The Joc Pederson deal was an indication that something may have changed in Jed Hoyer’s budget and, sure enough, David Kaplan tweeted Friday morning that Tom Ricketts has indeed increased the payroll budget for 2021. We’re probably not talking about giving Hoyer another $25 million or anything, but getting a little creative as he did with Pederson will allow the extra money to stretch further.
Sources have confirmed to me that Tom Ricketts has recently increased the Cubs player payroll for 2021. This has allowed Jed Hoyer some flexibility to reshape his roster in a division the Cubs view as winnable.