The St. Louis Cardinals season is a lost cause. With 12 games remaining on the schedule, they are seven games back of the final National League Wild Card spot and are officially eliminated from NL Central contention.
This season, it was the offense that proved to be the fatal flaw of the Cardinals, and it's an area that they are going to have to address this coming offseason.
They have internal options that can help, but they'll likely have to go outside the organization. This could lead them to pursue Paul DeJong, who was an All-Star with the Cardinals in 2019.
The former Cardinal is hitting .231 with 24 home runs, 56 RBI, and a .715 OPS. He struggled in his last few years with St. Louis, though he has improved this season.
He began the 2024 season with the Chicago White Sox and was traded to the Kansas City Royals at the deadline. St. Louis does need help from the right side of the plate with all of the left-handed hitters in their organization.
DeJong could be somebody who serves as a designated hitter or even potentially gets a few starts at the shortstop position if Masyn Winn ever needs a day off.
The 31-year-old is obviously quite familiar with St. Louis given his early stint with the team from 2017-23, and he would be reuniting with several of his old teammates if he were to return.
The slugger likely won't cost a fortune and should be within the Cardinals preferred price range if they want to pursue a reunion. He could bolster their lineup and also have a chance to play every day if he repeats his 2024 success.
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