MLB Rumors: Joc Pederson, D-Backs Agree to 1-Year, $9.5M Contract

Veteran outfielder Joc Pederson is on the move after agreeing to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2025, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported the deal was worth $9.5 million.

Pederson ultimately settled on the $19.7 million qualifying offer with the San Francisco Giants ahead of the 2023 season. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported at the the time he had "explored the free agent market and discussed multiyear deals with teams."

His decision came as a bit of a surprise because he was coming off his best offensive year. He made his second All-Star team while hitting 23 home runs and finishing with a 146 OPS+, per Baseball Reference.

If interested suitors were concerned Pederson would regress to the mean a bit, those fears were well founded. In 121 games, the 31-year-old had a .235/.348/.416 slash line along with 15 home runs and 51 RBI. His 111 OPS+ was a noticeable step back from the previous campaign.

As expected, Pederson had extreme platoon splits, which has been a trend throughout his career. The vast majority of his plate appearances came against right-handers, and he had an .786 OPS in those situations. Against lefties, his OPS fell to .606.

In terms of expectations for 2024, Pederson should be reasonably predictable. He'll terrorize righties and look lost in his limited at-bats when a southpaw is on the mound. His experience at all three outfield positions could come in handy, too, though he hasn't occupied center since 2021.

If anything, the two-time World Series champion could prove to be a good value signing. According to Baseball Savant, he finished in the top nine percent in average exit velocity (92.1 mph) and hard hit percentage (52.2). His expected batting average (.269) also closely mirrored where it was in 2022 (.266).

Pederson continued to hit the ball hard, so encountering a little more luck might have an accompanying effect on his overall production.

Aside from Corbin Carroll and switch hitter Ketel Marte, the reigning National League champions didn't have a ton of punch from the left side of the plate prior to this move. Per Fangraphs, Arizona ranked 22nd in wOBA (.310) and 26th in home runs (46) from left-handed batters.

Even if Pederson simply duplicates his 2023 production, he'll help to address a need in the offense.