A few weeks ago, I dabbled with the idea of the Braves trading for Joc Pederson at the trade deadline for the second year in a row. I stated the Giants were a team to watch out for because if they keep losing, they could sell off their spare parts — Pederson being one of them.
Well, things haven’t gotten better in San Francisco; in fact, they’ve only worsened. They are now a game under .500 and trail the Phillies and Cardinals for the final Wild Card spot by 3.5 games. There’s no reason to suggest they can turn the ship around and make a run at a World Series. They are not legitimate contenders.
Any remaining optimism in the 2022 Giants is misplaced, writes @GrantBrisbee.
San Francisco should sell. Which players are the most likely to be dealt?https://t.co/XrPZDB8Xf2 pic.twitter.com/OX4py50X38
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 28, 2022
I don’t imagine the Giants will sell off their elite players under team control. They’ll probably just re-tool this offseason and make another run at it next year, but they should absolutely be selling guys like Pederson, who is on a one-year contract and will have obvious suitors.
The difficult thing with Pederson is gauging his trade value. On the one hand, he was an All-Star and everybody saw what he can bring to a competing team last season. But on the other hand, he’s on an expiring contract, has only accrued 0.4 WAR this season, and has been abysmal in July. Over his last 51 plate appearances, Pederson only has four hits, posting a .352 OPS.
If this were any other player, it probably wouldn’t even take a top 20 prospect to complete the trade. But because it’s Pederson, a lot of teams will be interested, and the bidding could get out of hand.
Regardless, this has to be a situation the Braves are monitoring. The energy Pederson would bring to the clubhouse alone might be enough to propel Atlanta back into first place, and his clutch gene in the playoffs could help bring home another World Series. I don’t think it should be the only move, but if the price tag is reasonable, the Braves should make every effort to bring Joc Pederson back to Atlanta.
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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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