Jan. 30: The D-backs have formally announced the signing of Pederson to a one-year deal with a mutual option.
Jan. 25: The Diamondbacks continue adding to the lineup. They’re reportedly in agreement with designated hitter/outfielder Joc Pederson on a one-year, $12.5MM guarantee. The Excel Sports Management client will receive a $9.5MM salary next season and is due a $3MM buyout on a 2025 mutual option valued at $14MM.
Pederson, 32 in April, has been a potent slugger in the big leagues for a decade now. Since his 2014 debut, he has launched 186 home runs while playing for the Dodgers, Cubs, Braves and Giants.
That latter club has employed Pederson for the past two seasons. He signed a one-year, $6MM deal going into 2022 and gave the club plenty of return on that investment. He hit 23 home runs and walked in 9.7% of his plate appearances. His .274/.353/.521 batting line translated to a wRC+ of 146, indicating he was 46% better than league average. His defense continued to be a liability, but that offensive production was excellent.
The Giants were clearly impressed, as they surprisingly extended a $19.65MM qualifying offer to Pederson going into 2023. He accepted that offer and returned to San Francisco for another year, which led to results that were a bit more mixed. His walk rate jumped up to 13.4% but his batting average dipped and he only hit 15 home runs on the year. His .235/.348/.416 batting line led to a wRC+ of 111, still above average but a big drop from the year prior.
Despite the down year in terms of results, there are reasons to be bullish, something recently explored by Leo Morgenstern of MLBTR. Pederson’s Statcast page continues to glow with a crimson red, as his hard hit rate and average exit velocity are both in the top 10% of qualified hitters. Despite continually pummeling the ball, his batting average on balls in play dropped from .310 in 2022 to .268.
That latter figure exactly matches his career BABIP, which arguably points more to 2022 being an outlier than the most recent season. But on the other hand, 2023 was the first year with the ban on defensive shifts. As a slow-running left-handed power bat, Pederson was the exact type of player the shift ban was supposed to help, and yet his BABIP dropped by over 40 points as his quality of contact stayed strong.
Even if the BABIP fortune doesn’t change, Pederson can be a valuable platoon bat. His .242/.344/.490 line against righties in his career translates to a 125 wRC+, compared to a line of .209/.293/.329 and a 73 wRC+ against lefties. His 2023 results were pretty close to those career marks, with a .241/.351/.435 slash and 115 wRC+ with the platoon advantage and .186/.327/.279 and 80 wRC+ otherwise.
Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen has been open for some time about the club’s willingness to add a full-time designated hitter, and Pederson would fit the bill. He can play the outfield a bit, and has seen brief stints at first base, but his glovework has never been highly rated and his time spent on the grass has declined over time. He only made 23 starts in the outfield in 2023 and logged just 204 innings there for the year.
Those figures may decline even further in 2024 if a deal gets done with the Snakes. They will likely have Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. as their regular outfield, with Jake McCarthy and Dominic Fletcher on hand for depth. With those outfielders on the roster, they wouldn’t need Pederson to don a glove very often.
After making a surprise World Series run in 2023, the Diamondbacks have been active in reloading the roster for 2024. They traded for Eugenio Suárez to take over as their third baseman and signed Eduardo Rodríguez to strengthen their rotation. If they are able to get a deal done with Pederson, it would add another threat to the lineup.
Those moves have pushed the club into unprecedented payroll territory, despite the fact that their RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group collapsed in 2023. Per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the club’s franchise record Opening Day payroll is $132MM. Roster Resource now projects next year’s payroll figure above $142MM.
ESPN’s Buster Olney first reported the Diamondbacks and Pederson were in discussions. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reported the sides were closing in an agreement. Steve Gilbert of MLB.com was first to report the sides had agreed to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2025. Piecoro reported the salary breakdown.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Post season legend, Joc Pedersen.
Good player, good human being
Not many people could carry him by his name
I only found out today that his middle name is Russell. He’s a Joc Russell. He’s got that dawg in him.
Is that your “pearl” of wisdom?
ZZ top, I wanna pearl necklace
Oh boy, didnt wanna go there
TMI Curly!!!
That’s exactly why you sign the guy….
I’m still hoping Arizona will sign J.D.
JDM isn’t looking to platoon, and ARZ didn’t sign Joc for his glove.
JDM would have been a better sign.
They won’t now.
The blue jays are really killing this off-season
For a team that had three clear issues
1. lack of hitting
2. lack of LH bats
3. a whole at 2B and 3B
Just like the team motto with Star free agents and offense,
A SWING AND A MISS
As a jays fan i somewhat agree but with 2 everyday LHH OFs already adding another LH bat that can only DH or plqy OF isnt ideal. As far as FA are concerned Rhys Hoskins was my pick qs hea been nothing but consistant and hammers LHP. I keep going back and forth on JD amd soler. JD makea greqt contact and has power but at 35 he could fall of production wise at any time. Soler has the highest celing qnd lowest floor but being in a lineup with protection unlike KC he should get more to hit. Im thinking they add Soler 4 years 64M. They also need platoon RHH OF and either have 1 of there prospects or cavan biggio have a big year or trade for a 3b/2b player who has power amd plays decent D
that’s a lot of pieces still to add and need to hits for a team hoping to contend.
