DeJong gives Blue Jays short-term lift, long-term options

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays have found a solution to the absence of Bo Bichette -- however long that may be.

Less than 24 hours after Bichette left Monday’s loss to the Orioles with a right knee injury, Toronto acquired shortstop Paul DeJong from the Cardinals, the teams announced on Tuesday.

The Blue Jays, who also acquired cash considerations in the deal, are sending Minor League right-handed reliever Matt Svanson the other way.

TRADE DETAILS
Blue Jays get: SS Paul DeJong and cash
Cardinals get: RHP Matt Svanson

This was the third deal between Toronto and St. Louis, after the Blue Jays acquired relievers Génesis Cabrera on July 21 and Jordan Hicks on Sunday.

Toronto was always expected to be in the market for a right-handed bat, but the uncertainty surrounding this injury to the club’s everyday shortstop -- and arguably its best offensive player this year -- added urgency to the deal for DeJong.

“[DeJong] is an interesting fit for us [even] without the injury," said Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins. "He’s hit left-handers relatively well. He’s a very good defender that complements our organizational depth. He has great experiences and I think it heightened the need with Bo’s injury.”

The addition should work well while Bichette recovers. Though an MRI showed no significant structural damage to his knee, the infielder is dealing with some inflammation in the area, and he’s considered day to day.

"The goal of any team is just to make sure all your bases are covered," said manager John Schneider. "If that means [being] without Bo for a little bit -- and it may not -- past [the Trade Deadline], you kind of lose that option to protect yourself."

DeJong was in transit and not active for the Blue Jays’ game against the Orioles on Tuesday. Santiago Espinal -- who also replaced Bichette at short on Monday -- got the start instead, but he figures to return to a second-base platoon with Whit Merrifield and Cavan Biggio once DeJong officially joins the club.

So, Toronto covered its bases in the short term. Once Bichette returns, however, this middle infield will get a bit crowded.

How will the Blue Jays handle that surplus of second basemen and shortstops?

"We haven’t really gotten that far yet," Schneider said on Tuesday. "But there’s a lot of ways you can slice it."

One way you can slice it is by moving DeJong to second and deploying Merrifield in the outfield more often, while Espinal and Biggio return to a more traditional bench role. Another option is to add DeJong to the current second-base platoon or even consider something similar at shortstop.

"We’ll let our staff make that decision, and obviously we’ll do our part to support them in any way we can to help them make those decisions," said Atkins. "I think there’s different ways to think about platoons in today’s game, whether that be starting pitcher based, right-handed swing plane based and different opportunities that aren’t as straightforward."

At least for now, the deal fills a crucial need for the Blue Jays, who entered Tuesday's game against the Orioles in the third AL Wild Card spot and 6 1/2 games back of Baltimore in the AL East. DeJong hasn’t performed to the level that he showed during his best seasons with the Cardinals from 2017-19, but his 14 games of postseason experience, dating back to '19, fit well with what the Blue Jays were looking for in the trade market.

It didn’t come at an incredibly high cost, either. Svanson, 24, sat outside the Blue Jays’ Top 30 prospects list, per MLB Pipeline. The Blue Jays’ 13th-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, Svanson has posted a 1.11 ERA with 39 strikeouts and a 0.93 WHIP over 32 1/3 innings in relief between Single-A Dunedin and High-A Vancouver this season.

DeJong, who will turn 30 on Wednesday, is batting .233 with a .709 OPS, 13 homers and 32 RBIs in 2023. A former All-Star and NL Rookie of the Year runner-up, he’s currently in his seventh MLB season. His contract holds options for 2024 ($12.5 million; $2M buyout) and '25 ($15 million; $1M buyout).

To make room for DeJong on the active roster, the Blue Jays designated Jordan Luplow for assignment.