Milwaukee Brewers Showing ‘Some Interest’ in Joc Pederson
Winter (virtual) meetings have begun; with that, the Milwaukee Brewers have reportedly shown “some interest” in Joc Pederson.
As is the case every winter, there are rumors and reports coming out of the winter meetings linking teams with certain players that are on the market. The first major rumor regarding the Milwaukee Brewers has come from Ken Rosenthal via The Athletic, stating that the Brewers have “some interest” in Joc Pederson. Other teams that have shown interest in Pederson are the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox.
The Milwaukee Brewers interested in Joc Pederson
The Brewers showing interest in a well-known outfielder is a bit surprising, knowing that the Brewers already have $40.75 million tied up into their starting outfield for 2021. The interest in a left-handed power bat, however, does make sense, knowing that Pederson would be getting the majority of his at-bats at newly named American Family Field.
Pederson is the epitome of a power left-handed hitter. Since 2015, Pederson has hit 130 home runs, which is just eight behind Christian Yelich in that time frame. Pederson has mostly been a power hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers, while over the course of his career, he has only a .230 batting average.
According to Baseball Savant, Pederson’s expected batting average has been consistently higher than .230 since his rookie season, although his lowest expected batting average was in 2020. Last season he averaged .190 but was expected to hit .238, which indicates hitting into some bad luck. Pederson has been average or slightly below average defensively when playing in the outfield according to Baseball Savant’s success rate added.
Peterson-Garcia Platoon?
We all know what Pederson would bring to this team, solid defense and a power hitter that will likely hit for a low average. But how would that fit with the Milwaukee Brewers?
As I said above, with the Brewers outfield having a lot of money already invested in it, would Pederson help that outfield? I think the short answer is yes, but that does not take into account the money situation. Knowing the Brewers lost money during 2020, and of course, being in a small market will make it hard to justify spending more money on the outfield with other holes to fill.
If GM David Stearns does make this move, it could mean good things for this offense, however. Avisail Garcia had the second-worst season of his career, according to his batting average in 2020. So could Garcia possibly benefit from a platoon with the lefty power hitter?
Garcia hits left-handed pitching well; his batting average and OPS against lefties is .296 and .812, respectively, while his numbers versus righties are .262 and .720, respectively. Meanwhile, Pederson hits right-handed pitching well, with his batting average and OPS against righties sitting at .238 and .849, respectively, while his numbers versus lefties are .191 and .576. Clearly, a platoon could be beneficial for both players and the Milwaukee Brewers as a whole if a deal can be worked out with Pederson.
Other Options with Pederson?
Knowing that money could be an issue, could bringing in a player like Pederson be an option while trying to trade away a player that is making more money like Garcia or even Lorenzo Cain?
The issue with this idea is we are not sure if Pederson can be consistent, especially considering his issues when facing left-handed pitching.
Pederson has also played 20 games at first base. However, that does not seem like a great fit, as he has not proven to be good enough defensively to be an everyday starter at first. If you want to platoon him, there is no fit that makes sense. Daniel Vogelbach appears to be a guy that is in line for playing time at first, and platooning with Vogelbach would not make much sense as they both struggle against left-handed pitchers.
Do you think the Milwaukee Brewers should sign Joc Pederson? Let us know your thoughts below or on Twitter @DairylandXpress.