I think there giving 2 rookies the runway to make the team out of ST as the starting 3B and Biggio is the fall back there. They NEED a power hitting DH and a platoon RH OF. Personally im leaning towards them trading some of the redundancy on the 40 man roster with IKF, Santiago Espinal and otto lopez being slightly different versions of the same player plus they need to free up a 40 man spot for Rodriguez and ideally they trade IMO espinal for the platoon OF and maybe also trade some of the rule 5 or out of option types to rebuilding clubs for lotto ticket teenage types. A team like SF or another team that has no SS backup player on there team is where espinal lands
They may have 2nd take care of with Davis Schneider. He had a slump at the end of the year but still ended up with great overall numbers. He has a phenomenal eye at the plate and I think that will carry him through. He was really getting screwed by the umps down the stretch as well. He kept holding off on pitches outside the zone and the umps kept ringing him up. Hopefully those calls start going his way since they should be balls.
Hole, not whole.
Should they resign Guerrero Jr? Or too much underperformance/weight?
Bo should be extended first.
He was pretty decent last year, curious to see what he gets.
No. Day in and day out he was horrible. He went in some streaks
I agree, the stats don’t tell the whole story. He looked overweight and slow all year, and he hits the ball hard but it’s usually right at someone.
Fred: My updated Slow-And-Fat team:
1b Tellez
SS Vogelbach
3b Vlad
C Alvarez (Mets)
LF Pederson
P Lynn
Don’t forget Ford
Mind you he did shed a few pounds and I saw him run and take extra bases last season. So maybe he’s graduated off the list
Making fun of people because of their weight is no longer considered acceptable among kind and polite people. Have you heard?
Yes, even athletes where their weight can be relevant to their performance. They are people too, you know. You might discuss their weight, carefully, but I wouldn’t stick them on a list of “fat” players. Unless you want to look bad.
What?
Don’t sleep on Alejandro Kirk.
You are chubby aren’t ya JoeBob?
Thanks, its_happening. How could I forget that little butterball.
JoeBob339 hours ago
Making fun of people because of their weight is no longer considered acceptable among kind and polite people. Have you heard?
=======================
I didn’t read the entire thread, but for all the comments above you, the only one that mentioned making fun of fat people is you, JimBob, you.
If you want being fat to be discussed as something normal, then don’t over-react when people talk about people being fat.
Guessing something similar to Soler’s previous contract
“Very close” will be defined by how many times I have to hit refresh before the deal is official.
Depends on how the reporting evolves. If they start throwing around phrases like “He’s on a plane to Phoenix.” then skepticism is coming about a deal actually happening lol
I think the Angels considered signing him. But the brass said “ that’s Sano”
All they need is a strap and the deal is done.
I figured they’d be all in on JD. I think this really Belt’s value
Helps Belt’s value. He was sneakily better than JD
Belt was a pure platoon bat, not apples to apples comparison.
No doubt.
Snakes chances at division are going down 5% by this signing. Really expected him to stay in NL West and glad Padres didn’t waste what precious few dollars they have left to spend on him.
If by the grace of God Yankees can unload Stanton. Joc would be a welcome addition in the Bronx.
Joc would be lights out in Yankee stadium. Probably do a lot better in Arizona too.
Balk – “lights out” = we can’t play today because we don’t have light?
Ha! Noice!!!
Or: Tommy Pham knocked my “lights out”!
It was a b-slap, hardly capable of knocking anyone’s lights out.
Yeah, more so “slapped the lights out of him!” Ha
I’d love to see a bad contract swap of Carlos Rodon and Giancarlo Stanton plus cash to Angels for Anthony Rendon.
Rodon I would give another year to see if he can turn it around.
No thanks. Rather keep Rodon and Stanton. Rodon is going to have a solid season. Rendon won’t make it past 60 games.
This might be the worst thing I’ve ever seen on the internet. Trade rodon and Stanton plus cash for a guy who is broken?!
Am I missing the part where two broken guys are supposed to be better than one? Rodon didn’t even play half a season last year, and if you look beyond the two healthy and great years before that, he’s had quite the injury history. Stanton “hit” under .200 last year in 100 games and might as well be talking a walker with him around the bases. But I’m sure health will only get better for the big fella as he gets older.
The proposition was a fun and hypothetical bad contract swap. I’m not a fan of either team. Rendon seems to have worn out his welcome in Anaheim. Maybe a trade can spark or motivate him. Rodon seems like he’d love to be out of NY. I think with health he’s a lot better pitcher than we saw last year, but who knows what his health will be? I’d love to see Stanton have a healthy year and bounce back, which maybe there is a rebound but I think people need to be realistic about what a rebound would be for Stanton.
The trade would give a couple stars to Angels, with a lot of upside in Rodon while purging a seemingly sunk cost in Rendon and probably have Drury play 3B. Maybe go for Chapman? I don’t know. Meanwhile Yankees clear roughly 20 million for 2024 payroll and some long term money. It could help them in signing Soto long term or getting another SP that seems a better fit for NY.
Fair. I do think he bounces back and I hope he’s healthy.
I can see Rodon being solid as well. I also think a change of scenery would be a huge boost for Rendon, and I think the main motivation for Yankees in this hypothetical would be to clear money to keep Soto long term or to reallocate the money to a different SP.
Trade rodon and Stanton plus cash for a guy who is broken?!
===============================
The cash cost for Rendon and Stanton is about the same. Stanton is better, but not so much that I would take on Rodon’s contract to make a swap.
The NYY would have to add money.
No way this type of swap ever works. Terrible idea any way you cook it.
@pd14 What do the Angels do with Stanton when the Angels need to DH Trout? Besides, Rodon has five years left on his contract which is four years too long for Arte Moreno. Rendon for the Yankees could be another Josh Donaldson situation without the good defense.
