Joc Pederson wants to shed some of the labels attached to him after seven seasons with the Dodgers.
There weren’t many teams that would allow him to do that going into free agency during the offseason, but after looking over some rosters late one night, the Cubs looked like a hand-in-glove fit.
Following the departure of Kyle Schwarber, the Cubs had an opening in their outfield, and after an increase in the team’s budget, they signed Pederson to a one-year, $7 million deal to be the Cubs’ primary left fielder.
Pederson, 28, had other multi-year deals on the table, but the Cubs were the only team that would give him a chance to be an everyday player.