Joc Pederson thought he might end up on the White Sox
By Mark Carman
Chicago Cubs slugger Joc Pederson thought he was going to end up on the other side of town with the White Sox before they signed Adam Eaton.
Joc Pederson has been loving his time at Wrigley Field. Pederson’s stay could be a short one with the impending sell-off coming from disappointing Cubs after a hot start.
“We were in first place two weeks ago,” Pederson said. “We are a good team. There is a lot of season left, three months.”
Pederson deserves applause for his optimism but it is not based in reality. Cubs President Jed Hoyer will be taking “a lot of phone calls” the rest of July and moves for the future are on the way for the 43-45 Cubs.
Perhaps Pederson will end up staying in Chicago, but playing for the first-place White Sox who according to Pederson were actively trying to acquire him in years past and pursued him last offseason.
Joc Pederson thought the White Sox would sign him instead of Adam Eaton
“I don’t know about close to signing there, but I think I almost got traded there,” Pederson told Da Windy City podcast. “They signed Adam Eaton fairly quickly which I think took care of their left-handed outfield need, but I think I almost got traded there a few years ago. They were interested in me a little bit, but they pulled the trigger on Eaton.”
Interested in me “a little bit.” Sounds like Pederson either did not like the money the White Sox were offering at the time or did not receive a guarantee that he would play every day.
Eaton signed a one-year, $8 million dollar contract. Pederson signed for one year and $7 million with a mutual option for 2022, plus the opportunity to play every day.
White Sox fans probably wish they had Pederson today
Meanwhile, the White Sox just pulled the trigger on Eaton’s second stint with the club designating him for assignment after slashing 201/.298/.344 in 219 plate appearances with no prominent options immediately available.
Eloy Jimenez is on his way back but appears to be slotted into the primary DH role. Luis Robert is not expected back until August or September. Tony La Russa will continue to mix and match with Adam Engel, Jake Lamb, Brian Goodwin, Billy Hamilton, Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets for now.
It seems unlikely the White Sox would rekindle their on and off interest in Pederson comfortably 7.5 games up on Cleveland. They have time to wait for Jimenez and Robert to get back and find their groove.
Pederson would bring playoff experience though, can play all three outfield spots and would not cost much to acquire from the looking-to-the-future Cubs.
Joc Pederson is working with Pepsi and the Cubs on their Ultimate Wrigley Field Fan Experience looking for fans to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”