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Just three weeks out from spring training, the Arizona Diamondbacks have made another move to bolster their roster before the 2024 season.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the reigning NL champions have signed two-time All-Star Joc Pederson to a one-year, $9.5 million deal with a $14 million mutual option for 2025. The contract includes a $3 million buy-out after this season, raising the deal’s total guaranteed value to $12.5 million.
The Diamondbacks will be the fifth team of Pederson’s MLB career, with the 31-year-old having already played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, and San Francisco Giants.
Last season with the Giants, Pederson batted .235 with an OPS of .764 in 121 games, recording just 15 home runs and 51 RBIs. Despite it being one of the worst seasons of his career, the disappointing stats can easily be written off as the exception rather than the rule, especially since Pederson has repeatedly proven throughout his career that he’s one of the biggest left-handed sluggers in MLB.
During the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series campaign, Pederson was dubbed “Joctober” by fans and pundits after he batted .382 with 2 home runs and 8 RBIs. The following postseason, he hit 3 home runs to help win another World Series title, this time with the Braves.
On January 24, Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen told Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro that the team was “very active” in their search for a strong batter, commenting he was open to the new addition taking on a full-time designated hitter role. With two World Series titles to his name, Pederson knows what it takes to play deep into October, which is exactly what the Diamondbacks are looking for after their disappointing final-round elimination by the Texas Rangers in 2023.
Inside Pederson’s Contract With the Diamondbacks
According to Nightengale, Pederson is joining the Diamondbacks on a one-year, $9.5 million contract. The deal includes a mutual option for 2025 worth $14 million, with a $3 million buyout, meaning the total guaranteed value of the contract is $12.5 million.
The signing is yet to be confirmed by the team.
If the mutual option for the 2025 season is exercised, the total value of Pederson’s new deal ($23.5 million) will be just shy of what he earned over the last two seasons with the Giants. Pederson signed a one-year, $6 million contract with San Francisco before the 2022 season and accepted the team’s $19.65 million qualifying offer for 2023, adding to a total salary of $25.65 million over two seasons.
Can the Diamondbacks Return to the World Series in 2024?
The Diamondbacks had an incredibly strong year in 2023, finishing the regular season with a record of 84-78 and advancing through to the World Series before being eliminated by the Rangers. Not satisfied with second place, Arizona has been making moves this winter to bolster their roster before the 2024 season.
In addition to Pederson, the Diamondbacks have added third baseman Eugenio Suarez and left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez this offseason, as well as re-signed star outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to a three-year, $42 million contract.
Even before the new signings, the Diamondbacks were likely to be serious contenders this year, despite MLB.com’s Will Leitch recently predicting that the team won’t return to the World Series before 2028. Now having retooled their roster, it’s hard to question Arizona is a team to watch in 2024.
The Diamondbacks navigated the 2023 postseason with essentially a two-pitcher rotation in Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, but the addition of Rodriguez has addressed that issue to at least some extent. While the team still has some uncertainty regarding who will start in their outfield, Pederson is likely to be able to help there, despite defense not exactly being his strongest suit.
The only other obvious gap in the Diamondbacks’ roster was at third base, which they’ve now filled with Suarez.
There’s no doubt it’s been a very productive offseason in Arizona, even if some exact roster plans are yet to be determined. Another season of World Series contention certainly isn’t off the table.
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