1. Joc Pederson
Joc Pederson would make a lot of sense for the Chicago White Sox and now might be the best time to pounce.
Pederson is in a rough situation, playing time-wise, with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the team acquired Mookie Betts.
As of right now, the team has four outfielders for three spots with Pederson, Betts, Cody Bellinger, and A.J. Pollock.
That doesn’t even account for Enrique Hernandez and Chris Taylor, both of which are super-subs vying for playing time in Los Angeles.
With that log-jam, the Dodgers tried to simultaneously acquire Betts from the Boston Red Sox while dealing Joc Pederson to the Los Angeles Angels, as Jeff Passan of ESPN reported.
However, that deal ultimately fell apart in the end, leaving Pederson set to start the 2020 season with the Dodgers.
It is hard to believe, though, that the team will keep all six of those outfield options throughout the year and Pederson represents possibly the best option to deal.
The 27-year-old is set to become a free agent after this season in which he will make $7.75 million (Spotrac).
Chicago could represent a good destination for the left-handed hitter if Nomar Mazara fails to adequately play right field, which is certainly possible given his track record.
Pederson’s ability to hit left-handed would be very beneficial to a lineup that lacks a left-handed hitting threat at the moment. That being said, Yasmani Grandal and Yoan Moncada are switch-hitters.
His 3.0 fWAR (FanGraphs) would be a much-welcomed addition to the team if they could manage to swing a deal for him at some point this season.