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Joc Pederson

Giants Reinstate Brandon Crawford, Joc Pederson; Designate Dixon Machado

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The Giants announced that shortstop Brandon Crawford has been activated from the 10-day injured list, while outfielder Joc Pederson is also back after being activated from the seven-day concussion IL.  To create roster space, San Francisco optioned infielder David Villar to Triple-A and designated infielder Dixon Machado for assignment.

Crawford has been battling soreness in his left knee for most of the season, and the injury has resulted in two trips to the IL for the veteran shortstop within the last six weeks.  This latest IL stint sidelined Crawford for a little over three weeks, and it is possible that the lingering nature of this problem could lead to Crawford getting a few more days off than usual over the final two months of the regular season.

Coming off a career year in 2021, Crawford’s knee issues could be partially to blame for his dropoff this season, as the shortstop is hitting only .215/.297/.332 over 279 plate appearances.  There’s still time for Crawford to get on track and finish the year in more respectable fashion, even if it might be too late for the Giants to get back into the wild card race.

With the Giants moving some veteran players at the trade deadline, it is quite possible he might’ve been moved had it not been for his concussion symptoms.  The good news, however, is that Pederson is able to make a quick return after hitting the concussion-IL on July 29, so he doesn’t appear to be dealing with any lingering after-effects.  The slugger is hitting .242/.319/.492 with 17 home runs over 285 PA, and his first-half performance earned a slot on the NL All-Star roster.

It could be a very short stay in the Giants organization for Machado, who was just acquired in a trade with the Cubs on July 31.  San Francisco was in a crunch for shortstop depth with Crawford and Thairo Estrada both on the IL, and thus Machado provided some short-term help.  Machado’s five games with the Giants represented his first MLB playing time since 2018, as he has since been playing in the KBO League and with the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate.

Giants Do Not Trade Carlos Rodon, Joc Pederson Prior To Deadline

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5:00pm: There was no last-minute trade of either Rodon or outfielder Joc Pederson, tweets Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. Both remain with the Giants and are now ineligible to be traded with the deadline passed. The Giants can still issue a qualifying offer to both players, with Rodon standing out as a particularly obvious candidate to receive one.

2:20pm: The Yankees have also checked in on Rodon, though they’re seen as a “long shot,” Jon Heyman of the New York Post tweets.

Jayson Stark of The Athletic adds that Rodon’s $22.5MM player option has indeed been a complicating factor in talks to this point, given the aforementioned downside it presents an acquiring club.

1:20pm: The Giants are in discussions with teams about Carlos Rodón, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Slusser suggests they’re not motivated to sell low, however, indicating they’d only accept an offer for “full value.”  Slusser lists the Phillies, Twins, and Cardinals as interested parties.  At 51-52, the Giants sit 4.5 games out for a wild card spot and have 16.6% playoff odds as calculated by FanGraphs.

Rodon dominated through his first 16 starts last year for the White Sox, but then seemed to wear down and was handled carefully the rest of the year.  The White Sox chose not to issue a qualifying offer, and Rodon went into free agency as a high-risk, high-reward pitcher.  After the lockout, the Giants gave Rodon a two-year, $44MM deal that allows him to opt out of the remaining $22.5MM for ’23 if he reaches 110 innings, a condition the lefty has already met.

So far, Rodon has silenced any concern about his health, as he’s tossed 123 innings without a dropoff in velocity or production, resulting in his second consecutive All-Star nod.  Over his last five starts, Rodon has punched out over 36% of batters faced, whiffing ten in each of his last two.

As with any opt-out clause, Rodon will exercise it if he thinks he can top the remaining $22.5MM.  Barring a significant injury, it seems likely Rodon will indeed explore free agency again unless he’s extended by a new team.  The Mariners and Yankees, respectively, have landed the top two starters on the trade market in Luis Castillo and Frankie Montas.  Back-end options Jose Quintana and Jake Odorizzi are off the board as well.

A healthy Rodon is a potential Game 1 or 2 playoff starter, and can impact a playoff race.  However, he is owed over $7.5MM for the remainder of the season, plus the downside risk of his opt-out clause and the chance of a repeat of last year’s late fade.  He’ll need a suitor with financial flexibility and tolerance for risk.  If the Giants don’t find an offer to their liking, they can still tender a qualifying offer to Rodon after the season.

