What has been a relatively quiet offseason for Los Angeles Dodgers free agent Joc Pederson has begun to heat up of late as the scheduled start of Spring Training is three weeks away.
Although the Washington Nationals were previously reported as having some interest in Pederson, they instead signed Kyle Schwarber. Pederson’s market largely remained quiet until this week, when it was reported the San Francisco Giants were in talks with the 28-year-old.
On top of Pederson hailing from Palo Alto, Calif., and growing up a Giants fan, there’s familiarity with president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler. The expected signing of Tommy La Stella is not believed to impact their pursuit of Pederson.
What could play a role is the Atlanta Braves are also a team with interest in possible signing Pederson, according to David O’Brien of The Athletic:
#Braves have also discussed Pederson, but I don't know how far along might be. He rakes against RH (career .849 OPS, 110 OPS+) but not LH (.576/45). Postseason beast. Could make strong platoon w/ RHH like Duvall. Eddie Rosario another FA LF, not as much LH/RH disparity as Joc. https://t.co/SbyUL2dQtE
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) January 28, 2021
Like the Giants, the Braves have some uncertainty in their outfield. With Marcell Ozuna seeking a lucrative long-term contract, re-signing with Atlanta has widely been accepted as unlikely. Coincidentally, the Dodgers reportedly are among the teams with interest in Ozuna.
It’s unclear what the market may ultimately bear for Pederson, but he presumably would receive a one- or two-year deal. He’s coming off another season of platooning in the outfield and with that came more inconsistency at the plate.
However, Pederson again demonstrated he is capable of performing when the lights are brightest. He hit safely in eight of 16 postseason games, producing two home runs and a .991 on-base plus slugging percentage. Pederson has a career .852 OPS in the playoffs compared to .806 during the regular season.
Pederson found rhythm against Braves
After limited opportunities during the Wild Card Series and National League Division Series, Pederson appeared in six games (five starts) against the Braves in the NL Championship Series. He went 7-for-18 with one home run, three RBI and one walk as the Dodgers erased a 3-1 series deficit.
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