Former Toronto Blue Jays free agent target signs with the Texas Rangers.
Photo credit: Bally Sports Arizona
The Texas Rangers and slugger Joc Pederson are in agreement on a contract, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Per ESPN's Buster Olney, the deal guaranteed Pederson two years and $37MM with an opt-out following the 2025 campaign.
The Toronto Blue Jays went after Pederson hard after missing out on Shohei Ohtani last season according to Olney
As per Ben Nicholson-Smith, Pederson had this to say about Ross Atkins offer to come to Toronto:
«They just I guess didn't want me as bad as some other teams and weren't able to really put together an offer when it was time for me to make a decision."
«I love Canada,» he said. «I love Toronto. My dad (Stu) played for the Blue Jays in the minor leagues in Syracuse (from 1988-92). He was in the organization so every time I go back there I still know some of the visiting (clubhouse attendants).»
«From the conversations we had on the phone and how interested they were in adding a left-handed bat, their actions didn't match their words, I guess you could say."
The Blue Jays showed interest in Pederson again this offseason but ultimately decided his massive platoon splits make him a somewhat lackluster option against opposing southpaws, the club's deep group of young hitters like Joey Loperfido and Davis Schneider could be a good fit against tough lefties.
He's a career .210/.300/.330 (78 wRC+) hitter against left-handed pitching and even in the past three seasons has floated a pedestrian 104 wRC+ against southpaws.
The constant trips through free agency haven't stopped Pederson from being one of the most productive lefty bats in the majors in recent years.
Since making his second career All-Star appearance in 2022 as a member of the Giants, Pederson has slashed a fantastic .262/.365/.485 with a 135 wRC+.
That figure leaves him with the 16th-highest wRC+ in baseball among qualified hitters over the past three seasons, and he's sandwiched comfortably between Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Jose Ramirez on that leaderboard.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 23 | 194 ANSWERS Former Toronto Blue Jays free agent target signs with the Texas Rangers. Are you happy the Blue Jays did not sign Joc Pederson? | ||
| Yes | 128 | 66 % |
| No | 66 | 34 % |
| List of polls | ||
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