The Arizona Diamondbacks are “very close” to a deal with outfielder/designated hitter Joc Pederson, Nick Piecoro of azcentral.com reported Thursday afternoon. Earlier in the day, Buster Olney of ESPN reported the two sides were talking.
Pederson, who spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and then the most recent two with the San Francisco Giants, has played 1,003 of his 1,140 career games for NL West teams. The Diamondbacks are one of three teams he has played against more than 100 times, and he has a .746 OPS in 56 games at Chase Field — his second-worst mark among NL West ballparks.
Pederson’s signing could kick off the designated hitter market, which has moved slower than most other positions even in this offseason. Pederson can still play the field, but had just 23 starts in the outfield compared to 72 starts at DH in 2023.
Aside from Shohei Ohtani, who is really in a category of his own, only Mitch Garver has signed among free agents expected to primarily DH. Players still available include J.D. Martinez, Justin Turner and Jorge Soler. While the Mets were never linked to Pederson, they have been linked to the other three at various points in the offseason. Maybe Pederson to Arizona, if the deal gets done, could get the ball rolling.
