The RHP masher signed with the Texas Rangers on Monday.
Joc Pederson owned right-handed pitching during the 2024 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, posting an overall .281/.392/.531 line against them that equated to a 154 wRC+. His .395 wOBA against righties ranked as the 8th best of any player in the game last year (min. 250 PA), immediately ahead of the likes of Corey Seager, Brent Rooker, Yordan Alvarez, and Freddie Freeman (among many others).
Joc Pederson was never going to be a part of these Cincinnati Reds, however.
Despite Cincinnati posting just an 89 wRC+ in total against RHP last year, Pederson’s lack of defensive ability and baserunning made him an unlikely fit for this club (given what the front office tends to value at the moment). On top of that, him signing for a pair of years (and up to $37 million in total) meant he was likely out of Cincinnati’s price range despite offering as much offensive upside as anyone on the open market this winter.
Pederson inked said deal with the Texas Rangers this morning, with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic helping relay the news.
Free agent designated hitter Joc Pederson in agreement with Rangers, sources tell @TheAthletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 23, 2024
I say Pederson was never going to be on these Reds this offseason not just because of his specific traits (and foibles) and overall price tag, but also because he’d add redundancy to a roster that seems hell-bent on not overpaying for such things.
Jonathan India became expendable because too much of what he provided overlapped with what Matt McLain will hopefully be able to provide. In a similar vein, a signing of Pederson when Jeimer Candelario/Christian Encarnacion-Strand should really be DHing already and when Jake Fraley is already slated to make more than league minimum as the lefty-swinging corner OF bat would require further tinkering with a roster that they already seem to like somewhat.
Rather than spend more to upgrade something they already somewhat have, it appears the Reds are instead focused on adding to areas they don’t have at all. Pederson would have been something of the former. Good teams, of course, make additions in both areas.
Pederson joins Andrew McCutchen as big-bat names off the board on the eve of the holidays, as Cutch inked a deal worth $5 million to once again wear a Pirates uniform. While neither was likely to ever end up falling to the Reds, their names inked elsewhere continues to impact the waters where the Reds are reportedly fishing - namely, the market for a) offensive upgrades from players who b) in theory can still play some outfield from time to time.
Those free agent options continue to dwindle. The options readily available on the trade market don’t seem obvious, or at least don’t seem like they’re already proven enough to warrant being acquired as the offensive upgrade. There’s still plenty of time to make additions to this club before they report to Goodyear for spring training in a little over seven weeks, but it’s hard to ignore the number of players who really would have helped this club out coming off the board as they do.
