White Sox nearing deal with Paul DeJong
As the White Sox opened the winter with vacancies at both middle infield positions, Josh found out that the White Sox immediately had a replacement in mind for Tim Anderson, and we passed that info along to you earlier this month.
Now that theyโve created a vacancy at shortstop by declining Tim Andersonโs option, weโve heard that the White Sox are starting the winter with a pursuit of shortstop Paul DeJong.
According to Jon Heyman — and we’ve since heard the same thing — it’s happening.
Even though a Sox Machine scoop materialized, that’s a lowercase “it’s happening” because DeJong hit just .129/.128/.183 for Toronto and San Francisco over the last two months following a trade from the Cardinals at the deadline. I suppose that’s why Heyman felt like he needed to specify that it was an MLB deal.
With Nicky Lopez already in the fold after the White Sox acquired him from the Braves in the Aaron Bummer trade, the Sox now have a pair of glove-first middle infielders from the Chicagoland area (Lopez is a local product from Naperville, DeJong from Antioch).
This feels a little bit like Rick Hahn signing Josh Harrison and Leury Garcรญa in the same winter, in that there isn’t that much upside in this particular profile for doubling down. DeJong and Lopez both look like No. 9 hitters, and if the White Sox don’t make a meaningful upgrade at catcher, that results in a pretty empty bottom of the order.
On the bright side, landing both DeJong and Lopez seemingly achieves Getz’s goal of improving the infield defense, which will help a threadbare pitching staff. DeJong also provides one more layer of insulation between Colson Montgomery and the 26-man roster. Any credible, playable option that prevents Montgomery from being considered for Opening Day is welcome aboard.
(Plus, at least DeJong outhomered Anderson last year, which is something Lopez can’t say.)
This signing will require a corresponding move since the 5-for-1 trade with Atlanta filled the 40-man roster to capacity, but the White Sox still have plenty of room for cutting.
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It doesn’t excuse Getz, he still stinks, but I think JR is cutting spending A LOT.
I don’t have a problem with them not spending money. Even trading Bummer for Lopez was ok. But there is no reason whatsoever to sign scrap heap players like DeJong. Zero.
They would be better off doing nothing and letting Sosa and/or whoever else play alongside Lopez. I honestly don’t care if they don’t sign anybody this winter. Spend when it matters. Instead they’ll probably waste 30-40M on 8 total shit players who are DFA material before they even play.
The truth is that, as I hope, they trade Eloy, Cease, Robert and Vaughn, they could pick up some very interesting prospects and talent.
I hope that this is far from over.
I just donโt understand the appetite for a full-scale rebuild after seeing the results of how it turned out the last couple of times they tried it. Desire to see Robert traded is particularly confusing to me, as youโd be hoping that somehow one of the pieces you got back ends up to be almost as good as Robert, an unlikely outcome given the relatively low percentage of prospects that pan out.
I find the arguments against a “full-scale rebuild” quite funny. Holding on to Robert, who will be by himself as the only player on the roster with a WAR over 1 last year if they trade Cease, does not mean that they are not in the midst of a full-scale rebuild. It’s like someone with one hair on his head saying that he isn’t completely bald.
Iโd like to hear the argument for why a rebuild will turn out any differently this time than it did the other two times theyโve tried it in the past decade.
I can’t make one. They are owned by the same miser, and have nobody smarter now as GM. I doubt they have a .500 team before Robert leaves, personally.
But they’ve already gutted the team, which means that a rebuild is what they are doing. The only hope is that Jerry joins Seidler among owners who pass on.
This time we arenโt rebuilding – weโre rejiggering.
DeJong is just a one year placeholder SS who is cheaper than TA but much better defensively. Thatโs all he is supposed to be.
Theyโre rebuilding. Theyโre just not rebuilding.
Can’t rebuild if you never build’ed (points where brain should be).
โ(Plus, at least DeJong outhomered Anderson last year, which is something Lopez canโt say.)โ
I do miss Home Run Derby.
Incredible accomplishment to add two middle infielders with less hitting upside than Harrison and Andrus.
They may lead the league in runs allowed and score the fewest, but their defense will be looking sharp!
