Diamondbacks Make Another Off-Season Splash, Signing Joc Pederson to One-Year Deal
First Rhys Hoskins, now Joc Pederson – the free-agent market for DH types continues to intensify.
Pederson is off to the desert after agreeing to a one-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, first reported by local sports radio host John Gambadoro and later confirmed by MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert.
The deal, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, is worth $9.5 million and includes a 2025 mutual option with a $14 million salary and a $3 million buyout, guaranteeing Pederson $12.5 million.
Arizona has acted aggressively this off-season to improve a roster that finished 84-78 last season and came up short versus the Texas Rangers during the 2023 World Series. They re-signed outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., traded for third baseman Eugenio Suárez, inked left-handed starter Eduardo Rodriguez, and have now added a significant power bat.
An 11th-round selection in 2010, Pederson played seven major league seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2014-20, registering 496 hits, 130 home runs and 303 RBIs while slashing .230/.336/.470 with a 117 wRC+ over 748 games, worth 11.0 fWAR.
The 31-year-old lefty was a major offensive force during the franchise’s 2020 postseason run, clubbing a pair of bombs and delivering eight RBIs with an eye-popping .382/.432/.559 hitting line en route to his first World Series ring. That earned him the nickname “Joctober.”
After winning it all in ‘20, Pederson joined the Chicago Cubs in free agency over the winter before packing his bags for the Atlanta Braves ahead of the mid-season trade deadline. In doing so, he joined another championship roster, capturing his second consecutive World Series title.
The two-time All-Star spent the previous two seasons out West with the San Francisco Giants, keeping the Palo Alto, CA native close to home. And he didn’t disappoint during his inaugural campaign with the franchise.
In 134 games, Pederson hit .274/.353/.521 with 23 home runs, 70 RBIs and a career-high 146 wRC+, worth 2.1 fWAR. Most of that damage came against right-handed pitching – where most of his reps with Arizona are likely to come from – as he slashed .278/.356/.538 with a 151 wRC+.
Last season wasn’t as impressive, as evidenced by his 15 home runs, 51 RBIs, .235/.348/.416 slash line and 111 wRC+ in 121 games with the Giants. But the usual metrics don’t tell the whole story.
Pederson increased his walk rate (13.4%, 3.7% increase) and reduced his strikeout rate (20.9%, 2.2% decrease) from season to season. He also upped his hard-hit rate (52.2%), causing his expected results to outperform his traditional ones, suggesting he endured poor batted-ball fortune.
Despite featuring prior outfield experience, the former Giant will likely occupy an everyday DH role with the D-backs in 2024, as he’s historically been considered a poor defender and only logged 204.0 innings as a corner outfielder a season ago.
Most feel the 6-foot-1 slugger may be the missing piece for an already potent lineup with several impact hitters, including 2023 NL Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, Christian Walker, Suárez and Gurriel, among others.
Now that Pederson and Hoskins are off the board, the DH market could solidify rapidly for the top remaining bat-only hitters like Jorge Soler, J.D. Martinez and Justin Turner as spring training draws nearer.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Ian D’Andrea. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.