@YBC Arte Moreno does always seem to go for the hitters when they need pitching. Case in point was grabbing Rendon. But from reading the rumors here, supposedly they were heavily in on Cole when he was a FA, and now they are in on Snell. So that is where I could hypothesize interest in Rodon. I do agree that eventually, probably in 2-3 years Trout will need regular DH action. But as of now, he’s barely DHing and on the grass. But if Stanton is playing 100 games like last year, that’s 60 or so games open at DH. I think both would be served well by days off.
At the point where Trout needs to really be a full time DH, I question that Stanton will be capable of regular DH duty. He’s a big dude and I only see his health struggles worsen as he gets older. I don’t see him playing 140 games again.
For Yankees, it really would mostly be about clearing money. Maybe Rendon bounces back, but that is a bonus. The goal in my hypothetical is better chance of keeping Soto (which clearing Stanton from DH is good for Soto’s long term Yankees future) and maybe bringing Montgomery back.
The Yankees are stuck with Stanton.
I like the D-backs alot, I think their gonna be in contention for the next couple years and they will add to what they have now.
Was hoping Anaheim sign him. Not sure he offers much against lefties and his defense ain’t all that, but mashes righties.
I was thinking the same. The Angels need a LH bat in that line up. Votto wouldn’t be a bad fit either
They should re-sign Tommy Pham too. Let them locker next to each other…
Tommy Pham has entered the chat.
Good luck, I guess this just means Arizona believes in their offensive depth more than anything. Woulda rather had JD Martinez or Justin Turner.
5tunt
The DH market has been artificially inflated by the signing of Ohtani to a $70M/$46M per year contract. Because he can only DH this year, people were saying the value of a DH is artificially inflated this year. It’s Not true, but people were expecting J.D. Martinez to go from a $10M one year contract last year to a $20M per year contract for at least two years! That’s insane!
So I didn’t think the Dbacks would realistically be in on J.D., Soler, Turner, Hoskins. I think they planned to go after Joc a month ago, but wanted to watch the market on these other DH to see if it fell back down to more realistic dollars. With Hoskins signing, it apparently isn’t dipping back down to reality numbers, so the Dbacks are locking Joc down for a realistic DH contract amount.
Its not really from the Ohtani signing. Its from lack of offense in the FA market. DH is one of the few positions where upgrades with the bat are available. When the top 2B is an aging Merifield, the top SS is IKF, and Matt Chapman is considered one of the best bats out there, the few that can hit are gonna get money, even if they DH.
I been waiting and begging all 3 months for him! Let’s goo
That’s just sad….
No vtadave that’s just passion
Passion with a tinge of homoeroticism. Let’s play some ball!
No vtadave that’s just passion
=================
Gotta agree Scott. There is nothing wrong with being passionate about some things.
Taker, pay no attention to this negative comment
You saw a need in your team, and a player who filled that need
That’s awesome. Much awesome than this negative comment
Raise your standards. You wanted someone who hits hard outs?
People like Joc. He was a massive fan favorite at every stop including SF (until Kaplers clubhouse environment deteriorated and Joc was routinely seen sitting in the cages shirtless smoking cigars). Joc can flat out vaporize the baseball when he’s excited and hyped for his team. I don’t think it’ll be an issue in AZ as SF clearly has bigger issues and his motivation didn’t hold up. We’ve all been there before. Just don’t ask him to play a lot of outfield because mama Mia it’s a doozy.
You wanted someone who hits hard outs?
==========================
Is that really a thing? Do some players hit the ball at a defensive player more often than others
Lol God so much negative comments but a few. I love Joc. He’s a clutch playoff ayer and he will hit so well in Arizona. I wanted JD more but Joc is a lefty we need with all the right handed pitchers.
He shouldn’t break the bank and he can mash against righties as a DH. Decent pickup.
Great move, great offseason, Dbacks on top!
Dbacks had a good winter. Should be close in the west. That lineup / rotation is solid and they didn’t get caught up trying to spend like LAD.
The entire Dbags clubhouse will become well versed in Asian card games.
Is Pederson into card games?
This move would make the Snakes better.
Joc Pederson and Jace Peterson are teammates at last.
Setting the stage to acquire Jack Patterson from the Cubs
Jace stinks. Why is he still around?
Rex, that’s the same thing your dad says to your mom when you go back downstairs.
@Hban – Cubs missed out on pairing Jordan Hicks with Jordan Wicks.
Too bad Jordan Wicks was still in the minors when the Cubs had Rowan Wick and Brad Wieck. Could have had a potent Wicks-Wick-Wieck combo.
They could bring Ricky weeks on as an advisor
Just feels like none of this matters because the Dodgers already bought the World Series title and are going to dominate baseball for the next decade.
Dodgers will eclipse 110 wins and still fail in the playoffs
120 wins and a three game sweep at the hands of the pirates. Watch it. It’s coming.
Keller, Cease and Skenes!
Yep!
While LA has certainly gone all in this year with free agent signings and trades, which is what they should be doing with the amount of revenue they generate, just remember that they still have to go out and win games. Last year, they were up over Arizona by like 14 games or whatever it was, and Arizona punched them in the face in the playoffs in LA.
“Punched them in the face…” talk about copium, cringe
You do know what copium is right?
snakes swept the doyers, so yea..
Yeah, it’s the stuff Dodgers haters drink to help them sleep at night. Meanwhile their one shot at the WS just slipped through their fingers. They’ll write stuff like “punched in the face” because they’re mad. It’s a strange phenomenon, to hate a team/city more than one cares for whichever irrelevant franchise they root for.
Everyone’s favorite new word.