Giants “Listening” To Trade Offers For Veteran Players

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9:19PM: “Pretty much anyone not Logan Webb” could be discussed by the Giants in trade talks, as per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

8:17PM: The Giants have gone 11-22 over their last 33 games, dropping them below the .500 mark and putting them four games outside of the NL wild card race.  While the club was reportedly resistant on being deadline sellers as recently as three days ago, the Giants “now listening on their veterans” in trade talks, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link).  MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand also tweeted that according to a rival executive, San Francisco was seemingly “ready to sell.”

Assuming that the Giants are indeed poised to become sellers to some extent, they immediately become an intriguing team to watch prior to Tuesday’s 5pm CT trade deadline.  President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has taken a measured approach to selloffs in the past, even during the 2019 and 2020 deadlines when the Giants had a lot more impetus to fully tear down an aging and expensive roster.  A major overhaul certainly doesn’t seem in the works this time around, as since the Giants are less than a season removed from winning 107 games, Zaidi certainly must feel his group can return to contention in 2023 (or could even regroup for a late playoff push this year).

Pending free agents are the most obvious trade candidates, and Carlos Rodon would immediately be a major new entry in the pitching market if the Giants made him available.  The left-hander is in the midst of an outstanding season, and recently unlocked a vesting option that allows Rodon to opt out of his contract following the season.  Rodon is owed $22.5MM in 2023, but since he can surely land a much more lucrative and longer-term pact in free agency, he looks like a sure bet to exercise his opt-out clause.

The White Sox decided against issuing a qualifying offer to Rodon last winter, and thus he is still eligible for the QO tag this offseason now that we know the qualifying offer system will still be in place.  The Giants can recoup a compensatory draft pick in exchange for Rodon’s services if he does sign elsewhere, and thus if any rivals teams are interested in Rodon at the deadline, they’ll have to offer San Francisco something of greater value than that compensatory pick.  Speculatively, that could be a player closer to the big leagues, since someone who can provide more immediate help might be preferable for a Giants team that plans to win next year.

As for other free agents, Wilmer Flores, Dominic Leone, and Joc Pederson would all garner interest, though Pederson was just placed on the seven-day concussion IL.  A team would be taking some risk in acquiring Pederson given the unpredictable nature of concussion-related symptoms, and of course the Giants’ return in a Pederson trade would be impacted by this uncertainty.

Evan Longoria is also on the injured list, as a right hamstring strain has continued an injury-plagued year for the veteran third baseman.  The Giants hold a $13MM club option on Longoria for 2023 that doesn’t look too likely to be exercised at this point, though Longoria has also stated that he might retire after the season.  Since Longoria has already started fielding drills is expected back in the first week or two of August, another team could take a flier on a veteran who has still quite well when healthy.  Longtime Giant Brandon Belt is also a free agent after the year, though a trade doesn’t seem too likely since Belt has also battled injuries and is having only an okay year at the plate.  Belt can also decline any trade due to his rights as a 10-and-5 veteran.

Giants Place Joc Pederson On Injured List

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The Giants have placed outfielder Joc Pederson on the seven-day injured list, which is specific to concussion-like symptoms. Infielder Jason Vosler has been recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to take his active roster spot.

Pederson has been one of the Giants more productive hitters this season. Signed to a $6MM deal over the winter, he’s hit 17 home runs in only 285 plate appearances. Pederson has a .242/.319/.492 line, splitting his time between the corner outfield and designated hitter. It’s something of a bounceback showing for the 30-year-old, who posted below-average offensive numbers between 2020-21 after a generally strong run with the Dodgers.

While Pederson could return to the lineup within a week, his trip to the IL comes at an interesting time for the Giants. San Francisco enters play tonight with a 49-50 record, placing them three games back in the NL Wild Card race. The next few days could prove pivotal towards determining how president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and his staff approach the deadline. They’ll have to navigate the next few games without one of their better left-handed bats.

