9:15am: DeJong would get a split salary of $1MM in the majors, reports USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
8:38am: The Tigers and the veteran pitcher Paul DeJong agreed to a minor league contract, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. CL Rocks client just got out of a minor league deal with the Yankees.
DeJong, 32, is a veteran of nine major league seasons. The slick-fielding, righty-swinging shortstop can handle any infield position at an average level or better. At the plate, he is a hitter, a low OBP hitter with above-average power. DeJong took exactly 3500 plate appearances in the majors and slashed .229/.294/.416 with 146 home runs, working at a 27.9% clip against a subpar 7.1% walk rate.
Although he only made 83 plate appearances with the Yankees’ top team in Scranton, DeJong hit six home runs in that short span. He also drew walks at a whopping 19% clip. However, he only hit .203, resulting in an oddball slash line of .203/.361/.516 during his very short time in the Yankees organization.
DeJong has played in the last nine major league seasons. Last year’s 208 plate appearances with the Nationals were his fewest in a 162-game season, though his playing time was interrupted by a gruesome injury early in the season, when DeJong took a fastball to the face. He suffered facial fractures and lacerations, and ended up spending almost two months on the shelf. DeJong hit .228/.269/.373 with just six homers last year, but last year he ripped 24 long balls in regular-season work for the White Sox and Royals while hitting .227/.276/.427.
The Tigers aren’t immediately adding DeJong to the big league roster, though it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him make an appearance soon. Javier Baez, Zach McKinstry again Trey Sweeney all on the injured list (latest in 60-day IL). Rookie Kevin McGonigle he held an everyday role while splitting time between third base and shortstop. Gleyber Torres locked on second base. Colt Keith plays third base regularly – especially against right-handed pitching.
That doesn’t leave much room for regular playing time, but Detroit’s bench currently features a journeyman Zack Short and the rookie Hao-Yu Lee. Short is hitless in his first three plate appearances, which doesn’t concern either batter himself, but he has a lifetime .171/.269/.295 hitting streak in 597 big league plate appearances (including a previous stint in Detroit). It’s unreasonable to expect him to provide even DeJong’s low levels of offense at the plate. Lee, on the other hand, struggled in the part-time role. If the Tigers want to get the 23-year-old regular at-bats to build on last year’s .243/.342/.406 line from Triple-A (14 homers, 22 steals, 106 wRC+), they could opt to move him and plug DeJong into the bench mix.