People don’t say copium or cringe anymore. Grandpa needs to put down grandsons iPad.
Yeah and LAD didn’t have Ohtani, Yamamoto, or Glasnow last season. What a dumb take
The games are played for a reason.
No, that’s just how long they will be paying into Ohtani’s retirement fund.
Pearls in the front
Diamonds on the back.
Grown up cabbage patch is a clutch ass hitter
I don’t like the fit. Dbacks had lots of options. A lefty bat made sense for Toronto or San Diego but not for them. They could have signed someone else imo.
It’ll be a cheap one year deal. Will be a platoon dh. Bank on the magic to show up in the postseason.
Well, that’s not very cheap for a platoon player.
Bit of an overpay surely. Good for Joc….
No they absolutely need another lefty bat. Only two reliable players who can bat lefty they have right now are Marte and Carroll. Every other projected starter bats right. Plus they have a wide open hole at DH that Joc fills.
I suppose they could have used a lefty bat but not a lefty hitting outfielder. Perdomo is a switch hitter. Alek Thomas is a lefty and from what I understand is a starter. Carroll, McCarthy, Thomas and Fletcher are all lefty hitting outfielders. They didn’t need another.
Joc is purely a DH at this point in his career. McCarthy is coming off an awful season in which he spent time in the minors. I don’t think he is a reliable big league option unless he shows he can return to previous form. Fletcher has 28 MLB games to his name. Thomas is a starter, but only for his defence, and has also never been proven with the bat in his career. Joc will also likely not be too expensive and is a proven postseason star.
He’s not purely a DH that’s false. JD Martinez is purely a DH.
Joc’s defense at this point is as good as JD’s….
Take a look at his Baseball Savant Page. Filled with Blue for every defensive metric. Combine that with the Dbacks having lots of good to great young defensive minded outfielders and you’ll conclude that Joc won’t be playing much defense
He’s obviously gonna be a DH on the Dbacks. But on another team he’s a 5th or 6th outfielder.
Well he’s not on other teams. The Dbacks clearly signed him to be their DH. Which is what I meant to convey with my comment
That’s a nasty looking contract for a platoon DH. First move of the DBacks offseason I really don’t like.
Name another team with a 5 & 6 outfielder on the roster. Not even in September..
Joel, what does “Blackpink in the area” supposed to mean? Just curious.
Standard roster construction is a starting 8, 2 outfielders, 2 infielders and a catcher. A lot of times one of the outfielders can play infield or the infielder can play outfield. So you have at least 5 outfielders possibly 6.
Go to YouTube and search Blackpink Ice Cream. Take 4 minutes of time and watch that video. Thank me later.
It’s something they say in a lot of their songs. I don’t know what it means English isn’t their first language. But watch the video it will all make sense. Trust me.
But on another team he’s a 5th or 6th outfielder.
========================
It’s like the RS occasionally using JT to play 2nd. It’s not optimal, but it’s always better to have the option than to not have it.
Nice pun, JCL.
Joc is a perfect fit for the D-Backs, but I don’t see this team getting to the playoffs this year, The Dodgers are just too good, and the wild card teams look to come from the East with Phillies, Mets, Marlins, Central Cards, Reds, Brewers, Cubs, and West Padres in my mind right now. Many of their players had career years last year.
Dbacks will run the Dodgers ragged.
Rex
“Dbacks will run the Dodgers ragged.”
Ok
You have the padres over the Diamondbacks? That’s wild to me, the padres subtracted their best players, while the snakes added to their world series roster, and you still have the padres over them?
Padres replaced their best pitchers last year with the back end of a team that didn’t have enough pitching to compete while losing one of the best hitters in the league and the best lefty reliever in the game
You have the padres over the Diamondbacks? That’s wild to me
=============================
Keep in mind that SD had 92 Py wins and AZ had only 80. Theoretically, SD started off 12 games better. I agree that AZ is better, but with the right odds, I wouldn’t mind backing SD.
Machado, Bogaerts, Tatis, Kim, Cronenworth, Campusano, Musgrove, and Darvish are still on the team. That is a solid core. About 32 WAR from just 8 players based on averages for last 3 seasons and projections for Campusano playing 80 games.
DBacks won 2 more games than the Padres last season while winning more than runs scored and allowed would say they should. Padres won far less than runs scored and allowed says they should have
Even though they spent a ton of money, the Dodgers really didn’t establish themselves as a super team. Any of 3 teams could take the West. The only one truly out of it is the Rockies.
Going to be interesting to see who Preller adds in trades and how the season works out.
Pads Fan
Ok, solid core. How many holes? And now name all the players subtracted from last years team?
O/U Projections for the Padres are at 82.5 wins with the team they have today. Diamondbacks are at 83.5 wins.
Do you think either team is done this offseason? Padres have 5 openings on the 40 man roster. Do you really think they will leave those spots open?
Lets talk again in a month.
Slider
We all agree that Dodgers and Atlanta will win their divisions
I had Reds and Cubs 1-2 in Central it if the Cubs signed Belli I have it as a dead heat.
I see the Phillies, Padres and Dbacks and central team # 2 competing for three wild card spots. I see Padres and Dbacks as even and Brewers just a couple games out of mix.
My main disagreement with you are the Mets and Marlins, both look like 75-77 win teams to me right now.
If Bellinger is signed by the Cubs, I place the Cubs ahead of the Reds in 2024 based on team defense specifically. (Hopefully Hoyer does more than that before the season begins.)
