The Braves and Cubs have made a remarkable change, as the gardener Joc Pederson heads to Atlanta. First baseman prospect Bryce Ball is the comeback dating back to Chicago. There appears to be no money changing hands on the deal, so the Braves appear to be absorbing all of the remaining $ 1.84MM of their $ 4.5MM salary for the 2021 season, as well as the $ 2.5MM purchase of the mutual option of $ 10MM in Pederson for the 2022 season.
Pederson addresses a clear and obvious need in the Atlanta outfield after the superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. was missed for the remainder of the season due to an anterior cruciate ligament tear. Pederson has a lot of experience in center field throughout his career, though he’s more likely to be primarily deployed as a corner fielder for the Braves:
With Pederson managing left or right field on a regular basis and Guillermo Heredia doing most of the work in center field, the Braves can alternate between Orlando Arcia, Ehire Adrianza, Ender Inciarte and Abraham Almonte for the other corner spot and as options. backup.
Some sort of right-handed hitting option might be needed to complement Pederson, who has a modest .271 / .348 / .339 line in 66 at-bats against left-handed pitchers this season. His decision to sign a free agent contract with the Cubs last winter was made in part because Chicago offered Pederson a shot every day rather than in a platoon, and his numbers are still an improvement over the line. career overall against left-handed pitchers.
The batting average and OBP are at least respectable enough that the Braves can still use Pederson as a more or less everyday player just to plug a hole in the outfield.
It’s also possible that the Braves will add another outfielder on the exchange market, as today’s trade indicates that the club has conceded nothing following Acuña’s devastating injury. Atlanta is 44-45 but is just 3.5 games behind the Mets for first place in the NL East.
Given that the Braves have a tough schedule from now until the July 30 trade deadline (five games against the Mets, three against the Phillies, and three each against playoff contenders Tampa Bay and San Diego), it’s not out of the question either. that Pederson could be traded again if the Braves struggle for the next two weeks and decide to sell a few pieces:
An above-average bat for most of his seven seasons with the Dodgers, Pederson was also traded to the Angels in a rather infamous deal before the 2020 campaign, but he remained with Los Angeles’ blue team long enough to capture a World Series.
He posted a .991 OPS in 37 plate appearances during the Dodgers postseason, providing a happy ending after a fight (.681 OPS in 138 at-bats) of a regular season.
The Braves had some interest in Pederson as a free agent, but he ended up signing with Chicago and still hasn’t gotten well at the plate. Pederson has been a slightly below-average hitter (95 wRC +, 96 OPS +) in 287 total plate appearances this season, hitting .230 / .300 / .418 with 11 home runs.
All 11 home runs have come against right-handed pitchers, but while Pederson looked for more playing time against left-handers over the winter, the irony is that he has now struggled to hit right-handers for two consecutive seasons. Pederson is just .218 / .285 / .442 in 221 at-bats against rights this year.
The Cubs are 44-46, just half a game behind the Braves in standings, and yet seemingly a world apart in terms of expectations for the remainder of the 2021 season.
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Chicago has won just six of its last 25 games, thanks to a crushing 11-game losing streak that seems to have put them in the mindset of a salesperson as the deadline approaches. As a rental player, Pederson was a natural business token on the move, and for months it has been speculated that impending free agents (and franchise cornerstones) like Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo could be on the move by April 30. July.
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