Richard Pendleton Balderson (born February 7, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player, front-office executive and scout.
In 1982, he became Kansas City's director of scouting and player development and one of general manager John Schuerholz' top aides.
Their success led George Argyros, owner of the sixth-place Seattle Mariners, to select Balderson as his next general manager.
Balderson also made one of the best trades in franchise history, when he acquired Jay Buhner from the New York Yankees for Ken Phelps on July 21, 1988.
He moved to the expansion Colorado Rockies as director of player development from 1993–1997 and then joined the Atlanta Braves as a special-assignment scout, reuniting him with Baseball Hall of Fame executive Schuerholz.