The Cardinals and shortstop Paul DeJong have completed an agreement on a contract extension, sources told MLB.com's Joe Trezza on Monday. The deal is for $26 million over six years, MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez confirmed.The club has not confirmed the agreement, but a formal announcement is expected Monday morning. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was the first to report that a deal was near.The 24-year-old DeJong, selected by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2015 Draft, batted .285/.325/.532 with 25 home runs and 65 RBIs in 108 games for St. Louis in 2017. 
He finished second to the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger in National League Rookie of the Year Award voting.DeJong, whose new contract runs through 2023, would not have been arbitration-eligible until after the 2020 season. He will eligible for free agency when his contract expires.The deal is the largest for a player with less than a full year of big league service time, narrowly exceeding the six-year, $25 million contract shortstop Tim Anderson signed with the White Sox a year ago.DeJong recorded an .857 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, third highest among MLB shortstops, during his first season in the big leagues.
He finished second to the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger in National League Rookie of the Year Award voting.DeJong, whose new contract runs through 2023, would not have been arbitration-eligible until after the 2020 season. He will eligible for free agency when his contract expires.The deal is the largest for a player with less than a full year of big league service time, narrowly exceeding the six-year, $25 million contract shortstop Tim Anderson signed with the White Sox a year ago.DeJong recorded an .857 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, third highest among MLB shortstops, during his first season in the big leagues.
Oliver Macklin /MLB.com
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