Hopefully they announce the Salvador Perez trade before the winter meetings.
Iโm interested in seeing Getzโ emphasis on defense and run prevention playing out. There was so much frustration watching this team play โdefenseโ that will be alleviated with moves like these.
But, Iโm absolutely dreading the consequences of neglecting the offense by over populating the team with glove-only position players. There wasnโt much there to begin with offensively and subtracting from it even more could make this offense the most unwatchable of my lifetimeโฆand as a Sox fan thatโs really saying something.
They certainly haven’t improved a bad offense, but considering who these guys are replacing, they can’t have hurt it much. They have improved the defense up the middle pretty significantly.
Thereโs a baked in assumption there that the guys theyโre replacing have the same season in 2024 that they did in 2023. I would have much rather bet on Anderson rebounding than have to sit through DeJong pretending he can still hit MLb pitching.
My pet peeve was watching non-competitive at bats that would result in weak contact. Ground outs on the third pitch of the at bat. You look up at so many games last year, and the opposing starter would have thrown like 75 pitches through 6 innings. I am not sure if these additions will solve that, but it cannot get worse. They were just awful at working counts last year.
DeJong most certainly does not help the issue of non-competitive at-bats, which is why I hate this signing.
Who would you have signed and for how much and length of contract?
You could have kept TA or Andrus – Iโd bet both have far better seasons than DeJong in 2024, granted out performing DeJong in any of the last four seasons is a very low bar. I donโt care about the savings, as Jerry has plenty of money and their payroll is going to be lower anyway.
That, and if they are going to suck anyway I’d rather watch Sosa or Popeye.
That happens when you chase so many pitches. The ones you do get to are easy outs and the ones you don’t get to result in a strikeout. The Sox as a team were almost allergic to taking walks. Even if Montgomery’s defense doesn’t come around and he has to move off SS, at least he knows how to draw walks.
Getz isnโt finished. Eloy will be traded for a 5th starter, likely a LH. So DH and RF may go more towards offense. If Cease goes it is likely for hitters. Iโd like Nolan Jones from the Rockies plus one AA and one A+ top 30 prospects.
If all Getz gets back for Eloy is a somebodyโs fifth starter, he should be fired on the spot, not that he ever should have had his job to begin with.
It’s an issue of not being able to have it both ways. You can’t have a good hitter, solid defender, and cheap player all in one unless they’re on a rookie deal. And acquiring those costs trade capital, which is its own type of expense. Sox are emphasizing cheap this year and then just choosing defense over hitting. My guess is they’ll end up like a poor man’s version of the Guardians: decent pitching, solid defense, but terrible offense outside of one gifted player.
Don’t forget putrid managing.
I mean sure that triple slash over the last two months of the season is horrific but you could also say his stint on the Giants was a nearly 90-point OPS+ improvement compared to his Blue Jays tenure! (26 vs -62, respectively)
I am irrationally annoyed that this team can’t even tank right. I mean, it’s also annoying for them to pretend that’s not what they are doing, but no playoff aspirational club signs DeJong to start at SS and Lopez at 2B.
There’s no point in wasting money on DeJong…just play Sosa or someone you pick up at the end of Spring Training for nothing.
To rebuild, the Sox can offer playing time to question marks like Sosa. They can use their budget to take on bad contracts to get prospects thrown in. Using money and playing time on DeJong is a misuse of the limited resources the team has.
All that you said makes sense, but not to Hahn’s apprentice, who has obviously learned well from his master.
CLUBHOUSE LEADER
CLUBHOUSE LEADER
CLUBHOUSE LEADER
CLUBHOUSE LEADER
CLUBHOUSE LEADER
Maybe Sosa is not with the team next year. Maybe Sosa is the starting SS next year. Or the starting 2B.
I had hoped Sosa would be better last year but he wasnโt ready. He could go to his left better than Elvis but that was it. A full year in Charlotte will help him.
If you were crabby watching Timโฆ.prepare yourself
I was crabby watching Tim, but I’m ok because I don’t plan on watching much at all.
Watching these low-ceiling veterans like DeJong and Lopez is going to be a chore. If they’re not going to try and compete, they should at least be taking shots on guys who might surprise you with a decent offensive season. It’s going to be ugly.