If the Giants did decide to sell, Pederson would be an interesting trade candidate himself. He’s an affordable platoon bat who’d certainly appeal to contenders searching for that kind of player. As an impending free agent, Pederson would be among the likeliest players the Giants could deal if they moved anyone. He checked in 22nd on MLBTR’s list of the top 60 deadline trade candidates this afternoon. Players on the IL can still be traded, so the Giants could move Pederson before next Tuesday’s deadline if other clubs continue to express interest despite the concussion symptoms.

MLB Announces 2022 All-Star Starters

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Major League Baseball announced the starting lineups for the 2022 All-Star Game this evening. The starting lineups are determined by fan vote. This year’s All-Star Game will take place at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, July 19. The starting pitchers and reserves will be announced at a later date.

American League

National League

Tommy Pham Suspended For Three Games Over Altercation With Joc Pederson

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Reds outfielder Tommy Pham told reporters (including The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith) that he has been issued a three-game suspension for an altercation with the Giants’ Joc Pederson prior to last night’s game.  The suspension began with last night’s contest, so Pham will miss the entirety of the Reds’ series with San Francisco.  The league has officially announced the suspension, adding that Pham has also been issued a fine.

The incident took place during Friday’s batting practice, with Pederson telling reporters (including John Shea of The San Francisco Chronicle) that Pham approached Pederson in the outfield and eventually slapped him across the face during the confrontation.  Adding to the bizarre nature of the situation, Pederson said Pham was upset over a past dispute in a fantasy football league from over a year ago, based on what players were or weren’t allowed to be placed on the injured reserve list as per the fantasy league’s rules.

Pham had a different take, saying that he took issue both with Pederson’s fantasy football actions and also some “disrespectful” comments Pederson allegedly made about the Padres, Pham’s former team.

“I didn’t like that, and I didn’t like the sketchy shit going on in the fantasy league.  We’ve got too much money on the line, and I look at it like there’s a code,” Pham said.

The Reds initially had Pham in their starting lineup on Friday, though while the game was delayed for over two hours due to weather, Pham was scratched from the lineup.  Pham said that during the delay, he was “getting pressured from MLB” as part of the league’s investigation into the incident, and he agreed to a three-game suspension for the duration of the series with the Giants.

Injury Notes: Lewis, May, Gray, Longoria, Giants

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The Mariners announced that center fielder Kyle Lewis has begun a rehab assignment in Triple-A tonight, his first competitive assignment since he tore his meniscus last May. Foreshadowing what may come when the 2020 AL Rookie of the Year makes it back to the majors, the 26-year-old Lewis swatted a home run on his first swing back in minor league game action. Equally encouraging for M’s fans is manager Scott Servais’s assessment, who according to MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer notes the team can be “a little bit more aggressive than we’d normally be” in promoting Lewis.

Cutting a 20-day rehab assignment short would be a bold move for a player who played in just 36 games last season, but clearly speaks to the team’s confidence in Lewis’s recovery. For what it’s worth, the Mariners aren’t exactly hurting for offense at the moment, as they rank third in the AL in runs scored. The high-upside outfield trio of Jesse Winker, Julio Rodriguez, and Jarred Kelenic, as well as a mishmash of DH options, have yet to really get it going however, and seem likely to cede time to the right-handed Lewis in the coming weeks.

