{"id":9246,"date":"2024-01-25T17:12:12","date_gmt":"2024-01-26T01:12:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/?p=9246"},"modified":"2024-01-26T14:49:00","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T22:49:00","slug":"joc-pederson-diamondbacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/2024\/01\/25\/joc-pederson-diamondbacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Diamondbacks to Add Joc Pederson"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, the National League Champion Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> have signed former San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson<\/a><\/strong>. The Diamondbacks have been aggressive this offseason, already having signed starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez<\/a><\/strong>, re-signing Lourdes Gurriel Jr.<\/a><\/strong>, and trading<\/a> for Eugenio Suarez<\/a><\/strong>. Pederson is expected to be a full-time designated hitter in Arizona. The team has neither confirmed the report nor announced the terms of the deal.<\/p>\n

Touring the NL West<\/h3>\n

This will be Pederson’s third team in the NL West. The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted him in 2010. He made his major league debut for them as a September call-up on September 1, 2014. Pederson took over as the starting center fielder as a rookie in 2015. He made the All-Star team his rookie season and finished second in the Home Run Derby in Cincinnati.\u00a0 \u00a0Overall, he slashed .210\/.346\/.417 (101-for-480) with 26 home runs, 19 doubles, 54 RBI, a .335 wOBA, and 10.1 wRAA as a rookie.<\/p>\n

Free Agency<\/h3>\n

In 2016, he slashed .246\/.352\/.495 (100-for-406) with 25 home runs, 26 doubles, 68 RBI, a .360 wOBA, and 16.3 wRAA. His production slipped in 2017 before returning to the 2016 level in both 2018 and 2019.<\/p>\n

Prior to the 2021 season, he signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs. Pederson slashed .230\/.300\/.418 with 11 home runs, 11 doubles, and 39 RBI in the Windy City before being traded at the Deadline to the Atlanta Braves. Pederson slashed .249\/.325\/.428 with seven home runs, eight doubles, and 22 RBI for the Braves en route to the 2021 World Series title.<\/p>\n

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Hometown Team<\/h3>\n

After the World Series, he signed with his hometown team, the San Francisco Giants. Having grown up in San Mateo, a suburb of San Francisco, Pederson was a Giants fan as a kid.\u00a0 He represented the the Giants at the All-Star Game held at his old stomping grounds, Dodger Stadium. In 2022, Pederson slashed .274\/.353\/.521 (104-for-380) with 23 home runs, 19 doubles, three triples, 70 RBI, a .373 wOBA, and a career-high 21.8 wRAA. He re-signed with the team for 2023, slashing .235\/.348\/.416 with 15 home runs, 14 doubles, three triples, 51 RBI, a .331 wOBA, and 4.4 wRAA.<\/p>\n

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Diamondbacks Look to Compete<\/h3>\n

The Diamondbacks are looking to jump-start their offense that went dormant in the World Series against the Texas Rangers. They surprised the league with their second World Series appearance in franchise history after a series of upsets.<\/p>\n

Update: Steve Gilbert of MLB.com announced via X<\/a> (formerly Twitter) that the contract is for one year with mutual option for 2025.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Main Photo:<\/h4>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>