The Chicago White Sox should be in on Joc Pederson now that the Los Angeles Angels have reportedly backed out of acquiring him from the LA Dodgers.
The Chicago White Sox and Joc Pederson have been connected in rumors for a long time. There is still somewhat of a need in right for Chicago so acquiring him from the Los Angeles Dodgers would still be a very sweet move for Rick Hahn and the White Sox. They currently are planning on using Nomar Mazara in that role but Pederson would be an upgrade for sure.
The Los Angeles Dodgers had a deal in place to send him to the Los Angeles Angels. Then, there were all sorts of issues with the Dodgers and the Mookie Betts trade with the Boston Red Sox. Now, the Betts trade is official but the Angels backed out of the Pederson deal. The Dodgers are still going to want to trade Pederson in all likelihood so that is where the White Sox should come in.
It would be a match made in heaven for both sides. The White Sox have some trading capital in their organization and it would be a fair trade between two teams in the opposite league. Pederson would make the White Sox starting lineup look even more dangerous than it already looks going into 2020. In 2019 he slashed .249/.339/.539. It isn’t the most impressive batting average in the world but the man does have intense power. He hit an impressive 36 home runs and had 74 RBIs with 83 runs scored.
It would be a really great addition for the White Sox who are going to score a lot of runs. They have a very dangerous lineup on paper so you would think to add a 30 home run guy would make it even better. Especially when it is an upgrade over the player currently slotted to play in his position. Pederson isn’t a lock to be traded but you would think with Betts coming to town, Pederson won’t have a spot anymore. The White Sox would be smart to take advantage of this situation.