The White Sox announced the signing of free-agent shortstop Paul DeJong on Tuesday. The 30-year-old graduate of Antioch High School will receive $1.75 million for one season.
The deal, reported last week but made official after DeJong passed a physical, also includes $250,000 in incentives. DeJong will fill a void left by former All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson, 30, whose $14 million club option was not picked up after he batted a career-low .245 with one homer and 14 errors in 119 games at shortstop last season.
Once viewed as the face of the franchise on whom the “Change The Game” marketing campaign was built around, Anderson is a free agent, a scenario no one saw coming before his surprisingly poor season. DeJong could serve as a bridge to top shortstop prospect Colson Montgomery, who is getting closer to being major-league ready but is not expected to make the Opening Day roster.
DeJong joins infielder Nicky Lopez, acquired in a six-player trade with the Braves last week, as defensive upgrades in the middle infield. But DeJong, the National League Rookie of the Year in 2017 and an All-Star and Gold Glove finalist in 2019 who had signed a six-year, $26 million extension with the Cardinals before 2018, struggled at the plate the last three seasons. In 2023, he batted .207/.258/.355 with a .602 OPS in 127 games.
DeJong started last season with the Cardinals and was traded to the Blue Jays for right-hander Matt Svanson on Aug. 1. With the Jays, he batted .068 in 44 plate appearances, striking out 18 times without drawing a walk before Toronto released him Aug. 21. DeJong signed with the Giants on Aug. 23 and was released Sept. 21 after batting .184 with one home run.
On Nov. 16, first-year Sox general manager Chris Getz acquired left-hander Jared Shuster, infielders Lopez and Braden Shewmake and right-handers Mike Soroka and Riley Gowens from the Braves for left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer.
As Getz looks to restore a franchise after one failed rebuild — the Sox were 81-81 in 2022 and 61-101 last season, leading to the firings of vice president Ken Williams and GM Rick Hahn — he is known to be entertaining trading ace right-hander Dylan Cease, who has significant appeal to contenders. Cease has two years of club control as an arbitration-eligible 27-year-old.
Designated hitter/outfielder Eloy Jimenez, who was acquired with Cease from the Cubs in a trade for Jose Quintana in 2017 and thought to be a pillar of a Sox contention window that opened and closed quickly, is also the subject of trade discussions.
Baseball’s winter meetings begin Sunday in Nashville, Tennessee, where the Sox could make more deals, if not before then.
The additions of DeJong and Lopez — both suburban Chicago products — are inexpensive, but they should shore up the team’s glaring defensive problems in the infield, with Lopez equipped to play second base, shortstop and third base.
Outfielder Adam Haseley was designated for assignment to make room for DeJong on the 40-man roster.
NOTES: The Sox signed outfielder Mark Payton to a minor-league deal. The 30-year-old St. Rita graduate, who has played in 40 major-league games, including eight for the Sox in 2022, played in Japan in 2023.
• Sox scout Bill “Yogi” Young, 69, died unexpectedly in his sleep over the weekend from diabetes complications while on vacation in Mexico. Young’s scouting career spanned 32 years, including the last 21 with the Sox.
