The Arizona Diamondbacks have had a solid offseason, adding a much-needed star pitcher in Eduardo Rodriguez and a replacement for Evan Longoria in Eugenio Suarez.
They want more, though.
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According to MLB insider Buster Olney, they have identified power hitter Joc Pederson as their next target.
There is a reason behind their interest, though: he mashes right-handed pitching, and there is a lot of quality right-handed pitching in the NL West.
“About the D-Backs’ interest in Joc Pederson, who has historically done his damage vs. right-handers, it’s worth noting the makeup of the rival rotations: LAD: Glasnow, Yamamoto, Buehler, Miller (all R), Paxton L. SF: Webb, Stripling, Winn, Hicks, Cobb (all R), Harrison L. SD: Musgrove, Darvish, King, Waldron, Avila (all R),” Olney explained.
About the D-Backs’ interest in Joc Pederson, who has historically done his damage vs. right-handers, it’s worth noting the makeup of the rival rotations:
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LAD Glasnow, Yamamoto, Buehler, Miller (all R)Paxton L
SFWebb, Stripling, Winn, Hicks, Cobb (all R), Harrison L
SD…
Pederson has a career .800 OPS.
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Against left-handers, the number is .622.
Against righties, it goes up to .834.
There is a reason why Pederson is often deployed against righties almost exclusively: he is just not good against southpaws.
Versus righties, however, he is quite effective.
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The vast majority of the starting pitchers in the NL West (well, those on teams that are expected to contend, with no offense to the Colorado Rockies) are right-handers.
Adding Pederson would represent a significant upgrade to the Arizona lineup against righties.
There is still no deal in place, but if the D-Backs want him, they should be able to strike a deal eventually.
They have some money, they are a good team, and they just played in the World Series.
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Getting him could put them in a good position toward securing a playoff spot and, why not, embarking on a similar run like last year.