I recommend not watching.
I’m not getting the direction this team is going. It’s probably too early. The Sox obviously need middle infielders, pitchers, a right fielder and a catcher. Filling the spots with below average major leaguers and young players with modest upsides is not very promising.
It’s entirely possible that there isn’t a direction, and Getz is just haphazardly throwing together a roster. Actually, that’s been my expectation – he hasn’t impressed in any other job he’s ever had, so why expect anything more?
Well, I donโt necessarily think heโs haphazardly throwing together a roster. I think that theyโre moving Cease and next yearโs pitching staff will primarily be from the minors. A strong defense up the middle and around the diamond definitely helps breaking in an inexperienced rotation.
However, I think there is a strong argument that this could be an over correction, responding to having the leagueโs worst defense if Getzโ position player acquisitions continue to follow the same path. This feels like a very one-dimensional plan to construct a roster, even if itโs for one season.
Eh, weโll see. Youโd think it would also help inexperienced players to pitch in games they had a chance to win, but this offense is going to be among the leagueโs worst. There also doesnโt seem to be any talk of addressing the bad defense at LF and 1B.
โYouโd think it would also help inexperienced players to pitch in games they had a chance to winโ
Agreed 100%. Thatโs why I think Getzโ plan is way too one dimensional if heโs primarily interested in glove-only players to fill the roster as a bridge. Iโm hoping the inevitable trades he makes with Cease and Eloy will address the offense, because so far, itโs been all glove, nothing else.
The infielders donโt help much when the ball is sailing over the outfield fence.
Nothing helps much when the ball is sailing over the fence, but a good infield defense would take care of the balls hit to them and minimize extra opportunities to hit the ball over the fence unlike a bad one.
As soon as they announced the Hahn/KW firing, I was like “anybody, ANYBODY but Getz”. Jerry hires and promotes the absolute worst people possible, over and over.
The direction is that they’re going to be bad next year and need someone to be a stop gap until Colson comes up.
Thereโs no reason to jump ahead of the market to sign this guy, though. Andrus was a significantly better player last season – why not wait it out and see if he doesnโt get a deal to his liking elsewhere? Giving a major league contract to someone who has performed at the putrid level of DeJong is just a miss.
I’m starting to make sense of it actually. Getz wants to fill some needs cheaply so he knows he has enough money left to sign Merrifield and trade for Salvador Perez, their big offseason culture moves. Genius at work.
Does it really matter if they’re signing DeJong now or waiting until February to sign Andrus? They’re basically the same player (glove first, little to no bat) and MI market this offseason is putrid. He said he’s looking for glove first players to fill the MI, and he did exactly that (whether that’s a direction you agree with is another matter).
Yes, it does matter, because itโs indicative of bad process. Jumping ahead of the market to sign inferior options when better ones could very well be available to you later is the same flawed procedure that led to them signing Eaton.
What better alternatives? This is the worst market for IF options in years. DeJong is one of the best defenders at SS available and that’s something they flat out said they were focusing on.
Andrus was not good and I didnโt particularly want to see him back, but heโs significantly better than DeJong. (Andrus 0.6 WAR vs DeJong -0.5 WAR). Iโm not even asking for an average player here. Even with DeJongโs defense, he still has negative value, and heโs been bad for several consecutive seasons.
The only reason Andrus wasn’t a negative WAR player last year was because he got scorching hot in August. How is betting on that again (in his age 36 season) any better?
So he had one more good offensive month than DeJong then? DeJong has been a bad hitter for four consecutive seasons. Dude is cooked.
The reason is you think one guy will be better than the other guy. When youโre dumpster diving, thatโs a good idea โ pick the guy you think will be best and sign him.
For what itโs worth, theyโve had some recent success at this. James McCann and Clevinger are examples of guys they signed early in the off-season and really worked out. Theyโve had misses too, of course. But, hey, itโs dumpster diving.
Then Iโd love to hear Getzโs rationale for having so much confidence in DeJong, who has been bad for four consecutive seasons, that he had to jump the market to this degree.
