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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.