The Giants had to wait a month longer than they had hoped, but they finally ended up with veteran shortstop Paul DeJong.
DeJong and the Giants reached an agreement on a deal just days after he was designated for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area. Bob Nightingale from USA Today He was the first to report Deal.
The Giants had interest in DeJong before the deadline but the Blue Jays swooped in when there was uncertainty about Bo Bichette’s knee. They’re back again in recent days after DeJong left, and the shortstop is expected to join the Giants on Wednesday in Philadelphia.
Farhan Zaidi initially switched to Mark Mathias at the deadline and then signed veteran Johan Camargo, who was promptly brought to the major leagues and struggled at the plate. DeJong figures either take the position of the Camargo or Casey Schmitt as the Giants await the exit of Brandon Crawford (crank dynasty) from IL.
While Camargo is 4-for-17 since coming out of Triple-A, DeJong has had more visible struggles in his short time in Toronto. He was 3-for-44 with 18 strikeouts, scoring 0.136 OPS in 13 games.
The Giants certainly hope he can return to his form in St. Louis. DeJong had 13 birdies and a . 710 OPS before the July trade. He broke through 30 players in 2019 and was an All-Star, but has only had a 0.632 OPS in the years since.
DeJong has continued to be rated as a shortstop above average player all time, and this season he’s ranked at 94 percent in Statcast’s Outs Over Average. Although he was primarily a shortstop in his career, DeJong has some major league experience at second base.
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