11-year MLB veteran and two-time All-Star hit 23 home runs for Arizona in 2024
Arlington, Texas — The Texas Rangers have announced the signing of designated hitter/outfielder Joc Pederson (#4) to a two-year Major League contract for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. The contract includes a mutual option for the 2027 season and a player opt-out after the first year.
To accommodate Pederson on the Major League roster, right-handed pitcher Grant Anderson has been designated for assignment.
Pederson, 32, had an impressive 2024 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, posting a .275/.393/.515/.908 slash line with 23 home runs, 17 doubles, and 64 RBIs in 132 games. Primarily used as a designated hitter and pinch hitter, Pederson ranked 3rd in OPS, 4th in home runs, and 5th in RBIs among qualified N.L. designated hitters. Notably, over 90% of his plate appearances came against right-handed pitching, where he achieved a .923 OPS, ranking 3rd among qualified N.L. hitters, behind Shohei Ohtani and Marcell Ozuna.
A two-time N.L. All-Star (2015 with LAD, 2022 with SF), Pederson has a career slash line of .241/.342/.469/.811, with 209 home runs, 549 RBIs, and 578 runs scored over 11 MLB seasons. His career includes stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2014-2021), Chicago Cubs (2021), Atlanta Braves (2021), San Francisco Giants (2022-2023), and Arizona Diamondbacks (2024). Pederson’s 209 home runs rank 7th among left-handed hitters since 2015, and he is one of six left-handed bats to hit 23 or more home runs in six or more seasons during that span.
Pederson, a World Series champion with the Dodgers (2020) and Braves (2021), has demonstrated his prowess in the postseason, boasting an .814 OPS with 12 home runs and 29 RBIs in 79 career playoff games. The Palo Alto, California native was drafted in the 11th round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Dodgers and debuted on September 1, 2014.
Grant Anderson, 27, recorded an 8.10 ERA (24 ER/26.2 IP) over 23 relief appearances for the Rangers in 2024, his second Major League season. Anderson, acquired by Texas via trade from Seattle in 2019, was a 21st-round selection in the 2018 MLB Draft from McNeese State.
Following these transactions, the Rangers’ Major League roster remains at the 40-man limit.
