Paul DeJong is still a free agent, months after hamstring surgery ended his 2026 season. His Blue Jays stint lasted less than a month.

The Tigers organization released him in May. Triple-A Toledo cut him on May 25, days after Jon Heyman reported he was having season-ending hamstring surgery.

He hasn't signed anywhere since. Spring training is the next realistic window for a new deal.

Toronto fans remember his brief stop. The Jays acquired him from the Cardinals on Aug. 1, 2023, sending minor league right-hander Matt Svanson to St. Louis.

It didn't last. He appeared in 13 games for Toronto and collected just three hits.

The Jays released him on Aug. 21, 2023, less than a month after the trade.

Paul DeJong's 2019 All-Star season feels like a lifetime ago

He was a fourth-round pick in 2015 and spent his first six and a half seasons with the Cardinals. He made the All-Star team in 2019.

After St. Louis, he bounced through Toronto, San Francisco, Chicago, Kansas City and Washington over nine big-league seasons.

Is there a fit back in Toronto? No.

The Jays have a crowded infield picture, with Andrés Giménez at short and Ernie Clement, Jay Harry and free-agent targets in the mix at second. A veteran coming off hamstring surgery doesn't move the needle.

His Toronto stint was like a summer rental that ended before the lease was up. Nobody remembers the furniture, just that it didn't work out.

That trade is also a reminder of how quickly deadline patches can go sideways. Toronto's 2026 deadline brought Brett Bateman, a much happier outcome.

Toronto's own season ended Sept. 27 with a 5-1 win over the Reds, a small bright spot in a 79-83 year.

DeJong will need a team willing to bet on a healthy hamstring. It just won't be the one he left after 13 games in 2023.