Headlines

  • Jake McGee Retires
  • Royals Re-Sign Zack Greinke
  • Orioles To Decline Five-Year Lease Extension At Camden Yards, Seeking Longer-Term Agreement With Maryland Stadium Authority
  • Mariners, Dylan Moore Agree to Three-Year Extension
  • Blue Jays Sign Chad Green
  • Rays Extend Yandy Diaz
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • Top 50 Free Agents
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2023
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Arbitration Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

The Awkward Tenure & Uncertain Future Of A Steady Dodgers Slugger

By Jeff Todd | April 16, 2020 at 10:44am CDT

Any guesses as to which Dodgers player has hit the most total dingers since the start of the 2015 season? That’d be outfielder Joc Pederson, with a tally of 123.

Sure, he has since been bypassed in more recent seasons by younger slugger Cody Bellinger and the suddenly emergent Max Muncy. And several other excellent players have delivered more WAR to the L.A. franchise over the years. But Joc has been a consistent source of prodigious power for the Dodgers since he first emerged in the majors.

There’s a major caveat here, of course. Last year, all of Pederson’s 36 home runs came against right-handed pitching. He stepped into the box only fifty times against southpaws, managing only a putrid .224/.240/.265 batting line. That’s only marginally better than his .188/.263/.310 lifetime mark against same-handed hurlers. But against righties? Pederson owns a stellar 131 wRC+ in his MLB career.

That excellent output against righties is of obvious value to the Dodgers, but hardly assured Pederson’s place on the roster. He’s set to earn $7.75MM in his final season of arbitration eligibility — a bit spendy given the team’s other players and roster plans. The Dodgers worked hard to deal him this past offseason, reportedly holding talks with the White Sox before finally agreeing to a deal with the Angels … one that ultimately fell apart for other reasons (more details on that collapse here).

This wasn’t the first time we heard trade chatter on Joc … far from it, in fact. Pederson’s status in Los Angeles has never really been assured — even when he was flying up the prospect charts and emerging as a high-end young MLB talent. A former 11th-round draft pick, Pederson was batted around in trade talks long before he reached the majors and the chatter never stopped thereafter.

The Dodgers wouldn’t include Pederson in trade talks involving Jon Lester (link), Cole Hamels (link), David Price (link), and Shelby Miller (link). At one point Pederson was asked about in talks involving Marlins star Jose Fernandez. There was talk of a deal even after a rough 2017 season during which he was temporarily demoted. He was connected to the Braves last winter.

It seems now that the Dodgers might’ve been better served cashing in on Pederson’s trade value when it peaked. But it’s far from a total whiff. He has provided 10.9 rWAR and 13.1 fWAR to the Los Angeles club in 705 games. Strikeouts were the concern when he was younger, but they haven’t prevented him from achieving a lifetime 120 wRC+. The real issue has been the intense platoon needs, though that probably bothers this organization less than any other.

Throughout this lengthy run of success, the Dodgers have moved through quite a number of different players. They’ve leaned on some huge stars and many role players. One of the steadiest forces has been Pederson’s prodigious output against right-handed pitching. And he has risen to the occasion in the postseason, turning in a cumulative .239/.326/.487 slash with seven long balls in 133 plate appearances.

The waiting game that all teams are presently experiencing is even more awkward for Pederson and the Dodgers. It was already weird for him to return to camp after the collapsed trade. Now, as he closes in on his 28th birthday, it’s still possible the California native has already played his last game in a Dodgers uniform after a decade in the organization. If the 2020 season does indeed get underway, Pederson is sure to get plenty of plate appearances against right-handed pitching, but not much opportunity to prove to potential future suitors that he can be trusted to hit lefties.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Share 0 Retweet 5 Send via email0

Los Angeles Dodgers MLBTR Originals Joc Pederson

Union Chief Tony Clark On Returning To Play
Main
2020-21 MLB Free Agent Class: Center Fielders
View Comments (43)

Comments

  1. DarkSide830

    3 years ago

    soild player and all, but this guy really gets too much credit. dime in a dozen skillset.

    Reply
    • BennyTheBoss

      3 years ago

      No one calls him a superstar, but he’s put up wRC+ over 125 the past two seasons. That’s pretty solid. Guys like that aren’t just laying around for free.

      Reply
    • All American Johnsonville Dogs

      3 years ago

      In over 2000 plate appearances against righties Pederson has posted a.242/.353/.507 batting line. Couple that with solid defense in the corners you don’t find too many guys like that. Considering the league has more righties than lefties and the new minimum 3 batter rule joc has more value than you think.

      Reply
      • AssumeFactsNotInEvidence

        3 years ago

        Wow dude way to overvalue walks.

        This guy can’t hit for batting average. 74 RBI’s is a career high? Are you freaking serious? And have you seen that elbow pad he wears? That’s caused at least 4 Tommy John surgeries.

        Reply
        • AssumeFactsNotInEvidence

          3 years ago

          Sarcasm is tough to detect when you’re really stupid!

