Free agent Joc Pederson is among the higher left-handed bats accessible and the Diamondbacks are eager about bringing him again, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Rosenthal additionally mentions the Rays and Rangers as attainable touchdown spots, although these appear extra speculative, so it’s unclear to what diploma these golf equipment have an interest.
Pederson, 33 in April, is a restricted participant however does one factor very nicely. He doesn’t run nicely nor present a lot of something defensively. He’s additionally been a legal responsibility when a left-hander is on the mound, however he does crush righties.
Final winter, the Diamondbacks signed Pederson to a one-year take care of a $12.5MM assure. He received into 132 video games for the Snakes this yr however didn’t take the sector in any respect. On account of his poor defensive observe report, he was used completely as a chosen hitter or pinch hitter. Of his 449 plate appearances on the yr, solely 42 of them have been in opposition to southpaws. He truly produced a robust .219/.405/.344 line and 124 wRC+ in that cut up because of a 16.7% stroll fee, and regardless of a 42.9% strikeout fee. However for his profession, he has a .210/.300/.330 line and a 76 wRC+ with out the platoon benefit.
In his 407 plate appearances in opposition to righties this yr, his strikeout fee was a much more palatable 21.4%. His 11.8% stroll fee was fairly a robust, a couple of ticks above league common. He additionally hit 22 residence runs, which helped him produce a slash of .281/.392/.531 and a 154 wRC+.
General, Pederson hit .275/.393/.515 on the yr for a 151 wRC+, the second of the previous three years with very sturdy offensive manufacturing. He hit .274/.353/.521 with the Giants in 2022 for a 144 wRC+. San Francisco gave him a $19.65MM qualifying supply on the heels of that displaying, which he accepted. His batting line dropped to .235/.348/.416 in 2023, for a 109 wRC+, however the Snakes could have had a hunch that was unhealthy luck. His batting common on balls in play went from .310 in 2022 to .268 in 2023, regardless of his batted ball metrics staying sturdy. His BABIP corrected to .322 in 2024 and his general offense climbed again up together with it.
Even with that unfortunate dip final yr, Pederson has nonetheless managed to supply a 135 wRC+ over the previous three years mixed. Amongst gamers with at the very least 1200 plate appearances in that time-frame, that determine is among the prime 15 within the majors, simply forward of men like José Ramírez, Matt Olson and Rafael Devers. Pederson’s deficiencies put limits on his means to contribute, however he’s an enormous distinction maker on the plate. MLBTR predicted him for a two-year, $24MM contract as a part of the annual Prime 50 Free Brokers publish.
It’s comprehensible that the Diamondbacks would need Pederson again, as they noticed first-hand what a huge effect he could make on the plate. Basic supervisor Mike Hazen has mentioned that he expects the 2025 payroll to be in the identical vary as 2024. RosterResource at the moment initiatives the membership for $149MM in spending subsequent yr, which is about $14MM shy of final yr’s Opening Day determine. Re-signing Pederson would eat up most of that however buying and selling a few of Jordan Montgomery’s wage may maybe create some additional wiggle room for additional offseason strikes.
For the Rays, they normally aren’t massive gamers in free company but it surely wouldn’t be unprecedented to do one thing like this. Simply two years in the past, they gave Zach Eflin a $40MM assure. RosterResource pegs them at $79MM for subsequent yr’s payroll, about $20MM shy of the place they began 2024. That would give them some room to work with this offseason, relying on how their ongoing stadium uncertainty goes to impression their spending plans.
When it comes to the roster development, it will be a little bit of a pivot for the Rays, as they normally place a excessive worth on defensive versatility. The final time they’d one participant take greater than 400 plate appearances as a chosen hitter was Johnny Damon in 2011. But when they view Pederson as the perfect bat accessible of their value vary, maybe they’d be keen to have him lock up the DH spot, at the very least in opposition to righties.
For the Rangers, as talked about by Rosenthal, squaring up right-handed pitching was a battle this yr. They put up a collective line of .238/.304/.379 for a wRC+ of 95, placing them within the backside third of the league. Putting in Pederson of their lineup can be essentially the most easy manner of enhancing that line in 2025. The membership didn’t have a strict designated hitter in 2024, so becoming Pederson in shouldn’t be too arduous. 11 totally different gamers took at the very least 22 journeys to the plate in that spot in 2024, with Wyatt Langford main the pack with 105 plate appearances. Pederson’s presence would make it harder to unfold across the DH time to so many guys, but it surely may very well be seen as value it, given how good he’s been on the plate not too long ago.