Potential Trade Partners for Dodgers' Joc Pederson

Potential Trade Partners for Dodgers' Joc Pederson

The blockbuster Mookie Betts trade was consummated Sunday after some extended horse trading, and Chaim Bloom is undoubtedly pleased with himself. He got three Dodgers prospects, instead of the original one each from Los Angeles and Minnesota. And quantity is the objective, right?

Alex Verdugo goes to Boston, along with extraneous Dodgers farmhands Jeter Downs and Connor Wong in the new arrangement. L.A. sends Kenta Maeda and $10 million to the Twins, getting the guy Bloom passed on, Brusdar Graterol, thank you very much.

In a whirlwind day of American League gift-giving, the Angels blew up a clear winner of a deal which would have sent Joc Pederson, Ross Stripling and minor leaguer Andy Pages to Anaheim for Luis Rengifo. Ken Rosenthal suggests that Arte Moreno grew impatient; I say Moreno is a buttinsky.

With Stripling returning with his little $2.1 million price tag, trading Pederson appears to be the immediate goal. Joc is also a bargain at $7.75 million and Los Angeles should move quickly. Potential suitors include the following:

Angels. The only way this works is for Billy Eppler to take another run at Moreno to plead his case for Pederson, who would be an absolutely perfect fit in right field. The Dodgers might take Rengifo in a straight trade, which is still a win for the Angels.

A's. See Oakland's depth chart and tell me Pederson couldn't be of use. If the A's are in a pennant race in 2020, they'll benefit from Joc's .896 career OPS in September and his big-hitting experience in October. If the team stumbles, Joc provides an opportunity to flip a power bat to a contender, which is a Billy Beane specialty. Win win.

Rockies. Yeah, yeah, trading within the division. But it happens, and if it does it's bombs away at Coors Field.

Jays. Not an obvious fit with Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. in left and Randal Grichuk in right, but perhaps in rotation at DH with Rowdy Tellez losing some at bats. Pederson would provide better on base skills than the three incumbents and be a home run beast at Rogers Centre. More so than the other three.

Cleveland. Was Joc going to Ohio in an earlier Francisco Lindor trade scenario? Maybe, but he'd be of assistance independent of that blockbuster possibility. It's doable.

Bad teams. GM of a bad team looking for a half season bopper and a chance to trade with a good team at the break? For $7.75 mil? The Orioles, Giants, Tigers, Royals and Pirates come to mind, in that order.

Pederson was a good Dodger who really doesn't have to be moved. The they-tried-to-trade-me-so-they-obviously-don't-want-me-around thing doesn't have to be an issue. But L.A. seems determined and isn't asking for much in return. All that's required is for an executive to be reasonable. More reasonable than Arte Moreno, anyway.

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