Cards give DeJong 6-year, $26M deal

JUPITER, Fla. — Less than a year after making his big league debut, Paul DeJong was rewarded with a long-term deal. And that was worth hugs all around.

The shortstop and the St. Louis Cardinals agreed Monday to a $26 million, six-year contract that includes team options for 2024 and 2025.

“It gives me a sense of security just knowing that I’m going to be here and kind of just confirms my thoughts about wanting to be a Cardinal for my life,” DeJong said. “To be able to sign a potentially eight-year deal just seems like I’m cementing myself in the Cardinals organization. I don’t ever want to leave.”

The 24-year-old hugged his parents and grandparents before the news conference to announce the deal.

DeJong made his major league debut last May 28 and hit .285 with a team-high 25 homers and 65 RBIs in 108 games. He was selected by St. Louis from Illinois State in the fourth round of the 2015 draft.

DeJong played only 246 minor league games. Batting mostly third, he hit .298 with eight homers in July.

“We’re committed to winning at the major league level through scouting and player development, and Paul is a great example of this,” Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr. said.

DeJong’s deal covers up to four years of arbitration eligibility and the options extend to two years of free-agent eligibility.

St. Louis started nine different shortstops over the past 10 opening days, including Pete Kozma (2013), Rafael Furcal (2012), Ryan Theriot (2011) and Khalil Greene (2009).

“My time with the Cardinals, we’ve always been searching for that shortstop,” said John Mozeliak, who has headed the team’s baseball operations for 11 years. “This does give us the level of comfort that we have signed someone that we know can play there for a long time.” Ex-UH hurler Romero sent home by Nats

Seth Romero, the former University of Houston lefthander who was a first-round pick of the Washington Nationals last June, was sent home from spring training, Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan reported Monday night.

Per Passan, a club spokesman said Romero violated club policy. It was unspecified how long Romero would be gone or which policy he violated. He was taken with the 25th overall pick in last year’s draft.

Romero was dismissed from UH’s squad last May, a little more than a week after he was reinstated to the roster. A source told the Houston Chronicle that Romero got into a fight with another player before the Cougars departed for a game against Rice in Sugar Land.

Gamel injury might reunite Suzuki, M’s

The Seattle Mariners are running out of healthy outfielders. To the rescue: Ichiro?

Ben Gamel will miss opening day, the Mariners said, because of a strained oblique muscle expected to sideline him four to six weeks.

That could open a spot for Ichiro Suzuki, and a deal with the M’s might be close.

Suzuki was the AL MVP and Rookie of the Year for Seattle in 2001 and remained a fan favorite until he was traded in 2012. Suzuki, 44, spent the past three seasons in Miami, batting .255 last year and starting 23 times in the outfield.

Gamel hit .275 with 11 home runs and 59 RBIs in 134 games last year, his first full season in the majors.

The Mariners were hopeful Gamel would miss only a few days, but an MRI showed a more extensive problem. He first felt the injury after batting practice late last week.

Gamel joined a growing list of banged-up Mariners. Seattle has already seen first baseman Ryon Healy (hand), outfielder Mitch Haniger (hand) and pitcher Felix Hernandez (bruised forearm) slowed by injuries during spring training.

Outfielder Guillermo Heredia is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, leaving Seattle thin at the position. Beltre goes 2-for-2 in first spring action

Held out of the Texas Rangers’ first 10 spring training games, Adrian Beltre got hits in his first two at-bats of spring training at Suprise, Ariz.

“Last year I didn’t get a hit in spring training,” Beltre said Monday. “How did that work?”

Beltre hit .312 with 17 homers and 71 RBIs in 94 games last year after going 0-for-12 with four walks during the exhibition season. He opened last season on the disabled list with a right calf injury, injured an ankle in July, and went on the DL again after pulling his left hamstring on Aug. 31.

“What happened last year with my injuries was not fun, so they wanted to make sure to take my time, take it slow, make sure my legs are ready to go,” said Beltre, who turns 39 on April 7. “I’ve been doing this for quite a bit, so I don’t need that much repetition to get ready for the season.

“All I need is 10 days,” Beltre added. “It doesn’t matter how good or how bad you feel in spring training. When the season starts, it’s completely different. For me, it’s like a switch.”

After sinking to a 78-84 record last season, 23 games behind the AL West and World Series champion Astros, Texas hopes a healthy Beltre will help spark a turnaround.