I have to disagree with those power rankings. There’s still too much offseason left to rule out teams. I agree about the Phillies. The Reds certainly have the potential. But. one of those NLC teams will win the division, likely the Brewers. The Cubs don’t appear to be better than last season, especially if they lose Bellinger. Unless I missed it, they’ve done nothing to strengthen the bullpen, one of their goals.
The Marlins had the same record as the D’backs, but AZ signing ERod is better than anything the Marlihas have done. The Mets seem to be angling more toward 2025. And the Padres have a lot of talent, but also a lot of holes. The D’backs have a reasonable expectation to be a playoff team.
Fluke Diamondbacks won’t win 80 games this year. Worst ws team ever
Ls
“Fluke Diamondbacks won’t win 80 games this year.”
It’s unlikely they will win exactly 80 games this year, true.
I’d center them more around 85
Yeah, I would say 86 wins for Dbacks
I don’t get it. They have some really good, young OFs in Carroll, Thomas, McCarthy, and Fletcher. They should be set in the OF for years to come. They bring back Gurriel and now add Pederson. That blocks the young guys from getting regular ABs. And that money would have been much better spent on pitching.
Joc is purely a dh, he only saw the field so much last year cause of injuries
top jimmy
All 4 of the returning OF are lefthanded hitters. Gurriel rebalanced the OF.
Right now the Dbacks roster has 6 RH hitting position players (includes switch hitters) and 2 lefthanded hitters against lefthanded pitchers.
Right now the Dbacks have 5 lefthanded hitting position players (includes switch hitters). plus Walker who plays in 160 of 162 games, and 3 (with Walker) right handed hitters against right handed pitchers.
That’s a pretty balanced roster already. So adding that ninth hitter/DH to that mix could go either lefthanded or right handed. I’ve argued that because Gurriel needs 1/2 days off to DH like he did last year, the best addition at DH should complement his right handed bat with a left handed bat who can play the corner OF. The Only player that fits that bill is Joc Pederson.
Carroll won’t lose any at-bats, not to worry. No other stars in the group IMHO.
I consider Marte to be right on the periphery of being a star. If he’s 100% healthy he is a 5-tool player wouldn’t you say?
Aren’t those guys all the same though? Stylistically speaking. Caroll is on another planet talent wise. Thomas’ CF defense and at least some periphery numbers that suggest he might still have a little upside, make him valuable enough as a regular. Moving Caroll aside, none of the others do what Joc does. I guess I lean towards lineup diversity rather than team identity centred around a type. Even if you do prefer the team identity approach, and a whole team of slash and dash could be entertaining, none of those three has had particular offensive major league success that is supported by under the hood metrics. You just raked in a bunch of postseason revenue and will see a bump in season this year because of it. $12m is hardly expensive. There will be opportunities available at times and if those guys are up for it can force their way into more ABs. Are you really going to DH Jake McCarthy?
I’m guessing Tommy Pham will not be returning.
Anyway, Joc continuing to make the rounds through the NL West
White Sox Fans/Chicago Sports Writers: “GM Chris Getz handling the Cease situation perfectly! Dudes an ACE!”
What does this post have to do with Joc Pederson or the Diamondbacks lol
Dude can rake, but he needs a bigger jersey
To stash all the electronic gizmos? Hope he not shy like Altoove
Unclutch your pearls
I posted this 3 days ago on the article reviewing the Dback’s DH options
scottaz
3 days ago
Since Hazen re-signed Gurriel as the regular in LF, and recognizing that Gurriel needs some 1/2 days off as DH like he did last year, I think Hazen would now prefer a lefthanded hitting corner OF/DH. The only one of these on this list is Joc Peterson, so I’m leaning in that direction.
186HRs in 10 years is a “potent slugger” now?
Well, tossing out his 18 game rookie season and 2020, he has 179 HR and a .230 ISO in 8 years. That better?
These writers are so dumb and illiterate. Crazy how they want their viewers to pay for a subscription yet they can’t even spell check or grammar check half their articles correctly
Dang, I was really hoping for Soler or Martinez.
I was thinking it was going to be Martinez, Turner or Pederson with a outside shot at Haskins.
Martinez, Turner were going to be out of the D”backs price range, I think they would be asking for more than a one-year deal along with Haskins looking for a regular position at first base.
Which left Pederson, he would agree easier to a one-year deal, plus if the season goes sideways, he is a tradeable bat at the deadline.
Sorry misspelled Hoskins, my bad.
If this signing goes through, the Dbacks become the most improved team in the off-season, and they went all the way to the World Series last year!
Yes, other teams made big time acquisitions, but only the Dbacks kept their entire roster in tact and plugged the 4 remaining roster holes with eye opening additions.
The closest to most improved team is the Dodgers, but Ohtani will only DH this year, so that diminishes the impact of his signing.
I wouldn’t consider Pederson an ‘eye opening addition.’ But I’m very happy with the rest of the moves so far though.
sundevil
I said eye opening regarding the potential Joc signing because the Dbacks haven’t invested specifically in a DH in past off-seasons. You’re right though that typically, eye opening refers to high dollar contract signings and I don’t think this will be a $20M per year investment. I’m thinking more like $8M per year for two years or for one year with a club option.
Ohtani (Bat WAR 6.6) better than Pederson (Bat WAR 0.6) even if they both just DH.
Yamamoto and EROD – I’ll call that even, but YY has more upside.
Teoscar (2.1 WAR) and Suarez (2.3 WAR) – meh, I’ll call that even
Gurriel is merely returning.
Who am I missing, or what are you taking?
Ohtani is replacing JDM, so its not as much of an upgrade from what they had. He’s better, for sure, but JDM was solid.
