Dodgers Defeat Joc Pederson In Arbitration

The Dodgers have won their arbitration case against outfielder Joc Pederson, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter). He’ll earn $7.75MM to play in Los Angeles for the coming season, though it remains to be seen which uniform he’ll be wearing.

Pederson had sought a $9.5MM payday after a strong 2019 offensive campaign. MLBTR had projected that he’d earn $8.5MM, but both sides dug in their heels. Arbitration hearings are black-and-white propositions, with the panel simply choosing the number it deems closest to the player’s true value.

All indications remain that Pederson will earn his new salary with the cross-town Angels. But we’re still waiting for a fun intra-Los Angeles trade to be finalized. (That seems likely to occur once another, yet more notable swap goes in the books.) This is Pederson’s final arb-eligible campaign.

Pederson, 27, appears to have been knocked out of the Dodgers’ outfield mix due to the still-pending acquisition of Mookie Betts. But that’s not to suggest that Pederson isn’t an accomplished player in his own right. He carries a cumulative .249/.331/.530 batting line with 61 long balls in 957 plate appearances over the past two seasons. While Pederson carries yawning platoon splits over his career, he’s quite a weapon when deployed almost exclusively against right-handed pitching.