Joc Pederson’s unsurprising 2026 decision leaves Rangers with a lingering problem

Everybody knew it was going to happen but Joc Pederson officially exercised his 2026 player option with the Texas Rangers on Wednesday following a massively down season for the power hitting lefty.

The 33-year-old DH/1B is set to make $18.5 million next year after finishing the season slashing .181/.285/.328 with nine home runs and 26 RBIs in 96 games. Pederson also missed over three months recovering from a right hand fracture after being hit by a pitch on May 24 in Chicago.

Acquired ahead of the 2025 season to finally solve the Rangers' ongoing problems at DH, Pederson was coming off a massive season with Arizona and all spring training indicators pointed toward this being a runaway acquisition. However, it took Pederson until May 10 to hit his first homer and at point was hitless in 41 at-bats.

Pederson exercising his contract is only good news for him, possibly bad for Rangers

Granted this is the game an organization plays when signing a speciality hitter in his 30s to a multi-year deal that includes an option only exercisable by the player. It basically gave Pederson all the say in the world to opt-in to the deal with no worry of rejection from Texas.

This isn't the first time this has happened to a player. Many players bet on themselves by signing a one or two-year deal with opt-outs because sometimes they perform higher than anticpated and want to hit the open market, others they struggle but at least are still guaranteed a contract the next season.

Pederson still has a lot of potential and Rangers' fans caught a glimpse of that down the stretch of the season. In August, Pederson caught fire hitting .286 with six home runs and 15 RBIs in 24 games. All of that came at the right time too as Texas was attempting to comeback in the AL West, ultimately hitting a snag in mid-September and falling short.

The lefty has an impressive track record throughout his career. Throughout his 12 year career, Pederson is a 14.4 WAR player with 218 home runs, 575 RBIs and .798 OPS. The two-time All-Star made a name for himself with the Dodgers, even wining the 2020 World Series with L.A.

All that said, it's possible that Pederson turns it around and not only arrives to spring training next season ready to go but heads into the 2026 regular season with the fluke of 2025 behind him and turns out to be a valuable asset for the Rangers.

The Rangers really need that from Pederson. First they are paying him nearly $20 million and with Ray Davis insistent on staying below the luxury tax and penny pinching, it's not sure what help will come for Texas this winter.