Manny
I think the Dodger’s weakness is their pitching, not their position players. The Dbacks went all the way through the post season to the World Series with two starting pitchers, plus one emerging rookie. Meanwhile, the Dodgers were bounced out of the playoffs because their starting pitching was their Achilles Heel. Injuries played a big part, sure but the Dbacks exposed the Dodgers weak starters.
This year, the Dbacks added a reliable top of the rotation starter and their rookies from last year figure to improve/solidify. That’s an improved team.
This year, the Dodgers will be without their big, flashy signing pitcher who will only DH. They have pitchers coming off TJS. First year back from TJS rehab, pitchers are notoriously inconsistent. Then the Dodgers have their new acquisitions. New players from overseas can be great…or can be busts…or can need a year of adjustment to different ball size, different usage patterns, etc. of MLB. Maybe they will be improvements over last year, but maybe not. They have to play the games.
I just see too many question marks still in that Dodger starting rotation to say they have improved the team. Yes they made splashy acquisitions, but money doesn’t always buy the best team.
I would have much rather preferred Martinez here but Arizona is very much a hitters park and Pederson should do pretty well.
Guy’s a total cream puff,let another man slap him and didn’t even attempt to fight back.
Solid signing for the Snakes. Great pop and a good clubhouse guy. He’ll put more than a few in the pool.
Guess the Snakes are not resigning Tommy Pham!
64′ Yanks: It was ACTUALLY Tommy Pham who had to RESIGN himself to the fact that the “Snakes” weren’t going to RE-SIGN him.
Is this Mike Golic?
liberalsteve is a troll who keeps repeating over and over that the Dbacks were a “fluke” and the “worst” World Series team ever.
The reality is that the Dbacks are a very good trending to great young team that is totally underrated by people who live in the past.
Yes it’s true that there is always some “luck” every team needs to get all the way to the World Series, but “hot teams” often shock expectations. The only thing I say about last year’s Dbacks team is that they were fortunate to go all through the season and playoffs healthy last year.
The Diamondbacks were flat out fun to watch last year. They took the new rules and went running, literally.
Yes, you have to get hot at the right time to win in October. But you need talent to get hot.
A team can really grow and get better over the course of 162. The D’Backs looked like a lot more than an 84 win type of team by the time the postseason rolled around. Moreno, Pfaadt, and some of the relievers certainly came into their own by October.
Did you know: Joc Peterson and Davante Adams both played WR on the same team in high school…
And Joc was the WR1, Davante was the WR2.
I saw something like that but couldn’t remember who it was. Not surprised it was Joc. Dude has an electric personality.
I’m just here for the anti-Dodgers copium.
Doyers haven’t done anything yet besides get beat by the dads and snakes in back to back postseasons.
And a World Series in 2020. Oh let me guess…doesn’t count, right? Lol, stay mad.
doyers are gonna be hated by everyone, more than they already were. You prob. gotta get used to that, unfortunate as it may be.
Good. I’ll admit it makes me smile to know we’re always on your mind.
Came for: Anti-Dodgers copium
Left with: World Series 2020 copium
SC
I love the total lack of awareness by many people
Dodgers: win the division 10 out of 11 seasons. Most wins in baseball over the decade. One World Championship. Three NL pennants – done nothing
DBacks one NL pennant – clearly a dominant team
]it’s hilarious and depressing
Dodgers have been impressive. Diamondbacks are on the rise. Both can be true. Welcome to reality.
@filihok
The run of Division titles is undoubtedly impressive, but people not valuing the ’20 World Series the same as every other isn’t exactly a lack of awareness…..
The ’20 season wasn’t even half of the games of a normal season, Spring Training was interrupted and restarted, there were no live reps for MiLB players outside of MLB, and the bug heavily limited roster construction (and in the most extreme circumstance, the Jays weren’t even playing in their home ballpark).
You can be happy about the win, sure, but that season was a glorified exhibition so that teams (and players) made some money instead of taking a total loss. Of course the majority of fans don’t see it as a legitimate WS win with all factors considered.
And I may have missed where people were calling the DBacks a dominant team (not saying it didn’t happen, but that’s not a particularly widespread sentiment if it is being said); in fact, most DBacks fans (myself included) will freely tell you that there was a large degree of luck responsible for their deep run last season.
And I’m still not saying that the DBacks will be a dominant team, but this is still a club that made it to the World Series and addressed all of their key roster deficiencies. A “highly competitive” club is not the same as a “dominant” club, and the DBacks roster looks highly competitive.
HH
“people not valuing the ’20 World Series the same as every other isn’t exactly a lack of awareness…..
The ’20 season wasn’t even half of the games of a normal season, Spring Training was interrupted and restarted, there were no live reps for MiLB players outside of MLB, and the bug heavily limited roster construction (and in the most extreme circumstance, the Jays weren’t even playing in their home ballpark).”
Dodgers: Win 100+ games and lose in the playoffs – unaware fans: “Dodgers can’t win the in playoffs”
Dodgers: Win in the biggest, both in number of rounds and percentage of the season, playoffs in MLB history – unaware fans: “Micky Mouse. Doesn’t count because the season was too short”
Every team (maybe not the Blue Jays) faced the same challenges. COVID didn’t effect everyone but the Dodgers. It was a weird season – sure. Everyone was still trying to win. Not like other teams just said, “fake season. Doesn’t matter”. Far from being Mickey Mouse, it was, arguably, the most difficult season in MLB history.
