Watch as the Dodgers’ Joc Pederson belts this solo shot Wednesday off Padres lefty Jason Lane …
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That was the fourth home run of the spring for Pederson, who’s now batting .409 with a 1.220 OPS in 18 games this spring. The 22-year-old will take over as the Dodgers’ starting center fielder in 2015 after tallying 33 home runs and 30 stolen bases in 121 games last season at Triple-A. The hype machine is rolling.
MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan reports that the Royals and outfielder Alex Gordon are “getting close” to an agreement on a one-year contract. Terms of the deal aren’t yet known, but the Royals could make it official within the next few days.
Gordon, who turns 36 years old next month, hit .266/.345/.396 with 13 home runs and 76 RBI over 633 plate appearances with the Royals this past season. His offense has waned, owning an adjusted OPS of 84 since 2016 (100 is average), but he still plays decent defense.
Gordon has spent all 13 years of his major league career with the Royals. With the club in a rebuilding phase, he will serve as the clubhouse leader and be a mentor to younger players on the roster.