Joc Pederson makes a ton of sense for the St. Louis Cardinals. Make it happen, Mozeliak.

With the trade of Joc Pederson falling through, it opens a last-minute opportunity for the St. Louis Cardinals to add a clean-up hitter to their anemic lineup.

While the trade once seemed line such a sure thing that Cot’s Baseball Contracts already lists Pederson as a member of the Los Angeles Angels roster, multiple sources reported late Sunday that the deal was off. According to Sports Illustrated, with Mookie Betts on the Dodgers outfield depth chart, the Dodgers still plan to trade Pederson. Hey, Mo, you up?

Some dismiss Pederson as a “platoon player.” But he managed to hit 36 home runs in 2019 in one of the toughest hitters parks in Major League Baseball while collecting only 450 at bats. While the trade with the Angels was going south, Pederson lost his arbitration cases with the Dodgers, so he will earn an affordable $7.25 million in 2020.

In short, Pederson is obviously available, he’s affordable, he’s still in his arbitration years so he doesn’t require the commitment of a mega contract and he’s capable of playing all three outfield positions. Yeah, I know, I know, the Cardinals have a ton of outfield prospects. But Pederson is ready to play in the major leagues right now. He’s not a prospect, he’s a known commodity. He’s a .249 hitter the past two years with a .331 on-base percentage. The last two years, Ozuna was a .262 hitter with a .327 on base percentage but fewer home runs.

Pederson is more versatile, a lefty hitter and a little more than one-third the price of the former St. Louis left fielder. What if the Cardinals found a team willing to take on $7.25 million of Dexter Fowler’s $16 million a year? Then they could plug Pederson in right, keeping the payroll the same and preserving just as many playing opportunities for Dylan Carlson and Lane Thomas as there were when the team let Ozuna go bye-bye.

There is simply no downside to bringing in Pederson but tons and tons of upside for an offense that is in desperate need of an offensive infusion. It would let the Cardinals move on from their failed marriage to Fowler and would erase any questions about whether the Cincinnati Reds have usurped St. Louis as the team to beat in the National League Central Division. While I still believe Nolen Arenado is a top five major league player who would transform the Cardinals back into a perennial playoff force, Pederson could single-handedly turn around a lousy offseason in St. Louis. Replacing $18-million Ozuna with a better all-around player and more consistent performer for $7.25 million makes the Redbirds better in every measurable way.

Pederson is an athletic guy, capable of playing center field. If Carlson and Thomas are as good as some people think they are going to be, the Cardinals could swap out defensive outfielder Harrison Bader for Pederson, taking the weakest part of the offense and turning it into a strength. If one or both of the kids prove not to be ready for prime time, Pederson could serve as an awesome insurance policy. Either way, Perderson is an easy solution. The Cardinals could let him walk as a free agent if they don’t want to retain him past the 2020 season or they could extend the 27-year-old if it’s a good fit.

Pederson easier to land that Nolan Arenado

While the Cardinals and the Dodgers have in the past been mutually-beneficial trade partners. In the late 1980s, Los Angeles traded slugger Pedro Guerrero to the Cardinals to revitalize a sagging team that fell just short of returning to playoff glory in 1989. The Dodgers got lefty John Tudor in return and he helped them to the World Series in 1988.

This time around, it would seem that the all-in Dodgers don’t really need major league help. They originally planned to trade Pederson to the Angels for a modest package of prospects. The Cardinals could offer a pitching prospect and/or a young position player and not break a sweat. At least not compared to what it would have taken to bring Arenado on board.

I wasn’t onboard with the speculation that St. Louis should have pursued Betts because it would have taken too much in trade and he would have walked after a year when the Cardinals refused to make him the next MLB player to receive a third of a billion dollar contract. But Pederson is more accessible, more sensible and more affordable. The Cardinals front office claims it is being opportunistic. Well, the time has come and opportunities don’t get any more obvious than this.

Scott Wuerz

Belleville News-Democrat

Scott Wuerz has written “Cheap Seats,” a St. Louis Cardinals fan blog for the Belleville News-Democrat, since 2007. He is a former BND reporter who covered breaking news and education.