If he hits 40 or more home runs like he did in 2017 and 2018, he'll set himself up for a big free-agent payday in 2023 if the Rangers don't extend him first. Crawford is in the final year of his contract so the decline is expected. "We're likely to be in the corner outfield next year with Seiya [Suzuki] and Ian," Hoyer said. Payroll and salary data are all courtesy of Spotrac.com, and stats are all from Fangraphs and Baseball Reference. Steamer and ZiPS are projecting a regression. Moreover, the 32-year-old outfielder still has $44 million left on his contract over the next two years. He has a career line of.281/.371/.538 with a .909 OPS, and if he continues to improve this contract will continue to be a steal. Although Heyward is only 33, its probably not too early for him to be thinking about a possible future in baseball beyond his playing days, given how well he connects with fellow players. I didnt know how long it was gonna be, but I saw it was raining. Click here to subscribe to the Cubs Talk Podcast for free. (Marginal cost is another factor.). $17.5 million contract with the Cubs. There are a lot of things lost in translation from clubhouse to front office. However, some contracts don't age quite as well as others. I cant say that the contract was that much pressure, he said. But I know I also had my hand in a lot of winning baseball here on the North Side of Chicago.. Since Heyward has been in Chicago, he's been good but not great. Hoyer was asked what he'll remember most about Heyward's time as a Cub. But Fowler had a better track record than Davis coming into the season. ason Heyward heard the naysayers and critics almost from the moment he signed a Cubs -record $184-million, eight-year contract a few months before the Cubs opened the 2016 curse-busting season the critics getting only louder as he failed to live up to the offensive end of the deal that sum promised. Bleacher Nation is a private media site owned and operated by Betsperts, Inc., and it is not affiliated in any way with Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago Bears, the Chicago Bulls, the Chicago White Sox, or the Chicago Blackhawks. Brett Taylor is the Editor and Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and @Brett_A_Taylor. I appreciate being able to have that. Heyward's one of the worse overpays, at least for this year. Sure. He didn't even attempt a stolen base. He was a two-time MVP (2012 and 2013) and 10-time All Star in his first 13 MLB seasons. The only deviation is Jason Heyward, their highest-profile free-agent signing. One could make the case for Buster Posey over McCann, but Posey gets the edge since his projected WAR is higher (2.3) than McCann's (1.0). as an organization, I understand being a part of that goes with me, always and forever. On Friday, the Cubs won the bidding for Jason Heyward, convincing the outfielder to come to Chicago despite offers for more guaranteed money from the Nationals, the Cardinals, and reportedly one other team, perhaps the Angels. Through four years in San Diego, Hosmer has a combined fWAR of 0.5. The Los Angeles Dodgers don't exactly need David Price, especially after signing Bauer. The reigning AL champs have one of the smallest operating budgets in the league, and they tend to cycle players like Keirmaier out quickly in favor of cheaper talent. Its been an honor to wear that contract here, Heyward added. At right is . On every Fangraphs player page, there's a "Value" section that gives a dollar figure for how much a player has been worth that year. Overpaid: Brandon Crawford, San Francisco Giants ($15.2 million). Heyward has been in the league since 2010 after being selected by the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the 2007 draft. It's highly unlikely that the Cubs will find a trade partner for Heyward given his contract and numbers on the field. The returns have been so disappointing that the Padres were rumored to be willing to attach a high-end prospect to Hosmer in order to dump his contract via trade last summer. But I have so much respect for that and understanding as someone who was a baseball fan growing up, on the other side of that. Since 2016, Heyward has five seasons with a wRC+ of 100 or less, and three seasons under 90. Jason Heyward's deal appears to have been much too high, much too long, and projects not to be worth it over the next four years. Underpaid: Josh Hader, Milwaukee Brewers ($6.675 million). Jason Heyward signed a 1 year / $720,000 contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, including $720,000 guaranteed, and an annual average salary of $720,000. He's coming off a dismal season in which he hit. Some baseball people loved him. . Can the north siders find a way to off-load his salary? But not even thinking that way. He opted out of his first season in Los Angeles, so the expectation for the season is somewhat unclear. Chris Davis was one of the best hitters in baseball until he signed his seven-year, $161 million contract before the 2016 season. But there's no way he would have found. The Cubs would go on to win the World Series that season, their first in 108 years, and Heyward was credited by