Beyond 2020, this idea that the Dodgers are losers because they lost 2 recent World Series and the DBacks are up and because they (checks notes) lost a World Series is absurd.
But, hard to expect anything resembling nuanced, rational thought from the masses, especially the masses of sports fans.
@filihok
Super impressive of the Dodgers to “Win in the biggest, both in number of rounds and percentage of the season, playoffs in MLB history”. Such a huge sample size of (checks notes) 82 games. Maximum.
Do you even remember why the ’20 Postseason was structured the way it was? It was to have more opportunities to generate broadcasting revenue, and to have more games for limited capacity crowds to attend for box office revenue.
“Not like other teams just said, ‘fake season. Doesn’t matter'”. Of course they didn’t, because they need people watching the games to generate revenue; there is no reason to be waste time/money on a product that the producer doesn’t care about. You’re a Dodgers fan, I’m sure you have at least a rough idea on how marketing works.
“Far from being Mickey Mouse, it was, arguably, the most difficult season in MLB history.” For most teams, yes, it was the most difficult season. But the Dodgers were spending mad money on uber-talented/often-injured players (with the risk of injury baked into the price point), and on enough of them to offset any injuries they did run into.
Less games means less opportunities to get injured. The teams at the real disadvantage were the ones that were counting on MiLB development time for guys to get up to MLB caliber.
It’s rich hearing “nuance” being preached by someone that wants everybody else to treat the shortest season in MLB’s 100+ year history like just another year because “every team faced the same challenges”; none of this stuff exists in a vacuum, player.
Now, can you point to me on the doll where the context hurt you?
“You can be happy about the win, sure, but that season was a glorified exhibition”
I try to be fair and hear people out. But this is where I stopped reading. This comment is so disingenuous that I don’t even know where to begin. I remember the 2020 season vividly. The players, the media, the fans were all into it. We were all grateful baseball was back. But more importantly, the players were invested. Remember the incident between Joe Kelly and Carlos Correa? The players cared as much as the fans. Then came October. Remember that at bat between Aroldis Chapman and Mike Brosseau? Remember how Manny Machado slammed his bat down and yelled at his dugout when he homered in the DS? The way fans in San Diego celebrated in the streets when the padres beat the cards in the wild card? Everyone cared like it was any other season.
I can’t imagine fans giving Rays fans grief about a “Mickey Mouse” World Series if they’d won it. Certainly not the way they do to Dodgers fans. No, this denial to an embarrassing degree. This is the sore loser who takes the ball and then cries “it doesn’t count!” Some people are clearly still mad that the Dodgers won in 20. Good lord, look at the giants and their Mickey Mouse ears giveaway. Talk about bitter. The padres and the crying Kershaw meme. I get that people are jealous of the Dodgers’ success, but at least stop lying to yourselves and deal with it. It’s been over three years some fans are still mad.
HH
More rounds of playoffs means more chances to lose in the playoffs
It was the most difficult playoffs in major league history to win
That’s part of the context as well
HH
“Now, can you point to me on the doll where the context hurt you?”
Just a troll not interested in serious conversation
Come on Mute Button, do your thing
The baseball season is a test of endurance, depth and inner will. Playing in hostile baseball parks with rabbid fans, in the cold weather of spring and fall, in the dampness and brutal heat of summer, it tests an athelete all year.
The Dodgers have consistenly shown that they are capable of winning this marathon. They have, however, consistently shown that they cannot win when the pressure is highest, in the playoffs.
From 1966 to present, the only ‘typical’ world series win (where they played the whole regular season), and won the world series was in 1988. 1981 the Dodgers would not have even made the playoffs if not for the split season, and 2020 60 game season with no fans is not the same as 1988.
The Dodgers WS win in 2020 (and 1981) is ‘legit’ for that particular season, but it is not of equal value as 1988 or most of the other years because it was not played within the typical season parameters.
I bet Kirk Gibson does not think the 2020 WS has the same value as 1988.
@Deus
Remember how excited people got about the WBC as well? That was an exhibition; fan excitement isn’t wholy determined by whether or not the standings actually matter. It’s about entertainment; and yes, the ’20 season was entertaining, especially after Spring Training got shut down and we didn’t even know if there would be a season.
I’m also excited to watch Spring Training, the AZFL, the CCL, and I’ll even do my best to catch Winter League games when I have the means; doesn’t change the fact that they’re exhibitions.
And of course players were invested in the moment; they’re competitors at the highest level playing against their peers. Any competitor lives for the competition, and if they’re making extra on Postseason money (after getting their salaries prorated that season)? Hell yeah they’re stoked.
I personally said when they announced the way the season/postseason was to be handled that any WS winner would have an asterisk, even if it was my favorite team that won (and I remember all of my diehard Dodger friends and a large number of Dodgers fans on here having the same sentiment).
I definitely would have given my friends that are Ray’s fans a hard time as well, just like I would have given other diehard DBack’s fans a hard time for acting like that was equivalent to winning after a 162 game season. There’s no anger on my end, I’m just being consistent.
I’m just pointing out that if filihok is going to talk about nuance? Then they have to acknowledge all of nuances of that season, because there were a ton of extenuating circumstances that weren’t actually baseball related that had huge effects on the season. Show some intellectual honesty.
Xs
Is Kirk Gibson somehow the ultimate arbiter of truth? I don’t think so.
Their World Series win is legit. That’s what I’m arguing against, the idiots who say it isn’t.
“They have, however, consistently shown that they cannot win when the pressure is highest, in the playoffs”
This is just false
They are 53-50 in the playoffs since 2013. And are 12-10 in playoff series.
