Joc Pederson recruiting Aaron Judge to Giants hits Dodgers fans hard

Any Los Angeles Dodgers players out there who care to take the recruitment lead? Anybody? Even if the team isn’t actively involved in free agent discussions? Because one former Dodger is out there doing the dirty work for one of LA’s rivals right now.

Shortly after reports surfaced that Aaron Judge was slated to meet with the San Francisco Giants, many posited the Dodgers would be next up. That’s still possible … but the Dodgers might need some more help beyond their business pitch.

Joc Pederson, who accepted the qualifying offer ($19.65 million) to remain with the Giants for the 2023 season, has already gotten involved in the proceedings and made his recruitment pitch to Judge on Tuesday night via his Instagram stories.

Pederson’s been in the Bay Area for one year and is already showing this kind of loyalty. Again and again, it’s obvious the Dodgers made a mistake letting him go, especially after watching their outfield depth take hits the last two years, in addition to their disappearing acts on offense in the 2021 and 2022 postseasons.

Meanwhile, Pederson has two World Series rings (with two different teams) to flaunt since 2020, as well as a career year he just put up in 2022. Seems like he’s well-positioned to have a word with Judge.

Former Dodger Joc Pederson makes recruiting pitch to star FA Aaron Judge

Pederson’s capper on the Giants’ pitch came after a reported “full day” of the team wooing Judge, with the team’s ownership even getting involved. It’s believed a formal offer will be presented in the next couple of days, but the expectation is Judge won’t sign anything until after the winter meetings.

That gives the Dodgers time but … can fans maybe get some social media activity from team leaders like Mookie Betts? Freddie Freeman? Clayton Kershaw? Walker Buehler? Seeing a former spark plug and key clutch cog in the Dodgers’ machine from 2015-2020 just makes fans wish there was more flair on this current roster.

With the Dodgers in danger of losing two other team legends in Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger, there really is a feeling of hollowness as it pertains to culture and community. The last remaining pillar is Kershaw, who will more than likely call it quits within the next two seasons. Other than that, only Chris Taylor, Julio Urías and Buehler remain from the 2017 team that went to the World Series.

While Pederson’s pitch to Judge may not hold any weight in the end, it’s certainly tough for Dodgers supporters to watch a former fan favorite succeeding for a rival and actively trying to steal top talent from LA.

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