The Texas Rangers‘ busy off-season continued in the early hours of Monday morning as they signed Joc Pederson. The agreement is pending a physical and has not been confirmed by the club. An individual familiar with the deal also confirmed the report of ESPN’s Buster Olney that the deal is for two years and is worth a guaranteed $37 million. It was reported Sunday afternoon that the Rangers had multiple conversations with Pederson.
No Stranger to Free Agency
Pederson has now signed his fifth consecutive deal that will enable him to re-enter free agency after one year. The slugger first reached free agency during the 2020-21 offseason and signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs. He followed that up with a one-year agreement with the San Francisco Giants. This came before he accepted the Qualifying Offer from the club the following offseason.
He most recently signed yet another one-year pact with the Arizona Diamondbacks last off-season with a $14 million mutual option for 2025, which he declined in favor of a $3 million buyout. His newest deal also has an option for a second season, but this one is a player option.
What He Brings to Arlington
Joc Pederson’s constant trips through free agency haven’t slowed him down, however. He has been one of the most productive hitters 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 .For the Rangers, the addition of Pederson offers some much-needed thump to a lineup that finished just 22nd in the majors with a 95 wRC+ last year.
DH Needed
The Rangers haven’t had much production out of their DH spot, recently. They’ve managed a 65 wRC+ that was second-worst in baseball ahead of the Cincinnati Reds. The addition of Joc Pederson not only adds another big lefty to the Rangers lineup to complement former Dodgers teammate Corey Seager but also makes up for the loss of Nathaniel Lowe, whom the Rangers traded to the Washington Nationals on Sunday afternoon.
Additional News
The Rangers also announced on Monday that they have signed right-hander Shawn Armstrong to a one-year, major league deal. In order to make room for Armstrong on the 40-man roster, catcher Sam Huff was designated for assignment.
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