Will he stay or will he go? Joc Pederson is a player limbo after a trade with the Angels collapses.
On February 5th it was reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Outfielder Joc Pederson and Pitcher Ross Stripling were to be traded to the Los Angeles Angels for infielder Luis Rengifo. The Trade was contingent on whether the three team trade between the Dodgers, Brewers and Redsox could be completed.
That trade sent Pitcher Kenta Maeda to Milwaukee, Outfielder Mookie Betts and Pitcher David Price to the Dodgers. Alex Verdugo would go to the Sox. As the trade stalled and The Red Sox declined pitcher Brusdar Graterol; instead the Dodgers also sent cash and adjusted their deal. According to The Atlantic, now the deal includes Alex Verdugo, shortstop Jeter Downs and catcher Connor Wong.
Former Dodgers hurler, Kenta Maeda | Now a member of the Minnesota Twins
It took some time, but the deal was finalized on February 9th. It took 4 days after its initially reporting, an eternity for most fans. That was also too long for the Angels. Sportswriter, Ken Rosenthal reports that Angels owner Arte Moreno became impatient with The Dodgers and Red Sox. It was a little too much, and Moreno walked away from the pending deal.
Angels Owner | Arte Moreno
By having the Angels walk away, Pederson and Stripling remain with the Dodgers and Rengifo with the Angels. That’s good news for some fans, and not so much for others. As for Dodgers fans, they now have a stacked outfield. Just think about it, their 4th Outfielder jacked 36 homers in 2019! Whereas Betts brings power, speed and he’s a bonafied RBI magnet.
Now a Dodgers Outfielder | Mookie Betts
It’s hard to say what the Angels next move will be, but in all fairness to the Angels, Moreno and GM Billy Eppler aren’t done with their moves just yet; so this remains a fluid situation regarding Angels moves. As for the Dodgers, they still have to remove two players from their 40-man roster to make everything official with Major League Baseball.
This means Pederson and Stripling can still be traded. It also means that it’s less likely to be with the Angels. There has yet to be a response from Pederson on being on the trading block. Stripling, however, responded with a simple, now deleted, tweet of a GIF of himself doing a double fist pump. Angel fans have expressed displeasure with Moreno’s impatient response, and Dodger fans have celebrated that a fan favorite Joc is still with the team, for now.
Vin Scully once said “You know a trade is a good trade when it hurts both fans bases a little.” Dodger fans probably would have felt the brunt of this trade.
Joc Pederson with the legendary Vin Scully
There are three types of baseball players: those who make it happen, those who watch it happen, and those who wonder what happens. Tommy Lasorda
