The Chicago White Sox were a bad team in 2023 which caused them to go 61-101. There were changes made to the front office and Chris Getz is now in charge.
There have been a few subtractions from the roster this off-season so far to be sure, but there have been some additions as well. There are also sure to be more in the coming week as the front office tries to form this roster into something usable.
On Tuesday, a move was made by the White Sox. Jon Heyman reported that they were close to a deal with shortstop Paul DeJong. With Tim Anderson out of the mix now, it appears as if the White Sox have found their shortstop for the 2024 season.
Paul DeJong nearing MLB deal with White Sox
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 21, 2023
DeJong was drafted by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2024 MLB Draft. He played there from 2017-2023 and was great. Things got very bad for them in 2023, however, that he was one of the pieces traded away for assets.
The Chicago White Sox are bringing in Paul DeJong to play shortstop
DeJong moved on to the Toronto Blue Jays in a trade but then they flipped him to the San Francisco Giants later in the year. For the year, he played 81 games for the Cardinals, 13 for the Blue Jays, and 18 for the Giants. It was a wild year for him split between three teams.
It clearly impacted his game as well as he had one of the worst years of his career. Things have fallen off for him quite a bit since the 2020 season which hasn't been good to see. Now, he is looking for a fresh start with a team that could use help in a lot of areas.
In 2023, DeJong had a slash line of .207/.258/.355 for an OPS of .612. He had 14 home runs, 38 RBIs, and 41 runs scored. His play earned him a WAR of -0.5. These are all numbers that he'd like to see improved when he puts on a White Sox uniform.
It is a typical cheap "hope the player bounces back" type of move made by the White Sox but at least they have a few options to play this very important position of shortstop. Hopefully, he does find some of that old magic that he used to have in his early Cadrinals days.