NEWSLETTER
I say this with 100% sincerity: I am really happy that Jason Heyward found a new gig as quickly as he did, and I hope he succeeds.
Obviously Heyward was not going to find a big league deal out there after the Cubs let him go, but he did land in a quality organization on a minor league deal:
Heyward, still only 33 years old, will come to Spring Training with the Dodgers as a veteran, a great presence in the clubhouse, and a guy who HAS had substantial success in his career, even if not recently. You never know if he might wind up justifying a bench job.
And if he does make the big league team, the Cubs will get to deduct the cost of the Major League minimum from the $22 million they still owe him for next season! Hooray!
In all seriousness, I wish Heyward well in his new organization. After hitting just .211/.280/.326/67 wRC+ over the last two seasons combined with the Cubs, it seems an extreme long-shot that Heyward could bounce back enough to get a big league job, but you never know.
Sometimes it’s worthwhile to bring in a veteran like Heyward just for Spring Training, because of all that he can impart on your young players. And Heyward certainly was cited, repeatedly, as having a huge impact on the Cubs’ clubhouse over the years. That might be what this is mostly about. But I’ll be pulling for Heyward to actually make the Dodgers, because it’s not like it hurts the Cubs.
So go on, continue that career if you want. All the best. Thanks for the memories and the Game 7 speech.
