In one the largest deal ever for a player with less than one year of service time, the St. Louis Cardinals gave shortstop Paul DeJong — who is from Antioch and attended Illinois State — a six-year extension worth a reported $26 million Monday.
The #STLCards today agreed to a six-year contract thru 2023 with infielder @RealPaulDeJong that also includes club options for both 2024 and 2025. pic.twitter.com/HHg8EXMn5L
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) March 5, 2018
As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported: DeJong is not arbitration-eligible until after the 2020 season and he would not be a free agent until after 2023 season.
DeJong did not reach the majors until late May last season and by late June took over as the team’s everyday shortstop, hitting third. He led the Cards with 25 home runs.
DeJong is 24 and will turn 25 on Aug. 2. For a little perspective for Cubs fans, shortstop Addison Russell turned 24 on Jan. 23.So Russell — who has a one-year, $3.2 million contract this season — is younger but has three seasons of major-league service and has appeared in seven postseason series, including the 2016 World Series.How do DeJong and Russell stack up financially among major-league shortstops? Click here to see a breakdown from sportrac.