How many teams have more playoff wins in that time frame?
Jake McCarthy had one more HR than Pederson in fewer at bats and had a better average. What’s the fascination with expensive veterans??
Are you talking about the same Jake McCarthy that hit 2 HR last year and spent 45 games in AAA??
Yeah I’m also confused
Hope D-Backs have a clause in Joc “Baby Panda” Pederson’s clause that requires being in game ready condition & preparation for all 162 games.
Crazy he can’t get a multi year deal he’s been pretty consistent for a long time it seems
He just needs to sign with the Padres at some point and he’ll have played for the entire NLWest
Rockies are in the west too….
Yeah forgot about them
To be fair, their FO forgot about them too.
What does mutual option mean
It means but both Joc and the Arizona FO have to exercise the 2nd year of the deal. If one declines he becomes a Free agent next winter
Ok
Incredible deal for a man that will hit 20 to 25 hrs and carry them some weeks. He loves hitting in Arizona
TDB
“He loves hitting in Arizona”
He feasts on DBacks pitching
Nice job Joctober!
Guy is trouble and a tool
A platoon DH for 12 and a half mill…yikes
This Dbacks GM doesn’t spend stupid money. Stupid money will be J.D. $20M per for multiple years. Soler $17M per for multiple years.
$12.5 million guaranteed for a platoon OF/DH? Wow!
Feels like a massive overpay.
$12.5m plus a buyout on next years option. YIKES
For a guy with potential WRC+ in the 130s and up, I don’t think so.
Paying 12.5 + a buyout for an above average hitter is commonplace. Get with the times.
Wait, before you pass that judgment to see what the other DH Free Agents get, especially J.D. who isn’t even a platoon OF candidate, exclusively a DH.
If this deal finalizes, the heavy lifting for the off-season is done for Hazen and the Dbacks.
Maybe still a bullpen pickup or a veteran starter for depth, but no more major FA signings.
Good for Joc. Glad he gets to stay closer to home and his family.
I like the deal. He will fit well there. Good piece to have on club that just became a postseason team. He’s been there many times and has had some big moments. Like him in that lineup too. A good bit of pop added between he and Suarez, tho they have their flaws certainly. He needs to platoon.
Not a huge fan but would have been okay with the Jays picking him up at a similar price.
And term. I would like to see them COMMIT to Bo first so the other “top” options will want more term/money than Shapkins will want to risk (I hope)!!
Would resigning Belt for comparable terms be a good bet?
Man, you just gotta love what he’s done with his career since falling out of favor in LA.
I’m not a scout but it’s like hes completely reinvented himself since the dodger days
BOE
How so?
With the Dodgers he was a platoon hitter who walked a lot, mashed some homers and played passable defense,
Now,,he can’t really play defense, but everything else is the same
Solid signing.
Well cool. I was tired of confusing Joc Pederson with Jace Peterson anyway. Now they can morph into one.
Is Tommy Pham still on the team?
Several commenters on this thread don’t know the Dbacks very well at all. They speak of Joc as a “platoon” partner in the OF. For the Dbacks, Joc will be a full time DH who will occasionally spell Gurriel in LF and occasionally be a PH off the bench. His role is a lefthanded hitter who balances the lineup against right handed pitching. He won’t “platoon” with any one particular OF because he is a defensive liability.
Joc makes Doncic looks skinny
Degas
I like your paintings.
Scott
Way over the heads of most of MLBTR’s readership
$6 million to Joey gallo a .125 hitter that strikes out 170x per and $12 for joc Pederson. This is why teams win and others have no idea what they are doing.
Mrski
Quoting batting average and strikeouts
You could cite wRC+
This is why some fans have no idea what’s going on and others do
Having one day now to think about the Pederson signing, D’Backs paid the going rate for a predominately 1 yr. rental contract, because depending on the season the D’Backs have and where they are standing at the halfway point of the season, this signing is a good because it would be easier to trade him at the deadline. Would have really liked to see them sign Bellinger for center field but I do understand the payroll restraints the team has. Az had a good off season in acquisitions they filled some needs. I still see a low-level free agent for the bullpen and additional bench help. But let get to ST, can’t wait.
JD & JT gunna get paid….
An undisclosed part of this agreement involves Mr Peterson supplying specialized equipment to the Entire Diamondback Organization.
He’s supplying…………………………………………………………………..
JOC STRAPS !!
Wow, over 200 comments and counting on Joc Pederson…..as quoted a “potent slugger” with 186 HR’s over 10 seasons………the almighty importance of the HR in this decade…….how out standards for exceptionally good to great athletes in this sport of baseball have fallen……..
@rocky7
The first of those 10 seasons was 18 games (38 PAs) as a 22 yo where he hit 0 XBHs, and one of those later seasons was the ’20 season with a 43 game sample size (138 PAs) where he still was on a 20+ HR pace for a full season.
Even including those 61 games (which are “technically” 2/10 of his seasons, despite being nowhere near full season samples) his career ISO is .227; that is potent slugging.
Good for the Dbacks. Wish my Twins would at least pretend they want to contend…
Not a bad idea for the DBacks as long as they can get offensive production out of him, probably out of a platoon basis with Gurriel. Might work out to be a pretty good deal for AZ.
Absurd. $12.5m guaranteed for a 32 year old who has had one (one!) year since 2019 when he was juuuuust barely worth that, and three years since when he wasn’t remotely worth that?
0.7 bWAR per 650 PA since the start of 2020.
Joc’s as close to completely cooked as you can be without actually being on fire. What a dismal signing for the ‘backs. Ugh.