hooked up for the Jordan Hicks trade. DeJong is owed the balance of his $9 million salary this year, and his contract includes club options for 2024 and 2025.
The Cardinals have now traded away DeJong, Hicks, Jordan Montgomery, and Chris Stratton at the deadline. Jack Flaherty is expected to move as well, and St. Louis could also move one of its surplus outfielders (Dylan Carlson, Tyler O'Neill, etc.). The Blue Jays are still seeking a right-handed hitting outfielder prior to the deadline.
Svanson, 24, has a 1.11 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 32 1/3 relief innings split between two Single-A levels. Baseball America did not rank him among Toronto's top 30 prospects in their midseason update. The Cardinals are paying down part of DeJong's contract in the trade.
Toronto enters play Tuesday in the third and final American League wild-card spot. They are 2.5 games up on a postseason spot. The last-place Cardinals are obviously focusing on 2024.
