It was all smiles between former friends in the Dodgers’ first reunion with Cubs outfielder Joc Pederson Tuesday.
The Dodgers arguably lost two franchise favorites in free agency when Joc Pederson moved on to Chicago and Kike Hernandez signed in Boston with the Red Sox.
It would be expected that Joc was happy to see his former club. After all, he spent seven seasons with the team that took him with their 11th round pick in the 2010 draft. In that stretch he hit .230/.336/.470 with 130 home runs and 303 RBIs.
Here are some pictures shared on Twitter by the Dodgers’ account:
Hi, old friend. pic.twitter.com/SVFWvjHtmr
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 5, 2021
Pederson, 29, is hitting .132/.277/.226 with a home run and four RBIs in his debut season for the Cubs, including going 0-for-2, getting hit by a Trevor Bauer pitch, walking and striking out once. He signed a one-year, $7 million contract that pays him a $4.5 million salary this year and includes a $10 million mutual option with a $2.5 million buyout. His contract is set to pay him $500,000 annually in bonuses based on plate appearances. He gets $125,000 for each milestone accomplishment of 500 appearances, 525, 550 and 575. His contract also states that he gets a hotel suite on road trips.
What the Dodgers had in 2020 was special, and if there ever was any indicator of it, it’s this tweet by Finn (@inplay_runs), who highlighted Joc blowing a kiss to the Dodgers’ dugout:
https://twitter.com/inplay_runs/status/1389730398314192902
Pederson was activated from the injured list on Monday in time for this season. He gets one more game Wednesday night, assuming he’s in the lineup against righty Walker Buehler. Dodger fans will get a chance to see Joc and the Cubs in a four-game series at Dodger Stadium beginning June 24.