many in the organization with sparking the team to its 10-inning victory in Game 7 with a speech he delivered during a rain delay in Cleveland. Heyward produced a seven-year total of just 6.8 WAR, according to baseball-reference.com (8.5 according to fangraphs.com) after a 6.3 WAR single season with the Cardinals leading into free agency. The veteran Cubs outfielder turned in a 68 OPS+ in 2021 and followed it up in Cactus League action by striking out in 11 of his 28 trips. He's already better than many hall of fame players were at his age. RELATED: Jason Heyward's lasting moment one of Cubs' biggest ever. A Bay Arena native who grew up rooting for the Giants, Crawford doesn't have anything left to prove after winning two World Series with his hometown team, and he can help mentor the club's young talent in what may be his last year in San Francisco. For someone still due an egregious $189 million in guaranteed money through 2027, thats just not going to cut it. I think there are reasons to question whether an extension ultimately happens, but I wouldn't completely close the book on the possibility either. Bleacher Nation is supported in part by affiliate advertising programs, which you can learn more about here. Jason Heyward on those who may gripe about his "bad contract": "People can say, 'bad contract,' this and that. One, he's impossibly rich, and he can provide for himself and his family without ever feeling a great deal of concern. In fact, it is that value as a person, teammate, and behind-the-scenes role model that current and former teammates say contributed to an unprecedented run of six consecutive winning seasons for the Cubs, including the 2016 World Series championship, even as he struggled on the field. A look at the injuries for Jason Heyward, and the financial implications. He has pitched just 26.2 innings over the last two years, and its hard to see things improving in that department as he enters his mid-30s. That was the bottom line, he said. Now, he has been informed he has played his last game at Wrigley: But not even thinking that way. They're the only team with a winning percentage over .600, and their run differential of +201 is 62 runs more than the second-place team, the Nationals. He went all of winter 2018-19 without a new team, but he finally found one in the Chicago Cubs in June 2019, only to go down with a knee injury two months later. Los Angeles Dodgers ' head coach Dave Roberts has a number of important decisions to make ahead of Opening Day. At the time Longoria signed his six-year, $100 million contract he was still a key piece for Tampa Bay, but now he's one of the San Francisco Giants' many aging veterans. So thats fine. Jason Heyward's eight-year, $184 million deal listed for the Cubs and No. If Heyward is being paid like a three-win player, then his contract could still end up being a good long-term deal. It would seem a good idea to have a former player like him in that kind of conduit/connection role. Since 2016, Heyward has five seasons with a wRC+ of 100 or less, and three seasons under 90. Ketel Marte is on year four of a five-year, $24 million contract with the Diamondbacks. Hes been one of the worst-hitting regulars in baseball, but his superlative defense means hes still been a decent playerfar from the worst contract of the offseason. Taylor still looks like Taylor at the plate. Last year - and this spring - Jason Heyward was bad. Steamer projections show a, Steamer and ZiPS are projecting a regression. 2023-2023 July 27, 2016. So I was curious how he ranked compared to the rest of his free-agent class. He was better in 2020 but still basically a replacement-level player. This started the usual outcry of "DFA Jason Heyward!" from a certain segment of Chicago Cubs fans. That doesnt mean the Cubs got what they paid for the last seven years. Heyward isn't as useless as some of the players listed here, but the length of the deal and the remaining dollars certainly are an issue. These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. Overpaid: Evan Longoria, San Francisco Giants ($16.5 million). When Miggy signed his 8-year, $240 million extension before the 2016 season, he was widely regarded as one of the best players in the game. He's been one of the worst-hitting regulars in baseball, but his superlative defense means he's still been a decent playerfar from the worst contract. The contract is the contract, Heyward said. Free-agent outfielder Jason Heyward has signed an eight-year, $184 million deal with the Chicago Cubs, the team announced on Tuesday. Over the last two years, he has 5.50 ERA and 1.51 WHIP. Help us keep doing that by turning off your ad blocker or joining our ad-free membership level. Soto has already posted an OPS+ of 151, which is the 11th highest in history among players of the same age with a minimum of 500 plate appearances. He is a career .257 hitter . https://t.co/tavPGTMq6g, Joe Sheehan (@joe_sheehan) August 15, 2016. CHICAGO -- Sitting inside an interview room at Wrigley Field in late September, wearing a Cubs uniform for one of the final times, veteran outfielder Jason . The defensive position of Tatis also increases his value.