According to AP source, the Texas Rangers are agreeing to a contract with free agent DH Joc Pederson

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers and free agent designated hitter Joc Pederson have agreed to a contract, a person with knowledge of the deal said Monday.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreement is pending.

The Rangers will be the third team in three years for Pederson, who bounced back from a subpar 2023 season with San Francisco to hit a career-best .275 with 23 homers and 64 RBIs last season with Arizona.

The Pederson deal could be another step toward Texas making slugging corner infielder Jake Burger the club’s primary first baseman.

The Rangers acquired Burger, who has experience at DH, from Miami this month. The Pederson deal comes a day after Texas traded Nathaniel Lowe, the club’s first baseman for the past four seasons, to Washington for left-handed reliever Robert Garcia.

Pederson, 32, spent his first six full big league seasons as an outfielder with the Los Angeles Dodgers and was an All-Star as a rookie in 2015. The Rangers have some uncertainty in their outfield.

Pederson struggled in his final season in LA, as the Dodgers won the 2020 World Series on a neutral site at the Rangers’ home stadium, before signing with the Chicago Cubs as a free agent.

The Cubs traded Pederson to Atlanta that first season, and he signed with San Francisco as a free agent in each of the next two offseasons before joining the Diamondbacks last January.

Pederson set career highs of 36 home runs and 74 RBIs with the Dodgers in 2019. His best OPS of .908 came last season in Arizona.

The Bay Area native is a career .241 hitter with 209 home runs and 549 RBIs. He made his second All-Star appearance with the Giants in 2022.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB