It is worth noting that DeJong, without the guidance of Cardinals coaches, has rededicated himself to reworking his swing this offseason, and believes he’s experiencing meaningful growth. The shortstop hasn’t been decidedly above-average at the plate since his rookie year (121 OPS+ in 2017), even falling below the threshold during his All-Star 2019 season (99 OPS+). Though he’s never won a Gold Glove, DeJong still grades out well above-average in Defensive Runs Saved in a typical full season, and though his average waned last year (.197), he still managed to smack 19 home runs.ĭon’t expect an above-average offensive season from DeJong, though, whose reputation as a gritty, pesky battler at the plate comes mostly from the Cardinals uniform he wears. Still just 28 years old, he also comes with a pair of team options for 2024 ad 2025, options the Cardinals presumably assumed they’d use instead of transferring the shortstop position to Edmundo Sosa for a good portion of 2021 (DeJong played 107 games at short). ![]() Could be a good thing! But, at first blush, seems bad.įive MLB trades we'd like to see after the lockout, including Yankees and Phillies blockbusters Ĭould the Yankees call the Cardinals about a Paul DeJong trade?ĭeJong is currently signed through 2023, in the midst of a below-market six-year, $26 million deal signed prior to the 2018 season. He certainly struggled in 2021, but his worst-case scenario is a solid utility guy - and, oh, well, one problem: he’s under control for a very long time. Louis Cardinals a call about Paul DeJong? But after you roll it around in your brain a little bit, it certainly feels better than no-bat, some-glove Simmons (not that that’s the gold standard, but it’s what we’re hurtling towards). The biggest name that has come up in these discussions is Elvis Andrus, the shortstop of the Texas Rangers. Several aspects of the story are newsworthy because they contain Tommy Edman, a star prospect and DeJong's demise. Somehow, amid the crumbs, we totally missed one theoretical option, that CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa alerted us to this week in a trade-plotting piece for post-lockout. With the Cardinals having lost Rafael Furcal for the entire 2013 season due to Tommy John Surgery, many experts have suggested that they pursue a player from outside the organization. The Cardinals have sent struggling shortstop Paul DeJong to Triple-A Memphis. Hell, we’ve even begged for Anthony Volpe on Opening Day, if you all love him so much. We’ve acquiesced to Gio Urshela, with a Matt Chapman move to fill third base (or maybe Urshela gets dealt and Elvis Andrus arrives?). Just when you think you’ve exhausted all possible stopgap shortstop options for the New York Yankees, the MLB Lockout discourse pulls you back in. In the baseball-mad country afflicted by ongoing turmoil, a few playoff games attracted nearly 10,000 fans.By Adam Weinrib 7 months ago Follow Tweet And if you win, you have to win tomorrow.”Ĭarlos Mendoza, the Yankees bench coach and the manager of the Cardenales de Lara last winter, said every game in the league felt like Game 7 of the World Series. “In Venezuela, as well as other winter league countries, you don’t play to develop a player,” Blasini said. (The Navegantes’ first game is scheduled for Oct. ![]() After a slow start, DeJong began hitting lots of home runs. He may have a position with an organization, not just as a manager but in another role.”īut for now, Molina faces the upcoming pressure of the Cardinals’ playoff push (they lead the National League Central race by four games through Friday) and then the Venezuelan winter league. Shortstop Paul DeJong could have said something in those two-plus months he was marooned at Class AAA Memphis, sent there by the Cardinals because he was hitting. We don’t know Yadi’s future in the majors. And we’re all sure Yadi will in the near future be a manager in the big leagues. “We’d love for it to be multiyear,” Blasini said in a phone interview. He knew what kind of playing experience Molina had, and he had seen him lead the Puerto Rican youth team years ago. ![]() When Luis Blasini, the general manager of Magallanes, heard from his boss earlier this year that Sandoval had reached out about Molina, he said he wasn’t surprised Molina wanted to manage. “It’d be dumb not to use the resources you have,” Marmol said. Sometimes, he will even solicit his input. He admitted that he will occasionally explain to Molina in the dugout during a game which pitcher he is deciding to use in a certain situation. ![]() He also called Molina “super astute” for how he thinks ahead in games, such as not calling for his teammate’s best pitches until a critical moment, rather than showing them earlier when no one is on base.Īt times, Marmol said, Molina will pick his brain on why he called for a certain reliever when he did. Marmol said Molina has a great feel for reading an opponent’s swing - if he is too late or too early - and for what his teammate on the mound is succeeding at or struggling with that day.
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