Dodgers: Joc Pederson Accepts Qualifying Offer, Remains with Giants
Joc Pederson spent seven seasons with the Dodgers before hitting free agency after the 2020 season. He signed with the Cubs, who traded him to the Braves at midseason, and he won his second straight World Series with Atlanta that October. After 2021, he signed with the Giants, the team he rooted for growing up in the Bay Area.
Joc hit free agency for the third straight offseason last week, but unlike the first two, he’s re-signing with his previous team. The Giants extended a qualifying offer to Pederson, and on Tuesday he accepted that offer, so he’ll be back in San Francisco on a one-year, $19.65 million deal.
After leading the #SFGiants in homers in 2022, Joc Pederson will be back for another season after accepting the qualifying offer. https://t.co/sVmk5APMTg
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) November 16, 2022
This is a huge raise for Joc, who has never had a salary higher than $7.5 million and made just $8.5 million last year when you combine his Braves buyout and his Giants salary. Joc had his best offensive season in 2022, posting an .874 OPS (144 OPS+) with career highs in batting average and on-base percentage in 433 plate appearances. On the other hand, he had his worst defensive season, posting a -17.7 UZR/150, by far the worst of any outfielder in MLB with at least 500 innings played.
The Giants are clearly hoping Pederson can maintain his excellent offense while rediscovering the defensive skill he had just a few years ago. He was a decent center-fielder early in his career and was still a solid left-fielder through the end of his Dodgers career, so his major step back defensively is a bit baffling.
The Dodgers will continue to see a lot of their former fan favorite.
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Congrats to Joc on the big payday, but I remember his defensive skills with the Dodgers a bit differently. In center he was scary, in left tolerable, but barely.
Wow! 20M for a part time player with no defense? Must be Zaidi’s bromance with Joc. Great! What a great way to create animosity on the Giants. Belli should take notice…..if he can at least hit in the clutch like Joc and with Belli’s defense, he could make twice of Joc.
With his offense and the DH addition in the NL, Joc is well positioned to make a steady impact with the Giants!