Former Dodgers World Series Champion Signs With Rangers

Free agent Joc Pederson reportedly signed a two-year, $37 million contract with the Texas Rangers on Monday. The designated hitter is coming off a single season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he logged multiple career-highs at the plate.

Across 132 games, Pederson recorded 23 home runs and 64 RBIs. He also earned career-highs in batting average (.275), on-base percentage (.393), and OPS (.908). The left-handed batter was the Diamondbacks’ primary designated hitter in 2024.

Pederson did not become a designated hitter until 2020 with the Dodgers. He has made appearances in the outfield with every team he has been on in his career expect Arizona. Instead, All-Star outfielders Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Corbin Carroll, and Arizona’s 2022 Rookie of the Year Jake McCarthy, were the Diamondbacks’ most-used outfielders in 2024.

His 2022 season with the San Francisco Giants was the last time he was a regular outfielder. Pederson made 120 appearances between left and right field, accruing -11 outs above average. His poor defensive abilities are likely the reason why Pederson did not play a single inning in the outfield this past season.

The Rangers did not have a regular designated hitter in 2024. Outfielders Wyatt Langford and Adolis García spent the most time in the position with 25 and 23 appearances, respectively.

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This year marked Pederson’s fifth consecutive offseason as a free agent. His contract with Texas also includes an opt out after the 2025 season, which makes this his fifth contract where he will be eligible for free agency after one season. He has signed contracts as a free agent with the Chicago Cubs and twice with the San Francisco Giants. 

Pederson spent the first seven seasons of his MLB career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he won his first World Series title in 2020. The following season, he won another World Series with the Atlanta Braves after the Cubs traded him at the deadline in 2021.

With Los Angeles, Pederson served in the outfield and as a designated hitter. During the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series run, Pederson made 31 appearances in the outfield and 12 as the DH throughout the entire season. He earned his first All-Star selection and participated in the Home Run Derby twice during his career with the Dodgers.

The Dodgers drafted Pederson as the No. 352 overall pick in the 11th round of the 2010 MLB draft. The California native made his MLB debut in September 2014. Pederson elected free agency for the first time after winning the 2020 World Series.