3 Trades the Red Sox Should Make To Replace Trevor Story
2. Paul DeJong, SS, Chicago White Sox
If Boston does decide to make a move, DeJong feels most likely. At 30, he's no longer an unknown entity, and his Chicago White Sox are bad enough where just about anybody on the roster can be had. Boston, are you interested in a reclamation project?
As a right-handed, glove-first player, DeJong feels almost too obvious to fill the vacancy at shortstop. He's had a very up-and-down career, breaking into the bigs as a power-first-defense-later infielder before becoming an elite defender just shy of his 27th birthday. Strangely, his hitting disappeared once his defense excelled; he hasn't recorded a full-season OPS above .674 since 2019.
However, he has recorded four consecutive full-length seasons with at least three Defensive Runs Saved, culminating in a career-high seven in 2023. That impressive mark came even while DeJong bounced around the league: he called St. Louis, Toronto, and San Francisco home before the season was out. Through the chaos, his stellar first half went almost unnoticed; the seventh-year man played great defense and slugged to a .710 OPS for the Cardinals before a dreadful, interrupted second half sunk his overall numbers.
Early returns with the White Sox suggest there's still a decent player somewhere in DeJong; he's fielded well and hit two home runs over his first 20 at-bats with Chicago. It's not all sunshine and rainbows, though. 11 of his first 20 ABs have resulted in strikeouts, and he's yet to walk. If those trends are to continue, this could be DeJong's worst offensive year yet, and a continuation of his horrific second half from 2023.
But, this is a risk the Red Sox should be willing to take. At the very least, DeJong figures to provide sparkling defense and the occasional power threat. At best, he follows in the footsteps of former Cardinals teammate Tyler O'Neill, who's seen a resurgence in Boston thus far. Additionally, DeJong is on an expiring, $1.75 million contract; he'd be dirt-cheap to acquire and even cheaper to roster. Trading for DeJong is a low-risk, high-reward move that the Red Sox should seriously consider if they plan on competing at all in 2024.
Potential Deal:
- BOS receives SS Paul DeJong
- CHW receives UTL Nick Sogard, SS David Hamilton (BOS #20)