The St. Louis Cardinals have dealt shortstop Paul DeJong and cash to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for minor league pitcher Matt Svanson. This trade comes at the perfect time for Toronto after their star shortstop, Bo Bichette, left Monday’s game with an apparent injury. It also never hurts to add depth when competing in the AL East as all five teams have their sights set on the playoffs.

This is also the third trade between the Cardinals and Blue Jays this season. Toronto aquired reliever Genesis Cabrera in a previous trade for minor league catcher Sammy Hernandez. Jordan Hicks was traded also traded to the Blue Jays with minor league pitchers Sem Robberse and Adam Kloffenstein being sent to the Cardinals.

Paul DeJong is currently in his seventh season in the MLB, all with St. Louis. The 29 year old shortstop is batting .233 this season, hitting 13 home runs and collecting 32 runs batted in. DeJong was previously an all star in 2019 for the National League. DeJong looks to add depth to the Toronto infield, especially with Bichette’s status being day-to-day.

DeJong sits at a .233 career batting average with 115 home runs and 338 RBIs.

Matt Svanson is currently in his third season of minor league baseball, pitching 32.1 innings with an ERA of 1.11. He has a 4-1 record with six saves and 39 strikeouts. After St. Louis has dealt some relief pitchers near the deadline this season, Svanson could become a reliable arm for the Cardinals in the near future.

The 24 year old righty has an MiLB career 13-7 record with a 3.18 ERA and 145 strikeouts.