Pederson bets on himself in choosing Cubs

CHICAGO -- Joc Pederson and Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer had exchanged a few texts throughout this offseason. They were friendly exchanges, but not necessarily about the vacancy Chicago had in left field.

It was Pederson who shifted the conversation in that direction when the free-agent outfielder got Hoyer on the phone.

"He did," Hoyer said in a Zoom call on Monday. "I was excited about it, because I like the fact that he was taking control of the situation. And I loved the tone in his voice about betting on himself. That's something that really resonates."

The Cubs officially announced on Friday that they had signed the veteran Pederson to a one-year contract that includes a mutual option for 2022. The deal, which includes $7 million in guaranteed salary, presents Pederson with the chance to get everyday playing time and move beyond his '20 struggles.

A long-time member of the Dodgers, Pederson explained in an article in The Players' Tribune that he had other teams offering "pretty great money to be a part of their outfield platoon." Instead, Pederson was hoping to find a team willing to let him "bet on" himself as a lineup regular.

"I started going on my cell phone and looking up all this stuff," Pederson wrote. "And then I swear to God this happened: It's about 11:30 at night, and I'm in bed on my phone. I'm shuffling between various roster pages, thinking through different possibilities, trying to figure it all out. When all of a sudden it hits me -- man, I'm telling you, like a bolt of lightning.

"I turn to [my wife] Kelsey and I say, 'Shoot -- I figured it out. I'm gonna play for the Cubs.'"

The Cubs parted ways with slugger Kyle Schwarber in December via a non-tender, making the outfielder a free agent. Schwarber signed a deal with the Nationals, leaving the Cubs with an opening in left. Chicago has Ian Happ in center, Jason Heyward in right and the versatile Phillip Ervin, who can play all three spots as a fourth outfielder.

Pederson reached out to Hoyer, who then put the outfielder in touch with manager David Ross. As detailed in Pederson's post at The Players' Tribune, and confirmed this week by Hoyer, the message from the Cubs' side was that the team was open to handing over the keys to left to start the season.

"We talked about what that would look like," Hoyer said. "We said, 'We'll definitely give you the opportunity to play every day. I think when we do give you a day off it'll be against a tough lefty or something like that. But otherwise, we'll let you come to the ballpark every day knowing your name is going to be in there.' And that's what he wanted."

Overall, Pederson has hit .230/.336/.470 with 130 homers and 303 RBIs in 748 career games with the Dodgers. That has included an .849 OPS and 128 wRC+ against right-handed pitching, compared to a .576 OPS and 59 wRC+ against left-handers.

In Pederson's last full season in 2019, he turned in a .252/.349/.571 slash line against righties, and a .224/.240/.265 slash off lefties. Overall last year, Pederson hit .190/.285/.397 with seven homers and 16 RBIs in 43 games for the Dodgers, prior to enjoying a fantastic postseason (.991 OPS in 16 games).

Hoyer believes Pederson can help the Cubs' performance against high fastballs (a weakness in 2020). It is also not a stretch to say that Pederson can provide an upgrade defensively for a Chicago team fielding a pitching staff heavy on ball-in-play arms.

"He felt he didn’t put up the numbers he wanted last year," Hoyer said. "I think he felt he was being painted with a brush that he didn't want to be painted with. And his goal was to find a place where he could go out and prove it. And we had a spot wide open for him and were able to work out the finances."

Pederson's pact with the Cubs includes a $4.5 million base salary in 2021, followed by a $10 million mutual option (or $2.5 million buyout) in '22. It was not a blockbuster deal by any means, but it did come amidst a small flurry of spending that addressed roster needs in the rotation (Trevor Williams via a one-year deal) and bullpen (Andrew Chafin on a one-year deal, plus mutual option).

Part of the decision-making behind non-tendering Schwarber, trading Yu Darvish and other transactions this winter was to pare the Cubs' payroll down to the lower end of an unspecified range. Hoyer noted Monday that some recent behind-the-scenes forecasting by the business side has allowed the front office to spend a little more than originally anticipated.

"It was a number of different factors," Hoyer said, "that allowed us to move from the lower end of that range to the higher end."

So, when Hoyer's phone rang and it was Pederson on the line, things lined up for both parties.

"To me, he's a super-talented guy," Hoyer said. "I love the fact he was taking his career in his own hands. It was great."