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Outfielder Joc Pederson is coming back to the Giants.
The Palo Alto native was an All-Star in 2022 and will return on the one-year, $19.65 million qualifying offer. Pederson, 30, hit .274 with a .874 OPS in 2022. He led the Giants with 23 home runs.
MLB Network’s Mark Feinsand was the first to report Pederson’s decision. The offer gives Pederson, who was on a one-year, $6 million contract last year, a significant raise.
Almost all of Pederson’s production came against right-handed pitchers. The limited role — which he expected upon signing with SF — both maximizes his potential and suppresses his value for a team because he can’t play as regularly as someone who is platoon neutral.
And although Pederson’s power numbers were impressive, he gave back most of what he produced at the plate with his glove. Since the Giants had too many players incapable of playing the field, Pederson got thrown out to the outfield far too often.
Pederson posted 2.8 offensive WAR, per Baseball-Reference, and -2.1 defensive WAR. He graded out as one of the worst fielders in all of baseball, registering -15 total runs saved, per Fielding Bible.
But Pederson is also well regarded in the clubhouse. On KNBR recently, starter Logan Webb said one of the reasons the team remained in good spirits despite the season’s struggles was because of Pederson’s day-to-day presence.
President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi was publicly consistent about the club’s interest in bringing Pederson back. There was mutual interest even after the way Pederson’s season ended — with frustration over missing the playoffs for the first time in his career.
“I like playing in the playoffs,” Pederson said in September. “I signed up here after the team won 107 games, expecting to compete again. Things didn’t go our way. Happens. I don’t enjoy not playing meaningful baseball.”
Yet financially, accepting the qualifying offer was a no-brainer for Pederson. Had he declined it and tested free agency, he would have depressed his value to another club because they would have forfeited draft capital to sign him. Even independent of that, his performance wouldn’t have warranted close to the $19.65 average annual value he’ll make in 2023.
If Pederson is to live up to the qualifying offer, he’ll either have to get in better shape to play outfield or commit to a full-time platoon designated hitter role. That way, he can mash while avoiding his follies in the outfield.
Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Slater and LaMonte Wade Jr. are each expected to receive contract offers in arbitration, and would join Pederson on the depth chart if so. But more outfield depth, especially if the Giants can make Pederson a DH, is likely needed.