Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Remember those reports from mid-January about the White Sox and Dodgers discussing a deal for slugging outfielder Joc Pederson?

Well, they were legit. And there’s an outside chance that a trade still could come to fruition, a source told the Tribune.

There’s a story within a story here. The report was broken Jan. 19 by Jason Kinander, a student at St. Ignatius who writes for the website FanSided. His proud mother is NBC sportscaster Peggy Kusinski.

Kinander’s tweet came within hours of the sides discussing a deal. Baseball media big foot Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic credited Kinander after tweeting Jan. 20: “On rumors of Joc Pederson trade to #WhiteSox: #Dodgers have been discussing Pederson in possible deals, rival executives say. CWS one of clubs in those conversations, according to sources. Not known if talks are advanced to point where teams are close to a deal.”

The sides are not currently close, but do not rule it out.

The Dodgers have a potentially crowded outfield, and some teams believe there is untapped potential in Pederson, who made the NL All-Star team as a rookie in 2015.

Pederson, slated to make $5 million in his second season of arbitration, was sent to the minors in 2017 during a 2-for-43 slump. He performed well last season, posting an .843 OPS (on-base plus slugging) that would have been tops on the Sox (Joe Abreu’s was .798.)

“The way he handled himself and bounced back was tremendous,” Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill said Friday. “I think that speaks to his character. He went down, didn’t complain, got himself right, found out what he needed to do to be successful again and he did it.

“I’ve really enjoyed playing with him. He loves playing baseball.”

Fellow Dodgers outfielder Enrique Hernandez marveled at Pederson’s 92 walks as a rookie. That’s why he had a healthy on-base percentage of .346 while hitting just .210.

“Everyone talks about his struggles (after the All-Star break), but you look at the numbers in detail and he had almost 100 walks, which is pretty remarkable,” Hernandez said. “To be struggling that much in your first full season but to still have a good idea of the strike zone, it’s special and it tells you the type of player he is. Even when things couldn’t go any worse for him, he still found a way to help the team.

“I’m glad he’s still here because he’s a big part of this offense and the ballclub.”

More Top Picks Best Keyboard Cases

[email protected]

Twitter @TeddyGreenstein