I suspect itโs the lesser of several evils. ZiPS projects him to hit 18 HRโwith plus defenseโand be worth 1.1 WAR in 390 AB. Thatโs more than adequate for a one-year bridge.
I thought that’s why they traded for Lopez. Maybe Getz forgot that they traded for him already. Easy mistake to make, he’s new here.
I know this is crazy but maybe we should at least wait until December to judge the direction of the roster.
maybe why Jeff said โitโs probably too early.โ
I’m pretty proud that Anderson only beat me by one homer last season.
To put Anderson in a better light, I think he out-homered all Sox Machine posters combined last year (although only by one).
Turns out Benintendi subscribes
Please tell me Benintendi’s username is LamarHoyt_oncrack.
Paul DeJong is who you sign on February 31st after a three day bender celebrating the Leap year. The fact Getzy is researching and analyzing a pre-Thanksgiving signing and the best he can do is DeJong is pretty depressing. No one prepares for a deal like this.
The plan is to play defense behind what starting pitching? The better strategy would be to sign about five 7-footers and plant them at the walls to shag all the missiles being launched.
Jerry Reinsdorf has Nikola Vuฤeviฤ under contract through 2026.
Gheorghe mureลan and his sons are pretty tall.
Sounds like there is a deal now
https://x.com/BNightengale/status/1727090685030060046?s=20
Pending a physical. I don’t want anybody to get their hopes up, gotta pass that phys to make the dream a reality.
Caution: if you touch this stove, you’ll get frostbite
Ugh…I hope Getz isn’t paying more than 3M for deJong who serves no purpose. If we are tanking, tank with Sosa. We don’t need to sign bad players to tank when we have plenty in house. Whatever. I will try not to make a big deal out of it.
Nightengale saying that there is a 90 percent chance Cease gets traded this winter. This is either encouraging toward that, or means that there is zero chance.
https://www.nbcsportschicago.com/mlb/chicago-white-sox/white-sox-news/odds-white-sox-trade-dylan-cease-are-90-percent-insider-reports/520086/
He’s generally right about bad news.
Hereโs what Iโd like to see now that the Sox have acquired DeJong, Lopez, and Shewmake: Iโd like to see them trade one of their other middle infield depth pieces while the team can still get some value back in a trade.
Iโm not sure the Sox have a middle infielder outside of Montgomery who would still hold any trade value whatsoever. Maybe Rodriguez gets you a single A pitcher whoโs old for the level?
I think Rodriguez and Sosa probably each have some trade value. And thereโs some value in keeping the org depth chart from getting too backed up.
I donโt think โtoo much depthโ is anything with which the White Sox have to concern themselves.
Roster management and making the most of their assets have never been strengths of this org. Is it wrong for a guy to dream a little dream that the they wonโt keep guys with some small amount of trade value buried on the utility infielder depth chart?
I’d like to apologize to Brooks Boyer, who has finally come up with an inspired angle. Instead of yet another recall of the 1983 Winning Ugly team, he’s convinced the front office to commit to a tribute of the 1906 Hitless Wonders.
(The joke is that team’s best hitter was its shortstop. If that’s the case in 2024, the team will lose 120 games.)
They could lose 120 games easily. If they trade Eloy, itโs very possible that they can go into next season with Luis Robert as their only average or above hitter on the team.
120 losses by the ’62 Mets is the most since 1900. With the right signings by Getz, and Grifol’s leadership, I don’t see why the Sox need to be bound by the historical limits of other teams.
I can’t wait to see the “reinforcements” at Charlotte.
I did this on the fly while making dinner –caveat that I could have missed something when running the search– but it would appear the 1906 SS is one of just three individuals in franchise history to record an OPS+ of 120 or better (minimum 55 games at SS). 10 player-seasons overall.
Relates closely to one of your recent Sporcles!
It’ll be satisfying knowing all the 8-0 losses this year could’ve been 10-2 losses instead.
Yuck
On the recent podcast it was noted that by trading for Nicky Lopez at least the Sox wouldnโt be expected to go after Paul DeJong as they were basically the same player. How โbout that new Sox front office – already exceeding expectations!
Maybe instead of relievers, Getz’ fetish is going to be middle infielders who are unwatchable hitters.
