
Strategic, huh? I put a picture of Joc Pederson and Yasiel Puig on this slide. Reason being, trade rumors surrounding Pederson appear to still be valid and the Chicago Tribune is the one reporting it.
The Tribune’s Teddy Greenstein wrote mid-day Sunday that the rumors surrounding Pederson and the White Sox are not only true, but they are also not necessarily done.
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The story opens by crediting the original breaker of the rumors, Jason Kinander, who tweeted months ago that Pederson could be on the move and the White Sox were involved. Not only did he tweet that though, but Ken Rosenthal also backed it up.
The article reaffirms the claims by Kinander and goes into details about how a trade is still possible.
The article does say that “the side are not currently close” but it adds to “not rule it out.”
Trading Pederson has been a reoccurring topic this offseason. First, it was to make room for Bryce Harper, then it was to accommodate AJ Pollock. But, at the end of the day, for every Pederson trade rumor, there has been a reason why the Dodgers should not do it.
For me, trading Pederson means trading a sure-fire healthy player. Pederson has not been hurt at all in the last three years while AJ Pollock has not proved he can’t stay healthy. The Dodgers have said numerous times that they have the depth for Pollock to get hurt but Pederson is a part of the depth at the very least. At the most, he is the starting left fielder against right-handed pitching.
The Dodgers can trade Joc. The return would have to be well worth their time but they can certainly do it if they see fit. However, there are downsides to moving a player that has been important to your lineup over the last few seasons and that risk needs to be considered.