He suggested that he might consider a minor league deal if it were the right team in the right situation, but hes not hanging em up yet. Since 2017, Cabrera has hit just 56 combined home runs and posted a wRC+ under 100 three times. New York still owes the 39-year-old $40.5 million over the next two years, while the Mariners still owe him the remaining $7.5 million of his guaranteed $48 million. It's highly unlikely that the Cubs will find a trade partner for Heyward given his contract and numbers on the field. Find out where to go, what to eat, where to live, and more. But in the grand scheme of things, Heyward's impact goes far beyond the stats and the dollars. Right now, that includes Ian Happ, who was rumored to be dealt -- but wasn't -- before last week's trade deadline. His numbers are what they are, and Chicago has younger players the front office wants to evaluate as the focus on the field increasingly shifts to the future . He could have opted out after the 2018 season. He's living and shall live a privileged existence. Dont take my word for it, just look at what resident Pads fan Javi Reyes has to say. . I just wanted to win.. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. I think there are reasons to question whether an extension ultimately happens, but I wouldn't completely close the book on the possibility either. 2020 Chicago magazine / A Chicago Tribune Media Group website, Design Controls - Facebook Instant Article. $17.5 million contract with the Cubs. Did it bring more attention? He was better in 2020 but still basically a replacement-level player. How Bad Is Jason Heyward's Contract? Metsace Jacob deGrom is still the best value in baseball. We always had an answer. Garcia's production was particularly bad, hitting only .224-8-35 with 17/109 BB/K . Sometimes less is more, and I think the aura around Heywards speech has always been more about the importance of the moment, itself, rather than the contents of what he said. SABR's Defensive Index has him as the best fielder in the National League (the best overall is the White Sox's Adam Eaton, whose defense I've written about before). But there's no way he would have found. Click here to subscribe to the Cubs Talk Podcast for free. The contract is the contract, Heyward said. Thank you! He finished top-20 in baseball in home runs (35) and wRC+ (137) in 2021. @ MLBastian. 6 overall. Overpaid: Jason Heyward, Chicago Cubs ($23.5 million). But the Rays are probably still better with Keirmaier in the lineup since there isn't another outfielder waiting to step into his place in center. The recent Gavin . Already Subscribed? "Great teammate," Hoyer said. Like McCann, he's also 30 and coming off two good offensive seasons, but he's still under team control through 2022. Steamer projections show a 3.09 ERA with 25 saves from him in 2021, and ZiPS has an even better 2.77 ERA with 25 saves. It arguably isnt even the worst one Theo Epstein gave out during his nine years running the team. But Heyward is earning the type of money that serious sluggers get, and he hasn't exactly been that. The team signed him to an eight-year, $184 million deal prior to the 2016 season. The 27-year-old's numbers have steadily declined since he agreed to a six-year, $49.5 million contract with the Rangers before the 2017 season. Underpaid: Matt Olson, Oakland A's ($5 million). He's being paid like a three-win free agent, and he's about that, even this year. I don't see him as a CF. If people were kind of blowing smoke and not keeping it real with you, its tougher to get up every day and go to work or tougher to treat other people how you want to be treated. His numbers .245 average, .323 on-base percentage . 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. So thats fine. Dec. 16, 2022 5 AM PT As it became clear last year that his time with the Chicago Cubs was drawing to a close, and that an uncertain offseason would soon be thrust upon him, Jason Heyward. . Cabrera, like many other greats before him (Pujols, Rodriguez, etc. #Diamondbacks #Nationals pic.twitter.com/dnmPNWF8h6. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. December 15, 2015 / 4:35 PM / CBS Chicago. It was someone different every night, every series for us. The Giants built a dynasty using a core of homegrown players, and Crawford was one of them. Now 70percent through the season, they are the best team in baseball. Chicago magazine newsletters have you covered. (Marginal cost is another factor.). This can get complicated. Robinson Cano of the New York Mets would have taken the top spot on this list, but he won't be paid his $24 million salary ($3.75 million of which would have been paid by the Seattle Mariners) this year because of a PED suspension. Heyward seems poised to get somewhere around $200 million on an eight- or nine-year deal, and it would be a surprise if it weren't more, absent at least one opt-out clause. Taylor still looks like Taylor at the plate. Despite those heroics, Heyward struggled at the plate for much of his Cubs career. Have past deals scared Cubs away from free agent market? The defensive position of Tatis also increases his value. But I know I also had my hand in a lot of winning baseball here on the North Side of Chicago.. At the start of the season, the Mets still owed Can $40.5 million of his contract, per Spotrac. RELATED: Jason Heyward's lasting moment one of