Theo Epstein and the Chicago Cubs are having one of the best MLB offseasons in recent memory. They brought in a duo of stars in John Lackey and Ben Zobrist and just when you thought they were done, they pulled off the deal of the winter.
The Cubs stole outfielder Jason Heyward from the St.Louis Cardinals and other contenders and reportedly for a cheaper contract.
Following courtesy of ESPN.com.
The Chicago Cubs have agreed to terms with free-agent outfielder Jason Heyward on an 8-year, $184 million deal, according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick and multiple reports.
Heyward’s deal has two opt-outs: One is after three years, the second after an unknown time frame, according to ESPN and multiple reports.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports that Heyward was actually offered more money from the Nationals and Cardinals.
Sources: #Nationals bid $200M for Heyward. Another team, believed to be #STLCards, also was at $200M. Heyward took less to play for #Cubs.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 11, 2015
Per @dgoold, #STLCards’ offer was higher than #Cubs.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 11, 2015
#STLCards, after bidding $180M+ for both Price, Heyward, could redirect $$$ to Davis – or maybe get 2-for-1 with Gordon and an SP (Maeda?).
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 11, 2015
Obviously Heyward trusts in the Cubs current process and he joins an already stacked lineup highlighted by young stars Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber. He’s expected to play center field unless they move on from right fielder Jorge Soler in a deal later down the line. He’ll bat near the top of the lineup, anywhere from second to fourth, as he and fellow new addition Ben Zobrist give the Cubs an element on offense they were missing last season, and something the New York Mets exploited in the NLCS, contact hitting. The Cubs led the majors in strikeouts but now have a much more balanced lineup with the two new additions.
Last season, Heyward killed it for the Cardinals. He posted a WAR of 6.5, the most among Cardinals position players and it wasn’t even close. He also is one of the best in baseball in defensive runs saved and has won two Gold Glove awards in his career.
Heyward finished his lone season in St. Louis with 13 homers, 60 RBIs and a .293 average, helping the Cardinals to the NL Central title and the best record in baseball at 100-62. The 26-year-old has stolen at least 20 bases in three of the last four seasons, including each of the last two. He’s an efficient basestealer, swiping 43 of 50 since the start of 2014 when he was with his orginal team, the Atlanta Braves. The 86 percent success rate ranks eighth among those with at least 20 attempts in that timespan.
Heyward’s signing now opens up the outfield market for guys like Yoenis Cespedes, Alex Gordon, Justin Upton and Dexter Fowler. The precedent has been set and luckily for MLB teams, the contract didn’t go over the $200 million mark.