Players who remind him of himself?
Getz said he was going to upgrade the defense, and so far he has. DeJong is just a one year placeholder while Montgomery plays AAA baseball. And DeJong is a lot cheaper than TAs $14MM option. Perhaps the difference in salaries goes to the Whit Merrifield fund?
Saving money to sign Whit Merrifield is a very sad and depressing team building strategy.
Its probably true.
Its also just ludicrously pointless. Try to make the playoffs or don’t. Spending money on play hard vets hovering around the 1 war line is wasting money and an opportunity for a younger player that could eventually contribute to a winning team.
Dear God.
I really hope they bring back Sox fest this year.
If they do, people should bring tomatoes or banana peels to throw.
It’s a shame that this move came under a new GM. Had it been under the old, we could have heard how it all went down:
“I asked Kenny ‘if we could acquire just one player, who would you want it to be?’ And we both had the same answer, it being Paul DeJong”.
“We had to sign him before the Royals could, you don’t want to compete against THAT.”
When you’ve got your sights set on protecting fourth place in the Central, you can never have too many all-glove, no-bat shortstops.
When Paul DeJong smacks 30 HRs in 2024 and represents our beloved Chicago White Sox at the 2024 All-Star game, what will all of you say to that?
(Glugs bleach)
Heโs no Tim Anderson โฆ oh wait โฆ
Josh Nelson always gets his man.
On the plus-side, Sox fans should have a chance to watch a few no-hitters and maybe even a perfect game or two this year.
I don’t get all the DeJong hate. Ok, he’s not a good hitter. Neither was anyone the Sox trotted out in the middle IF last year. At least DeJong plays solid defense. And it’s not like he’s the long-term plan. He’s a placeholder until Montgomery is ready. Also, the Sox aren’t going to be competitive this year. They’d have to make a bunch more trades for guys like Soroka and have 80% of them do what Bellinger did this year, plus have breakout years from Vaughn and Kopech and a return to Eloy’s SS year to have a shot, so what does it matter if he sucks with the bat? I still think this is an upgrade over what we had last year. While he absolutely cratered after being traded last year, his OPS+ was a playable 92 before the trade, same as his career number. He’s not a good player, but the Sox could have done worse and certainly have in the recent past.
It’s a false choice to limit the options to DeJong and the guys they had last year. Also, your point that the team isn’t going to be competitive is an argument against DeJong, not for him. A glove-only player like DeJong makes much more sense as a backup on a competitive team. A team in the Sox situation should be taking a look at guys with upside, whether it’s a non-tender, another team’s blocked prospect, etc.
I can see the argument for giving some guys in the minors a shot, but if Getz is really serious about defense, which of our prospects can actually provide that? Given their first taste, they couldn’t even hit. And DeJong is probably the same cost as a non-tender anyway, so it’s not like he’s legitimately blocking anyone. As for another team’s blocked prospect, that goes back to shelling out trade capital.
I wasnโt even referring to our own minor leaguers, although I would rather Sosa play than DeJong if those are the options. And it seems like everyone is expecting a lot of trade activity from the Sox, so why not wait to see if any of those yield infielders? I dislike the signing both because of DeJong and the timing – this is the type of move you can make the week before spring training after youโve exhausted all other options.
I would expect most trades to bring back pitching and / or prospects. Even in the trade market, I’m not sure how many good options there are. Jonathan India is better and, obviously, MLB-proven, but after that, both the FA and trade market seem a bit bare. Tommy Edman might be available. Doubt the Brewers actually trade Adames, but he would be wasted on the Sox anyway. Considering DeJong is a one-year bridge that could easily be cut, I really don’t see why you’re so against this. This doesn’t preclude other moves. Figures haven’t been released, but I doubt he’s getting anything much.
The Sox tend to operate by finding one single imperfect/bad solution for a position and then congratulating themselves for being active, so weโll see what other moves are made and if they affect the infield picture. I wouldnโt have expected a name brand infield addition, but finding someone with some more upside than DeJong would have been a very low bar to clear.
Jim. FYI I’m signed in but there’s ads. And really obnoxious – on three sides of the screen. It’s a really bad user experience