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The Braves are gearing up for a second-half push in the National East League, announcing Thursday that they have acquired outfielder Joc Pederson from the Cubs in exchange for Minor League first baseman Bryce Ball.
Pederson, 29, was in the middle of his first season as a Cub after signing a one-year contract with Chicago in February. The veteran slugger had a scorching hot May, but has cooled off considerably since then, entering the all-star break with a .230 / .300 / .418 slash line, 11 home runs and 39 RBIs. The California native has a career slugging percentage of 0.465 and 141 home runs in the major leagues.
Pederson has struggled against lefties throughout his career, but he has a higher average and base percentage against lefties than righties in 2021. However, his 11 home runs have come out right-handed. His addition should help the Braves fill the void left by Ronald Acuña Jr.’s torn ACL suffered on Saturday. Aside from Acuña, the Braves outfielder only hit .227 / .312 / .374 with 21 homers. After the first half, the Braves placed last among the NL teams in OPS from their left fielder (.657), and third in center field (.641).
While Atlanta hasn’t been a day above the .500 mark all season, it’s still within striking distance of the first-place Mets, just four games off the NL East standings.
Ball, 23, was the 12th ranked prospect in the Braves farming system according to MLB Pipeline. Its potency is its most valued tool, scoring a 60 on the traditional 20-80 screening scale. A 24th-round selection in the 2019 Draft, Ball surprised some evaluators by hitting 17 home runs and cutting .329 / .395 / .628 in his first glimpse of Minor League pitchers (Rookie and High-A) in 2019. .207 with six home runs in 212 home plate appearances for High-A Rome.
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