Another day, another non-Braves free agent signing to update you all on. The latest being old friend Joc Pederson inking a deal with the Rangers, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
The deal is for two years and worth $37 million, with an opt-out following the 2025 campaign. The 32-year-old has now signed his fifth consecutive contract that will allow him to enter free agency after one season.
He inked a one-year deal with the Cubs and was famously traded to the Braves in the 2021 deadline haul that propelled the club to their World Series title. Since then, he’s inked one-year deals with the Giants and Diamondbacks.
The veteran continues to be one of the more productive lefty bats in baseball. Since his second All-Star appearance in 2022, Pederson has slashed a fantastic .262/.365/.485 with a 135 wRC+.
Pederson is a name that a lot of Braves fans would’ve loved to have, but his profile of a platoon split didn’t mesh with Atlanta’s outfield dynamic. He’s been at his best against right-handed pitchers, and his presence would be a bit redundant with Jarred Kelenic in the fold. Of course, nobody knows what the Braves are going to get out of Kelenic.
The Braves still need at least one outfielder, and a lot of fans would be happy with two. Given the unknowns of Kelenic and Ronald Acuna Jr., it may be better to be safe than sorry. Granted, we don’t know Alex Anthopoulos’ parameters with payroll, so it might be a pipe dream to expect two starting-caliber outfield acquisitions.