Dodgers Way Team Makes A Big Splash on the Hypothetical Trade Market

Joc Pederson, Outfield

Well to start, in order to acquire a big piece like Martinez you either need to deplete your farm system or offer up some major league talent. We all know how Andrew Friedman values his prospects and we’re witnessing firsthand why that’s a good approach. So, unfortunately, this meant a need to part ways with an MLB talent like Joc Pederson.

Pederson has been viewed as a lost prospect since his 2014 call-up. Once touted as the Dodgers best prospect, he’s really struggled to live up to his 25-25 potential. Perhaps worse for Pederson is that he struggles to make contact and suffers from a low career batting average of .223 with a 27.7% strikeout rate.

We know the potential to hit home runs is there as evident from his back to back 25 home runs seasons, but the all around production hasn’t quite been there for Pederson. Although he’s the oldest of the young highly touted prospects that the Dodgers’ have on their roster (25), he still has plenty of time to put all his tools together.

But if you’re the Dodgers and have a Championship window that may be narrowly closing because you have an aging ace in Clayton Kershaw, do you wait it out for the chance he puts it all together?

I’ll also add the fact that Pederson is another left-handed hitter. With Seager, Bellinger, Grandal, and Utley all potentially being in the lineup at once, Pederson doesn’t add a lot of versatility. Which is also part of the problem for Joc, he’s turning into a platoon player.

I love Pederson more than most Dodger fans, but if he offers the possibility of bringing in a rental bat to win this year, I’m afraid he needs to be a casualty of the owner’s urgency to win.