Some additional injury updates from around the league…

  • Mets reliever Trevor May is headed to the 10-day IL with triceps inflammation in his throwing arm, per Tim Healey of Newsday Sports. The typically reliable right-hander is off to a rough start in the 2022 season, allowing sixteen batters to reach base and half of them to score across eight appearances. The Mets currently sit atop the NL win column with an 18-8 record but if there’s one nit to pick with the team’s outstanding play so far it’s the bullpen, who have been a bottom-half unit in terms of run prevention this season. A return to health and vintage form from May will go a long way to shoring up the bullpen and taking pressure off the team’s lineup and rotation, both of which rank as top-5 groups in the sport. Right-hander Adonis Medina, who was acquired from the Pirates in early April, has been recalled to fill the bullpen vacancy.
  • The Rangers meanwhile welcomed back right-handed starter Jon Gray from the IL today after he sprained in his knee in his previous start. Gray, one of several splashy signings made by Texas this offseason, has yet to get into a groove with his new club. The 30-year-old has already been placed on the IL twice during the young season, and was pulled after 60 pitches in tonight’s match against the Phillies. A rough first inning ballooned his ERA up to 7.50 on the season, but a quiet pair of ensuing innings is what the Rangers and their beleaguered pitching staff will be looking for more of moving forward. Right-handed reliever Albert Abreu, acquired from the Yankees in April’s Jose Trevino trade, heads to the IL in Gray’s stead with a sprained ankle. Abreu has managed a solid 3.57 ERA on the year, albeit with a worrying 11 walks in just over seven innings of action.
  • The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly rolled out a cavalcade of positive health updates on ailing Giants players today. Notably, injured infielders Evan Longoria and Tommy La Stella will join recovering outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. on a rehab assignment in Triple-A. Outfielders Joc Pederson and Mike Yastrzemski are nearing full-time returns as well after a right adductor strain and positive COVID test interrupted their respective seasons. Right-handed starter Anthony DeSclafani has also made progress in his recovery from the right ankle inflammation that recently landed him on the IL. Healthy returns from the listed players would be a boon for the club, who currently have several regulars out for COVID-related reasons. Despite sporting an IL that is more recognizable than the starting lineup, the Giants haven’t missed a beat from last season. The team is currently a half game out of first in the NL West, behind the Dodgers and Padres, with a top-3 bullpen and offense that only figures to get deeper in the next few days.

Blue Jays Continue To Pursue Left-Handed Hitting

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The Blue Jays have one of baseball’s most dangerous lineups, though their projected starting nine tilts heavily to the right side.  Cavan Biggio is the only left-handed hitter set to receive everyday action in Toronto’s lineup, and even Santiago Espinal is expected to spell Biggio when southpaws are on the mound.  With this in mind, the Jays continue to look into left-handed hitters, with Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi writing that the club has shown interest in Michael Conforto, Joc Pederson, Brad Miller, and former Jay Corey Dickerson.

While Davidi reports that the Jays “had offers in” on the latter three names, Dickerson joined the Cardinals on a one-year/$5MM deal, Pederson went with the Giants’ one-year/$6MM offer, and Miller received $10MM over a two-year deal with the Rangers.  These players all projected for platoon or part-time duty, whereas Conforto would seemingly both be in line for more of an everyday role, and at a significantly higher cost.

Such clubs as the Rockies, Marlins, Yankees, and Padres have also been linked to Conforto’s market this winter, though Colorado could be off the board after signing Kris Bryant, while the Marlins have addressed their outfield needs with Jorge Soler and Avisail Garcia.  Signing Conforto would cost a draft pick since he turned down the Mets’ qualifying offer, and it does remain to be seen exactly what kind of deal Conforto will land as Opening Day nears.  His market could improve as other outfielders get signed, though in the wake of Conforto’s average 2021 season, teams may still balk at committing significant money.

A multi-year contract with opt-out clauses could be an option, similar to the deal just signed by another Scott Boras client — new Twins shortstop Carlos Correa.  Or, the Jays could offer Conforto a straight one-year contract worth $18.4MM (the cost of the qualifying offer), in a move similar to how Toronto landed Marcus Semien last winter.  Like Semien, Conforto could see the one-year deal as a bridge to a bigger contract the following offseason, assuming that Conforto returns to his past form.

Signing Conforto would cost the Blue Jays $500K of international spending money and their second-highest pick in the 2022 draft, which would be their second-round selection.  However, since the Blue Jays will be getting two extra compensatory picks just prior to the third round (since Semien and Robbie Ray rejected QOs and signed elsewhere this winter), the Jays could feel they have the draft depth to rationalize signing Conforto.

The amount of interest Toronto has in Conforto isn’t known, as Davidi acknowledges that the Jays could just be making a routine check-in on a notable unsigned free agent.  Since the Jays don’t have a set DH, Teoscar Hernandez, George Springer, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Conforto could all see regular work in the DH spot and the starting outfield spots, with Randal Grichuk getting fill-in duty as the situation warrants.

