MLB Trade Rumors: Pederson Joins Angels In The Outfield

KEY POINTS

Pederson brings act to Angels
Angels need to iron out Pederson's contract
Pederson needs to work on hitting against left-handed pitchers

Major League Baseball got shook up with the blockbuster trade involving Mookie Betts and David Price. Both were sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers by the Boston Red Sox in a three-team deal. However, there was another transaction that went down and it involved outfielder Joc Pederson.

The Dodgers sent the 27-year-old outfielder to the crosstown Angels in exchange for Luis Rengifo, ESPN reported. But according to the Los Angeles Times, more players could be involved in the deal. Unofficially one of the names mentioned is Andy Pages per ESPN's Kiley McDaniel. The Pederson acquisition does, however, provide added on offense for the Angels which already has three-time MVP, Mike Trout.

Pederson had a good 2019-20 MLB season with the Dodgers. He hit .249/.339/.538 with 36 home runs and 74 RBI across 514 plate appearances. The MLB All-Star failed to come to terms with the Dodgers on his salary for the 2020 season.

Pederson wanted $95. million but the Dodgers were only willing to give him $7.75 million. Now, the Angels will have to do the numbers crunch to settle things with the 11th round pick of the 2010 MLB Draft, Yahoo Sports reported.

For the Dodgers, they get an average defender in Rengifo. The 22-year-old made his major league debut last season, batting .238/.321/.364 with 28 extra-base hits, 33 RBI, and 44 runs.

Assuming the Angels and Pederson iron out contract details, the 27-year-old is expected to provide his new team a lift. He is likely to replace Kole Calhoun who left for free agency. He is now with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Pederson is also a more powerful hitter compared to Brian Goodwin and Jo Adell.

But like most players, Pederson needs to work on certain things. He is poor when it comes to dealing with left-handed pitchers. He was limited to only 50 appearance due to that flaw last season with the Dodgers. Pederson has only nine home runs against left-handers since debuting in 2014.

There is no telling if the Angels will lead off with Pederson because of his low batting averages. Regardless, he is seen as the better player when compared to Rengifo.