The SF Giants officially added veteran shortstop Paul DeJong to the active roster on Wednesday, designating infielder Johan Camargo for assignment in a corresponding move. The Giants signed DeJong on Tuesday to a big-league deal shortly after he was released by the Toronto Blue Jays. DeJong was a longtime starter with the St. Louis Cardinals and was traded to the Blue Jays at the deadline for a pitching prospect. He has hit .211/.269/.365 with 13 home runs in 94 games this season while receiving excellent grades defensively. While those numbers are far from exceptional, they are far better than incumbent shortstops Brandon Crawford, Casey Schmitt, and Camargo.
DeJong was drafted by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2015 MLB Draft out of Illinois State and quickly ascended through the minor league ranks. Less than two years later, he had established himself as St. Louis' starting shortstop and hit .285/.325/.532 with 25 home runs in 108 games. With an impressive start to his big-league career, DeJong finished second in the 2017 National League Rookie of the Year voting.
The native of Orlando, Florida, proved to be a potent offensive threat alongside his defensive acumen from 2017-2019. He hit .251/.318/.467 over that span, highlighted by a 30-home run season in 2019 when he received his lone career All-Star selection.
However, since MLB stopped juicing the ball, DeJong's pop has seemingly evaporated overnight. He has not posted a single season OPS above .674 since 2019 and has managed a meager .201/.277/.355 line. Always an aggressive hitter at the plate who walked at below-average rates, DeJong's inability to get on base only exacerbated his dip in offensive production once his home run power vanished.
Despite his struggles, DeJong has been better than any of the shortstops on the Giants roster this season. He's a massive upgrade over utility infielders like Schmitt and Camargo. But his below-average overall triple slash is better than Crawford's as well. Moreover, Statcast's expected weighted on-base average suggests that he may have suffered from a bit of bad luck this season. While his xwOBA (.292) is still below league average (.315), it is better than his wOBA (.277).
DeJong is in the final year of a six-year, $26 million contract extension, but since he was released by the Blue Jays, San Francisco will only be on the hook for the pro-rated major league minimum salary. He is currently set to become a free agent at the end of the season.
Camargo barely spent any time in the Giants organization and was only signed to a minor-league contract earlier this month. He was 4-for-18 with a walk and four strikeouts during his big-league stint with San Francisco. It's been some time since Camargo was an average or better MLB hitter, but the 29-year-old infielder is a versatile defender capable of playing shortstop, third base, and second base. He will likely clear waivers and could accept an outright assignment to remain in the Giants organization.
The Giants may need more than a minor upgrade on the team's depth chart, but Paul DeJong is an above-average defensive shortstop who has been more productive at the plate than the team's current options. It's rare an opportunity like that arises after the waiver trade deadline. Perhaps he can provide a much-needed spark for the SF Giants as they try to stop falling in the standings.
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