Major League Baseball Offseason News: Cardinals Extend Paul DeJong's Contract
During its increasingly exciting offseason, Major League Baseball (MLB) team St. Louis Cardinals have recently offered a contract extension to the second runner-up for last year's rookie of the year in shortstop, Paul DeJong, for a record-breaking $26 million.
The Cardinals publicly broke the news last Monday, March 5, confirming the biggest deal in the history of the sport. The tremendous deal stipulates that DeJong plays for the Cardinals for six more years, with an option to extend until 2025 — which will yield him a total of $51 million after eight years, should he decide to take it then. Being only 24 years old as of now, DeJong will have to prove his worth on the Diamond that he is every bit as good a player.
Despite the large amount of money that is involved with the deal, this is a decision that the Cardinals will definitely be able to live with — especially after DeJong's stellar performance last season in the MLB. Cardinals president John Mozeliak stated that he is "excited" to have a player like DeJong on their team, and that they are going to strategically acquire talent "around" the 24-year-old shortstop.
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As of last year, DeJong was able to snag 25 home runs in 108 games for the Cardinals, with a batting average of 0.285 percent. Although he did not win Rookie of the Year for his performance last season, it is stil notable to mention that DeJong is still an asset for the Cardinals.
Prior to the recent deal, DeJong's contract stated that he would be forced to roam the free agency pool come 2023 — and will be only 28 years old, and possibly at the prime of his career. The contract now has secured that he will be playing for the Cardinals for much longer than initially anticipated.
