This story was excerpted from Kennedi Landry's Rangers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
ARLINGTON -- One way to endear yourself quickly to the fans in the Metroplex is to take a swing at a division rival.
Newest Texas Ranger Joc Pederson, who signed a two-year, $37 million deal with the club on Dec. 30, took a shot at the Astros midway through his introductory press conference last week.
"We played the Astros in the World Series [in 2021 with the Braves]. They've put together a nice little run. It's coming to an end. It's time for us to take over the [American League] West. There's lots of things that are going in the right direction for the Rangers to be on top of this division. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, but we're not lacking in the details that prepare us every day.”
Over the past decade, Houston has won seven AL West titles, four AL pennants and two World Series. Even when Texas won the World Series in 2023, Houston took the division via tiebreaker when the two clubs finished the regular season with the same record.
But the Astros seem to be turning a page. They traded Kyle Tucker to the Cubs on Dec. 13. Alex Bregman seems bound elsewhere in free agency. Other stars have gone their way as well. But Houston has gone through this before. They reload time and again; Texas president of baseball operations Chris Young knows this.
Young laughed when asked about Pederson’s comments, saying he appreciates his player’s confidence but noting that the Astros are a machine that is not slowing down.
“We want our standards to be the best,” Young said. “I mean, that's our goal as an organization. I love his confidence and his willingness to say that. Now, we have to go out and back that up. I'm not as bold in saying that, but [Pederson and I] have different personalities. I appreciate the fact that he believes that.”
On the field, Pederson is a perfect complement to a Rangers lineup that lacked slug in 2024, especially from the left side. The numbers speak for themselves, Young said.
In his age-32 season with the D-backs in 2024, Pederson set career highs in batting average (.275), on-base percentage (.393) and OPS (.908). He was in the 95th percentile in xwOBA (.378), 90th in expected slugging (.480) and 93rd in average exit velocity (92.3 mph).
Young explained that Pederson adds to everything in the clubhouse off the field, too. Whether it’s leadership or energy or a little bit of swagger and potshots at the Astros, Pederson is someone the Rangers could use.
And he’s comfortable with that role.
“I don’t think anyone walks in and is like: ‘I’m the leader here,’” Pederson said. “It’s about the relationships you make with your teammates and peers and coaches, and how you build out your business where they’re like, ‘You know what, I do respect him,’ or ‘I do think he knows what he’s talking about.’ I've been fortunate enough that I've done a lot of good in this game. I've also been the worst player in the big leagues for a few months after starting as a rookie in the All-Star Game.
“So, I've seen people turn on you. I've seen different things. I feel like I relate to a lot of different players. Not everyone is playing every day. Not everyone has a fairy-tale story. I can relate and tell my experiences, how I overcame certain things, how I wish I [had] handled this stuff differently [and] how I got through certain things. Those lessons for younger guys making their own path, I think, are helpful.”
Young emphasized that the Rangers have a good core of players. The core going into 2025 is the same core that won the World Series in ’23, even if it stumbled through the title defense this past season.
On and off the field, Pederson can only make the environment in the clubhouse even better.
“There were a number of things that didn't go our way [in 2024], but I think it's not about what we were missing, it's what we're adding,” Young said. “That's what excites me most about signing Joc. There really have been multiple things he said that have given me chills in terms of just how he sees the game and how he adds to the environment. … He's proven that over the course of his career, and our hope is that he continues to add to our environment, enhance it.”