Source: Pederson leaves Dodgers for Chicago
Another player at the center of the Dodgers’ recent success, culminating in their championship in October, will play elsewhere in 2021.
Joc Pederson has signed a one-year contract for $7 million with the Chicago Cubs, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The deal is pending a physical.
The outfielder is the fourth Dodgers free agent to sign with another organization. Pedro Báez (Houston Astros), Alex Wood (San Francisco Giants) and Kiké Hernández (Boston Red Sox) preceded Pederson’s departure.
Pederson, 28, leaves behind an impactful tenure in Los Angeles. He broke into the majors as a top prospect in 2014 and made the National League All-Star team as a rookie the next year. He established himself as a powerful slugger over the years, clubbing at least 25 home runs in four of his five full majorleague seasons, and saved his best for the postseason — or, as it became known in the Dodgers clubhouse, Joctober.
Pederson hit .272 with nine home runs and a .852 OPS
in 170 playoff plate appearances. He broke a scoreless tie with a solo home run off Washington’s Max Scherzer in the seventh inning of Game 5 of the National League Division Series in 2016. The Dodgers went on to win the elimination game 4-3. He initially wasn’t on the postseason roster in 2017, but was added for the
National League Championship Series. He started five World Series games, produced an extra-base hit in five straight games, and three home runs in the World Series.
He finished the 2020 regular season with a .143 batting average and .681 OPS, but was again a force in the postseason, batting .382 with three home runs and a .991 OPS in 37 plate appearances.
Pederson didn’t become the all-around player some projected. His speed diminished over the years. The Dodgers moved him from center field to the corner outfield spots. They even tried him at first base during the 2019 season. The experiment failed miserably. At the plate, his struggles against left-handed pitchers were enough for the Dodgers to eventually decide to make him a platoon player.
Pederson’s time as a Dodger nearly ended last offseason. The Dodgers had a deal in place to trade him and Ross Stripling, but Angels owner Arte Moreno nixed the agreement in the 11th hour. Pederson and Stripling reported to spring training less than a week later. Stripling was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 31.
Another year in Los Angeles was never likely. The Dodgers, theoretically, could have re-signed Pederson at $7 million, but they would have kept limiting him to starts against right-handed pitchers. He wants to play every day. The lack of clarity regarding a designated hitter in the National League didn’t help.