Joc Pederson is back! Pederson accepted the San Francisco Giants' $19.65 million qualifying offer yesterday, which officially means he'll wear the orange and black again in 2023. The Giants surprised many in the industry when they gave Joc the QO, but it really shouldn't have come as a huge surprise if we look at their recent history. They gave qualifying offers to Kevin Gausman and Brandon Belt in the last couple of years as well, moves that also surprised those outside of San Francsico (and even some insiders).

Many are griping about Pederson's defensive issues. But Pederson compares well to Kyle Schwarber, who got 4/$79M last offseason. Nick Castellanos is a far worse defender than Pederson, and he has a worse career wRC+, and he got 5/$100M last winter. There really isn't such thing as a bad one-year deal, and as long as the roughly $20M the Giants committed to Pederson doesn't stop them from making other significant moves, who cares? It's not our money.

The SF Giants also added several players to their 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft. Marco Luciano and Luis Matos are officially on the Major League roster, but don't necessarily expect to see them in the big leagues in 2023. The Giants also added Tristan Beck, Jose Cruz, Keaton Winn, and Brett Wisely to the 40-man yesterday. Wisely was acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays after hitting 15 home runs and stealing 30 bases in the upper Minors in 2022. The San Francisco Giants DFA'd Jarlín Garcia and Jason Vosler, among a few others, in corresponding moves in order to add so many players to their 40-man roster.

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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

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