Joc Pederson already has Rangers fans loving him after Astros trash talk

What's the best way to endear yourself to your new team's fanbase before you play a single game? Take aim at their biggest rival! And that's exactly what Joc Pederson did in his introductory comments after signing a two-year, $37 million deal with the Texas Rangers that includes an opt out after 2025.

“There’s a lot of things lining up for us to go on a nice run,” Pederson said last week. “In the playoffs, played the Astros a couple times in the World Series. They put together a nice little run and it’s coming to an end and it’s time for us to take over the West. So, like I said, there’s a lot of things that are going in the right direction for the Rangers to be on top of this division.”

Pederson, who turns 33 in April, wasted no time putting the target squarely on a Houston Astros team that's going through an offseason not being viewed favorably. They traded away All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker, seem to be out on longtime franchise cornerstone Alex Bregman, but then signed first baseman Christian Walker to shore up a dire first base situation.

Houston is eyeing its seventh AL West crown in the last eight years. Meanwhile, the Rangers haven't brought home a division title since going back-to-back in 2015 and 2016. The team fell short of expectations last year in its defense of a 2023 World Series championship but has one of the most talented rosters in the league.

Last year with Arizona, Pederson got on base at a nearly .400 clip and was one of the most formidable hitters in the league, posting a 151 OPS+ in 449 plate appearances. Since the start of the 2022 season, he's slashed .262/.365/.485 — good for a 137 OPS+ — playing for the Diamondbacks and Giants.

“You talk to a lot of the teams and they want to win the World Series and do this stuff at the start. I told [general manager Chris Young], ‘All we got to do is get to the playoffs.’ You let [manager Bruce] Bochy do what Bochy does in the playoffs, usually comes well,” Pederson said. “You add in a sprinkle of [shortstop Corey] Seager in there, next thing you know we’re all walking around with more rings.”

If Pederson can bring that level of production to a lineup that already boasts the likes of Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Adolis Garcia — not to mention young talent like Wyatt Langford and Josh Hung — the Rangers may be able to walk the walk and end the Astros' longstanding stranglehold on the American League West. Don't forget, Pederson has a bone to pick with the Astros, as he was a member of the 2017 Dodgers team that lost to Houston in the World Series. This is the kind of edge the Rangers will welcome.