      • wild bill tetley

        3 years ago

        It means Pederson sits against a LH starter in-favor of Hernandez or Taylor.

        Reply
      • agentp

        3 years ago

        Agreed, well stated. The three batter rule absolutely increases his value, plug a righty on each side of him… boom. Value. Solid D. Not a superstar but not a dime a dozen either.

        Reply
    • Afk711

      3 years ago

      He’s not a dime a dozen. He crushes RHP and if he had any competence vs LHP he would be an all star.

      Reply
      • ChiSoxCity

        3 years ago

        BIG if. The fact that he’s not an everyday player diminishes his value. The Dodgers really dropped the ball on Pederson.

        Reply
        • Afk711

          3 years ago

          Lol how? Dude had been one of their few hitters to actually show up in October

        • ChiSoxCity

          3 years ago

          Read the article better. The Dodgers said no to some prime trade offers for a platoon player.

        • YARRitsBLAKE

          3 years ago

          The big catch though is that Pederson, in many of those trades, was a secondary piece. The proposed Hamels trade, for example, centered around Seager and Urias as the primary pieces, with Pederson being a potential additional piece. Dodgers rightly said no. For Price, the Rays wanted Seager, Pederson, and then some. Again, you could easily make the argument the Dodgers made the right call. And lastly, with Lester Pederson was seen as the primary piece, which, right or wrong, he was still a prospect, and the Dodgers TOP OF prospect at the time, which they were lacking in depth in the OF.

          Pederson plus one of Seager or Urias for Jose Fernandez would have made the most sense out of any of the proposed trades from when Pederson was a rookie/still unproven prospect.

          Dodgers did not at all drop the ball on Pederson. He turned out pretty solid for them: approximately a 3.0 fWAR player that can hit 30+ HR, and has played average defense for his career, with a nice above-average defensive year in 2019.

  2. mack22

    3 years ago

    Good player but .223 doesn’t get it done, not in the show.

    Reply
    • Julio Franco's Birth Certificate

      3 years ago

      Definitely a one-trick pony, but there are some places where he’d be a great fit.

      Cleveland for example has an absolutely putrid outfield situation and I was in RF watching him absolutely launch balls out of that park at last summer’s HR Derby.

      He’d be a phenomenal one-year rental for them.

      Reply
      • rocky7

        3 years ago

        Might be an odds on good bet that he’s not going consider or ever sign a 1 year contract with Cleveland or any body else…..he’ll be looking for multi year and with his skillset and penchant for the long ball…he’ll most likely have many suitors.

        Reply
    • ball_lover002

      3 years ago

      His OBP is very strong tho and batting average doesn’t really matter as long as he gets on base so people can drive him in

      Reply
      • JDGoat

        3 years ago

        His obp plus power more than make up for the low average. Especially for a team like the Dodgers who can take the mediocre numbers vs lefties.

        Reply
        • rocky7

          3 years ago

          Its a power game in MLB these days….his lefty splits aren’t going to discourage anybody that is looking for a young, veteran, corner outfielder with his kind of power.

        • Appalachian_Outlaw

          3 years ago

          Batting average is a completely meaningless stat, anyway. I’d rather a guy produce in HRs, extra base hits, walks and steals. He could hit .220 for all I care.

          Joc is way more valuable than he’s given credit for, because ML pitching is largely RH. If he was a weak side platoon guy it’d be a different story.

  3. Halo11Fan

    3 years ago

    He has value, especially for a team like the Dodgers. He’s a great strong side of the platoon player, but he is a platoon player.

    Reply
  4. AndreTheGiantKiller

    3 years ago

    based on RC+ last year he was slightly worse than Mookie Betts vs RHP. He was Miles Mikolas vs LHP. Such a polarizing player

    Reply
    • Fred

      3 years ago

      Not really that polarizing. Just don’t play him vs lefties. And he should be slightly more valuable with the 3 batter rule for relievers.

      Reply
  5. HalosHeavenJJ

    3 years ago

    Would’ve loved him as the placeholder for Adell. The majority of pitchers are right handed and Goodwin makes a good 4th outfielder (with reverse splits).

    Not a bad bat to have off the bench, either, especially with the 3 batter rule.

    Reply
  6. Rangers29

    3 years ago

    Man hearing Jose Fernandez’s name is just so sad to think about now. R.I.P Just imagine how nasty of a rotation L.A would have if they would’ve gotten Fernandez though. Kershaw, Fernandez, Hill, Wood, and Maeda all putting up their best seasons would be terrific.

    Reply
    • All American Johnsonville Dogs

      3 years ago

      Taught us an important life lesson. Don’t drive a boat while intoxicated and on blow.

      Reply
      • 13yearoldbaseballfanatic

        3 years ago

        Harsh but true.

        Reply
      • Oddvark

        3 years ago

        Or a plane

        Reply
      • tedtheodorelogan

        3 years ago

        Maybe not a speed boat at night, but a houseboat during the day is a good time.

        Reply
    • MikeEmbletonSmellsBad

      3 years ago

      If Fernandez had survived he wouldn’t be pitching for the Dodgers, Marlins, or anyone else. He would be in prison. And he wouldn’t be getting out for a very long time.

      Reply
  7. Unfit

    3 years ago

    A lot of a player’s value can be determined by “goodness of fit” in other words if Joc was on a team with less depth he’d probably be exposed more to lefties and his production and metrics would suffer.

    Reply
  8. Bluemarlin528

    3 years ago

    His numbers last year aren’t far off from Bryce Harpers….

    Reply
    • Priggs89

      3 years ago

      Imagine if Bryce Harper only played in favorable matchups…

      Reply
      • Keithyim

        3 years ago

        Imagine if Bryce Harper wasn’t paid to be one of the very best hitters in the game.

        Reply
  9. Brandon Sans

    3 years ago

    He’s the type of player that you’d want on your team while he’s under arb control. As I’d imagine he’ll shoot for something like 15-20 million per over 3-4 years in free agency, I’d pass unless I was a team that could afford to pay him that while platooning him.

    Reply
  10. brucenewton

    3 years ago

    Joc had an OPS over 900 vs RH, Pollock over 900 vs LH. Great production in LF.

    Reply
  11. BlueSkyLA

    3 years ago

    His splits against LHP actually improved some last season. Still not good but not as completely awful as they’d been. In past years it wasn’t unusual to see him swing so hard at pitches his helmet would fly off. He’s become generally more patient at the plate and it has paid off. He’ll get a good offer somewhere, but it probably won’t be from the Dodgers.

    Reply
  12. brat922

    3 years ago

    Let’s take him for the Giants! Always liked this player!

    Reply
    • Eatdust666

      3 years ago

      They could really use him because not only can he hit for power the Giants had an awful offense as, they ranked 2nd to last in the National in runs scored (678), batting average (.239), on base percentage (.302), slugging percentage (.392), OPS (.694), total bases (2185), were also 3rd to last in the National League in home runs (167) and walks (475) as well as 4th to last in the National League in hits (1332).

      Reply
    • Frisco500

      3 years ago

      Surprised nobody mentioned how Pederson and his entire family love the Giants.

      Reply
  13. Scottn59c

    3 years ago

    I think they will absolutely look at this guy next year if he continues to slug. Would be curious to see how well he’s done at AT&T. One of Zaidi’s goals that he still has not fully made good on was to add more pop to OF.

    Reply
  14. jimthegoat

    3 years ago

    Man. I guess it’s a good thing the Red Sox didn’t take Joc Pederson in the Betts trade over Downs or Wong, right Commonsenseslapsyou, AtlSoxFan, JD Candello, BlueSkies_LA, JoeBrady and WereAllJustGuestsHere?

    Reply
  15. 1drefordays6

    3 years ago

    I don’t care if he bats .100 in regular season ball. He’s an awesome defender and when there is a clutch moment he shines! I mean, look up 2017 WS. He was the true MVP. “You like that?!?”

    Reply
  16. puigpower

    3 years ago

    Dodgers have used him smartly and well. No reason to extend contract – use until FA and find another.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.
Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    Jake McGee Retires

    Royals Re-Sign Zack Greinke

    Orioles To Decline Five-Year Lease Extension At Camden Yards, Seeking Longer-Term Agreement With Maryland Stadium Authority

    Mariners, Dylan Moore Agree to Three-Year Extension

    Blue Jays Sign Chad Green

    Rays Extend Yandy Diaz

    Dexter Fowler Announces Retirement

    Mets Sign Jeff McNeil To Four-Year Extension

    Red Sox, Marlins Swap Matt Barnes For Richard Bleier

    Darren O’Day Announces Retirement

    Braves Extend Manager Brian Snitker Through 2025

    Rays Sign Pete Fairbanks To Extension

    Royals Sign Aroldis Chapman To One-Year Deal

    Athletics Sign Jesús Aguilar

    Orioles Acquire Cole Irvin From A’s

    Astros Name Dana Brown General Manager

    Rays Extend Jeffrey Springs

    Royals, Red Sox Swap Adalberto Mondesi For Josh Taylor

    Red Sox Designate Matt Barnes For Assignment

    Scott Rolen Elected Into Baseball Hall Of Fame

    Recent

    Jake McGee Retires

    Latest On Yuli Gurriel’s Free Agency

    Dodgers Sign Luke Williams, Yusniel Diaz, Robbie Erlin To Minor League Deals

    Mariners Outright J.B. Bukauskas

    Twins’ VP Of Player Personnel Mike Radcliff Passes Away

    Padres Promote Ryan Christenson To Associate Manager

    Diamondbacks Sign Yairo Munoz To Minor League Contract

    Big Hype Prospects: Cowser, Bleday, Alvarez, Outman, Steer

    White Sox Acquire Franklin German, Designate Jason Bilous

    Rangers Sign Bernardo Flores Jr. To Minor League Contract

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Offseason Outlook Series
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Go Ad-Free
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2023
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • MLB Player Chats
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • Feeds by Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top
    Close

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version