3 left-handed bats the Blue Jays could acquire if Cody Bellinger goes elsewhere

Joc Pederson

With many bats still left on the free agent market, one of the most interesting one stands to be Joc Pederson, who just finished two years with the San Francisco Giants. Throughout his entire career, Pederson has been a proficient slugger against right handed pitchers, with a 125 wRC+, yet much more lethargic against left handed pitchers with a 73 wRC+. This makes him an ideal platoon hitter, and certainly gives him a viable role with any team including the Jays. Pederson's mobility in the outfield has always been limited, but with only 34 games played in the outfield last year, it's safe to say he's more like a full-time DH going forward.

Pederson didn't light up the board in 2023 after a pretty explosive 2022 campaign, but there is still much to be encouraged in his game. He walked 13.4% of the time last year, and has a mark over 10% for his entire career. Despite being a power bat, Pederson does not strike out very frequently, and his quality of contact is usually very positive, which is he sports a .227 Isolated Power for his career. Pederson can be slotted in the top half of the Blue Jays' lineup versus RHP, and sit against lefties, with the opportunity to come off the bench to pinch hit. There's not unlimited possibility when it comes to Pederson, but his skill set is certainly a welcome one.

The market for a platoon hitter that can't play defense won't create the most intense bidding war over an off-season, which makes Pederson a compelling plan to look to, if the Jays find themselves unenthusiastic about their other potential options. In his last run through free agency, he accepted the Giants' qualifying offer of $19.65M for one season, so the deal he can expect a year later would be something at a lower price range, but with an extra year added. Two years at around $24M seems reasonable considering what Pederson is capable of doing, without committing too much.