Joc Pederson is headed back onto the open market after turning down an $18.5 million mutual option with the Texas Rangers, setting up another offseason for one of baseball’s most recognizable left-handed power bats to find a new home.
Pederson’s path since leaving the Dodgers has taken him all over the National League. After winning the World Series in 2020 with Los Angeles, he moved on and spent time with the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks before landing in Texas.
The Rangers got a much better version of Pederson in 2026 than they did the year before. His 2025 season was a rough one, as he posted just a .614 OPS over 96 games. This past year, he looked far more like himself, blasting 26 home runs, driving in 53 runs and hitting .235/.329/.487 for an .816 OPS.
That kind of rebound is why there should be no shortage of teams at least kicking the tires. Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors pointed to several possible fits, writing: “His old team in Arizona could use a DH and is looking to improve against righties,” Franco wrote.
“Texas will presumably have some interest in bringing him back. The Pirates, Padres, Blue Jays and Orioles all got lackluster production out of the DH Spot.
The Reds were the worst offensive team in MLB against right-handed pitching and are unlikely to re-sign Eugenio Suarez.”
A return to Dodger blue would be the sentimental choice, but there’s a practical problem there: Shohei Ohtani already occupies the designated hitter spot, leaving little room for Pederson to get regular at-bats.
Pederson’s Dodgers resume still stands out. He spent his first seven big league seasons in Los Angeles and piled up 9.9 bWAR across 748 games. He hit 130 home runs, knocked in 303 runs and posted an .806 OPS during that stretch.
His peak regular season with the club came in 2019, when he launched 36 homers and drove in 74 runs. His lone All-Star nod with the Dodgers came four years earlier, during his rookie season.
And when the games mattered most, Pederson delivered. He helped the Dodgers win the World Series in 2020 and put together a massive postseason run, finishing with a .991 OPS in 16 games. He also came through in the 2017 postseason, when he hit three home runs, drove in five runs and posted a 1.186 OPS.
In Other News...
Dodgers Keep Getting Linked To Another Intriguing Japanese Pitcher
The international pitching market is starting to open again, and Kaima Taira is the latest name to surface with the Dodgers in the conversation. Seibu has announced it will post the right-hander, giving him a path to Major League Baseball after a strong season in Nippon Professional Baseball, where he moved back into a starting role and turned in a 1.36 ERA with 141 strikeouts.
For the Dodgers, it is another reminder of how closely they continue to track Japanese talent, especially with Andrew Friedman having spoken publicly about the clubs interest in NPB players. Nothing official has been reported yet, but Tairas availability adds another intriguing arm to a market the Dodgers have mined before, and one that could fit neatly into their usual search for high-end pitching depth. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Face A Tough Bullpen Decision On Longtime October Reliever
Blake Treinens next move is one of the more interesting bullpen questions hanging over the Dodgers this winter. After finishing out his two-year contract, the longtime October reliever is back on the market following a season in which he posted a 3.64 ERA across 36 relief appearances, a solid return for a pitcher who has spent much of the last few years battling injuries and health setbacks, including shoulder surgery.
The Dodgers know what Treinen has meant in big moments, and they also know the calculation gets harder when a veteran reaches free agency at age 38. His projected value sits around $1.6 million on a one-year deal, but retirement is also part of the conversation, leaving Los Angeles to wait and see whether one of its most familiar bullpen arms wants to keep going or call it a career. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Already Have A 2027 Roster Debate Brewing In The Outfield
The Dodgers are already looking a little ways down the road in the outfield, and Zach Ehrhard has put himself into that conversation. Ranked as the clubs No. 15 prospect, Ehrhard spent the 2026 season in Triple-A Oklahoma City and turned in strong offensive numbers, enough to make him a realistic candidate for a bench role when the 2027 roster comes into focus.
He is not the only name in the mix, either. Josue De Paula and James Tibbs III are also being discussed as possible contributors, giving the Dodgers a few different ways to balance the outfield with both right-handed and left-handed bats. For a team that likes to keep its options open, the bigger question is which of those young hitters can turn prospect buzz into a spot on the roster. [Read more 🡒]