Will Pederson's bat provide big boost for Cubs lineup?
In need of a left fielder after Kyle Schwarber was non-tendered in early December, the Cubs reportedly signed Joc Pederson to a one-year, $7 million contract on Friday.
A left-handed hitter like Schwarber, the 28-year-old Pederson broke in with the Dodgers in 2014. In seven seasons with Los Angeles, the 6-foot-1, 220-pounder hit .230/.336/.470 with 130 home runs and 303 RBI.
Last season, Pederson slashed .190/.285/.397 with 7 homers and 16 RBI. He struck out 34 times and drew 11 walks in 138 plate appearances.
Pederson was much better in the playoffs, hitting .382/.432/.559 with 2 home runs and 8 RBI over 16 games while helping Los Angeles win the World Series.
While he played most of his games (412) in center field, Pederson played 229 games in left for the Dodgers and 54 in right. He also played 20 games at first base.
The Cubs have Jason Heyward in right field and Ian Happ in center.
Until Pederson passes a physical and officially signs, Phillip Ervin is at the top of the depth chart in left field.
Ervin, a reserve outfielder with the Reds and Mariners the past four seasons, was claimed off waivers from the Mariners on Dec. 22.
Again like Schwarber, who signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Nationals, Pederson has been a much better hitter against right-handed pitchers over the course of his career.
In 1,808 at-bats against rightys, Pederson slashed .238/.349/.501 and had 121 home runs and 270 RBI. In 345 at-bats vs. leftys, he hit .191/.266/.310 with 9 homers and 33 RBI.
The White Sox were linked to Pederson for the last several years. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Sox offered the Palo Alto, Calif., native a one-year contract worth at least $10 million in December and were turned down.
The White Sox wound up signing Adam Eaton to a one-year, $7 million contract with an $8.5 million club option for 2022.
Ranking the Top 50 free agents at the end of the 2020 season, FanGraphs had Pederson at No. 17.
"The lefty outfielder isn't a full-time player and it's hard to know how much that will bring his contract down," FanGraphs wrote. "He didn't have a great season, but the sample size was so small that a handful of postseason games easily brought his offensive numbers back above average. He's one of the younger players on this list, turning 29 years old in April.
"Pederson should put up good numbers for several years as the strong side of a platoon and he can still play in a corner spot. He's a good player to have, but isn't likely to be near the top of teams' wish lists this offseason."