As the Giants enter September effectively out of the playoff hunt, the last month of the season could be viewed as an audition for players trying to stick around with the organization for the future.
One player whom president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi would like to hold onto for the future is All-Star Joc Pederson. On KNBR’s Tolbert & Copes Thursday, Zaidi said he’s already had discussions, both with Pederson and his agent, about potentially re-signing with San Francisco.
“We’d love to have him back next year,” Zaidi said when asked what the future held for Pederson. “We’ve talked some to his representative. I’ve talked to Joc about it himself. He’s from here. He’s played well. He was an All-Star for us.”
Pederson hit his 20th home run of the season this week, blasting a Nick Martinez pitch into McCovey Cove. The 30-year-old is most suited for a platoon role and possibly as a designated hitter, since his defense in the outfield has been subpar.
San Francisco’s hopes of retaining Pederson, a free agent at year’s end, could have played into its decision to keep him for the rest of this season. The Giants could have saved about $1 million by releasing Pederson before the postseason deadline, allowing him to sign with a contender.
Pederson has played for a division winner every year of his career; the Giants are 10.5 games out of the wild card spot.
“We’ve got two and a half home stands left,” Zaidi said. “We’ve got people coming to games to watch Joc Pederson swing the bat. We still have some goals to reach this year, we want to get to the point of having a winning record…it just becomes a slippery slope. Are you supposed to release or put on waivers every veteran player when you fall a little bit out of it?”
Zaidi and Pederson are close, with a relationship spanning back to their time in Los Angeles. Zaidi once joked that Pederson texts him about transactions around the league and within the Giants in a way to brag about how in-the-know he is.
But Pederson isn’t the only priority as Giants brass starts thinking seriously about next year. San Francisco has five players under contract for 2023: Brandon Crawford, Alex Wood, Alex Cobb, Anthony DeSclafani and Tommy La Stella.
That doesn’t include players in or before arbitration, like Logan Webb. But players in those situations may have to earn the right for SF to tender them a contract.
Mike Yastrzemski is in the midst of the worst season of his career, hitting .203 with a .664 OPS. He’s one of the current regime’s most impressive success stories, as they traded Tyler Herb to Baltimore for him in 2019.
Yastrzemski may be over-extended as an everyday outfielder. But Zaidi made it clear the organization still believes in Yastrzemski.
“It’s just been a down season for him,” Zaidi said. “He’s been frustrated. Last year, the batting average wasn’t there but he still hit 25 homers, so you still had offensive production in a certain way. He’s still a guy who brings a ton of intangibles to the table. He’s a great defensive player.”
If the Giants do bring back Yastrzemski and Pederson, the Giants might face tougher decisions with LaMonte Wade Jr. or youngster Heliot Ramos.
In arbitration, Yastrzemski is set for a raise from his $3.7m to roughly $5 million. In addition to being a respected clubhouse presence, his glove and speed still make him a valuable player — and probably a worthwhile investment.
“We view him as part of this team going forward, and I know he’s going to be as motivated as anybody to come back strong next year,” Zaidi said.
Listen to the full interview below. You can listen to every KNBR interview on our podcast page at knbr.com/podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Catch Tolbert & Copes weekdays from 2 – 6 p.m. on KNBR 104.5 / 680 and streaming live on KNBR.com.