Of course, switch-hitting Guardians star Jose Ramirez continues to be a Blue Jays target, and would represent another left-handed option to balance out the lineup in a major fashion.  It remains to be seen if the Jays and Guardians can finally agree on a trade package or if Cleveland will even end up moving Ramirez whatsoever, though Davidi reports that a Guardians scout was recently seen taking video of Alejandro Kirk.  Since the Guards are thin at catcher now and don’t have a true catcher of the future lined up (depending on Bo Naylor’s future position), Kirk would be a logical candidate to be included as part of a potential Ramirez trade package.

Twins Claim Jose Godoy From Giants

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The Twins have claimed catcher Jose Godoy off waivers from the Giants, as announced by both teams.  The claim opens up a roster spot for Joc Pederson, whose new one-year contract with San Francisco is now official.

Godoy is changing teams for the second time in five days, as the Giants only just claimed the backstop off waivers from the Mariners earlier this week.  Godoy will head from one team experiencing a sea change behind the plate (due to Buster Posey’s retirement) to another, as the Twins just acquired Gary Sanchez from the Yankees and dealt Mitch Garver to the Rangers in a pair of trades.

Beyond Sanchez and Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota doesn’t have any other catchers in the organization with big league experience, so Godoy will provide some Triple-A depth.  Godoy’s 16 career MLB games (all with Seattle last year) don’t make for a lengthy Major League resume, but he does have eight years of minor league experience playing in the Cardinals farm system from 2012-19.  While Godoy isn’t particularly known for his bat, he does have a .292/.338/.424 slash line over 412 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.

Giants To Sign Joc Pederson

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The Giants are in agreement on a contract with outfielder Joc Pederson, reports MLB Network’s Jon Morosi.  Pederson will receive $6MM on a one-year deal, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.  Pederson is represented by Excel Sports Management.

Pederson, 30 in April, posted a 94 wRC+ in 481 plate appearances for the Cubs and Braves last year, joining Atlanta in one of Chicago’s many July trades.  Pederson has picked up World Series rings in each of the last two seasons for the Dodgers and Braves.  He was particularly effective in the NLDS against the Brewers last year, bashing a pair of home runs and inspiring Braves fans to sport pearl necklaces.  Pederson will spend his 2022 season less than an hour away from where he played attended high school in Palo Alto, California.

A left-handed hitter, Pederson has long struggled against southpaws, and signed a one-year, $7MM deal with the Cubs in January 2021 in part because he sought to avoid a platoon situation.  Oddly enough, since 2020 Pederson has a 99 wRC+ in 122 plate appearances against lefties, but just a 91 mark against righties.  From 2015-19 as a Dodger, Pederson torched righties to the tune of a 132 wRC+, a mark which ranked 21st in the game during that time.  Assuming Pederson can regain some of that success, he’d pair well with the right-handed-hitting Austin Slater.

Though Pederson has played a significant amount of center field in his career, at this stage he fits better in a corner spot.  The Giants have LaMonte Wade Jr., Steven Duggar, Mike Yastrzemski, Darin Ruf, and Slater as outfield incumbents, but they’ve also got a regular DH job for the first time in their history.

Two members of the club’s 2021 outfield found new homes today, with Alex Dickerson signing a one-year deal with Atlanta and Kris Bryant signing a seven-year, $182MM deal with the division-rival Rockies.  The Giants’ interest in retaining Bryant seemed minimal.  Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has avoided large free agent contracts in his four-year tenure, with his recent two-year, $44MM contract for Carlos Rodon marking his largest expenditure.  The Giants also let Kevin Gausman leave for greener pastures this winter, instead electing to spread the wealth among veteran free agents on shorter-term deals.  Zaidi served as Dodgers GM prior to joining the Giants, so he became quite familiar with Pederson while both were employed by Los Angeles.

Pederson’s signing comes as part of a wave of free agent outfielder deals today, as the Phillies signed Kyle Schwarber, the Braves brought Eddie Rosario back, and the Rockies inked Bryant to a megadeal.  Several quality bats remain free agents, including Nick Castellanos, Michael Conforto, Tommy Pham, and Jorge Soler.

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