Moments after slipping on a Texas Rangers jersey for the first time during his introductory press conference on Monday, outfielder Joc Pederson got straight to work endearing himself to the club's fanbase.
Pederson, while speaking about the Rangers' 2025 expectations, fired a shot across the bow against the rival Houston Astros.
"There's a lot of things lining up for us to go on a nice run," Pederson said. "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 [American League West Division]."
"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."
The Astros have won the AL West seven times in the last eight seasons, advancing to four World Series during that timeframe while winning a pair of championships. Texas, meanwhile, ended a six-year postseason drought by making the playoffs in 2023, when they finished second in the division to the Astros, then bested their division rival in a thrilling, seven-game championship series en route to winning the World Series.
The Rangers faltered in their championship defense in '24, winning just 78 games while missing the postseason. Even still, 13 of the players from the 26-man World Series roster remain on the club, as of this story's publishing, as does four-time World Series-winning manager Bruce Bochy. Meanwhile, just two players from the Astros' title-winning team in '17 remain on the club's current roster.
Pederson, who signed a two-year, $37 million contract with Texas, clearly feels that a changing of the guard is on the way in the AL West.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Joc Pederson Sends Blunt Warning to Astros During Rangers Introductory Presser.