Cubs' biggest ever. I think thats probably the toughest thing I had along with just wanting to win for this fan base, he said. San Diego Padresshortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. signed a $340 million, 14-year megadeal and Trevor Bauer signed an unorthodox four-year contract with his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers. Sure. As Morel shines, Heyward adjusting to role. Ultimately, there were no takers. He's been good for about 20 home runs a year over the past five years, which isn't exactly worth the $30 million he's being paid. It looks like you are using an ad-blocker. Photos used are the property of Bleacher Nation, are used under a license with Getty Images, are used with permission, are fair use, or are believed to be in the public domain. Moncada is in the second year of a five-year deal that gives him incremental increases each season, which makes him a steal this season. The only deviation is Jason Heyward, their highest-profile free-agent signing. If Heyward is being paid like a three-win player, then his contract could still end up being a good long-term deal. Still owed a combined $257 million ($175 million to Strasburg, $82 million to Corbin), these two deals could keep the Nationals from being competitive for years. Jason 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. It does need to be mentioned, however, that Cano was a 142 wRC+ hitter last time we saw him over 182 plate appearances in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Last year, that was about $7.7 million, according to FiveThirtyEight's Neil Paine. Soto has a chance to become baseball's richest player with the pressure on the Nationals to exceed Tatis' contract. From The Athletic: I dont know what capacity or what role maybe its on the partial ownership side but I want to bridge that gap, Heyward said. Then, using the $8-million-per-win figure, I calculated how much surplus value players provided for their teamor, by contrast, how much teams overpaid. Over the past seven seasons in. Through 13 games, Heyward's 113 wRC+ yes, it's buoyed by a .400 BABIP and I've watched those hits, he's hardly crushing the ball just isn't bad enough for the team to cut bait . A ground ball king at the plate, Hosmer ranked 115th out of 132 qualified hitters in ISO in 2021 (.126), and had the second-highest ground ball rate in the game (55.5%). It's an eight-year, $100 million deal that could become a 10-year, $124 million contract if the Braves exercise the option for his final two years. Links to content and the quotation of material from other news sources are not the responsibility of Bleacher Nation. So I have no beef whatsoever with MLBTR popping up a video that explores some bad contracts in recent free agency. He's durable, he's diligent and he's taken on more of a leadership role within the Metsclubhouse in recent years as well. Pretty well. At right is . Heyward is in the seventh season of the eight-year, $184-million deal he signed before 2016, when he helped the Cubs end their 108-year drought. I guess theres less people that can relate to you instantly, right? Information on Bleacher Nation may contain errors or inaccuracies, though we try to avoid them. Heyward is owed $22 million in 2023, the. That was the bottom line, he said. 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. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance. 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). But to be able to show the value of myself as a person in probably one of the toughest times Ive had on the the field and off the field in 2016, to still show Im here for the team, to still play defense the way I play defense, run the bases and just to step in and step up at multiple times when I was needed to be who I am, to be Jason Heyward , We still got a ring, and it took every bit of that from me. I decided to keep things simple. Fried is going to hit free agency after his age 30 season. The Dodgers made one tweak to Heyward's mechanics (with his hand positioning) and the results are a brand-new swing . He slashed just .245/.323/.377 during his seven years with Chicago. Cubs Insider. Partnered with the USA TODAY Sports Media Group|Powered by, Signed a minor league contract with Los Angeles (LAD), Released by Chicago (CHC) ($22M retained), Signed an 8 year $184 million contract with Chicago (CHC), Player declined $15.8 million qualiying offer, Extended a $15.8 million qualiying offer by St. Louis (STL), Traded to St. Louis (STL) from Atlanta (ATL) with, Signed a 2 year $13.3 million contract with Atlanta (ATL), Signed a 1 year $3.65 million contract with Atlanta (ATL), Signed a 1 year $496,500 contract with Atlanta (ATL), Drafted by Atlanta (ATL): Round 1 (#14 overall), Drafted by Atlanta (ATL): Round 1 (#14overall). It would seem a good idea to have a former player like him in that kind of conduit/connection role. There are many brutal deals throughout the game today, but weve picked seven especially rough monetary arrangements to hone in on. Jake Graziano majored in Broadcast Digital Journalism at Syracuse University. The former Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox ace posted a 4.28 ERA in 2019, which was his worst since 2009, before being traded to the Dodgers as part of the Mookie Betts deal. Based on how many games the Cubs have played, he should finish with 1.8 WAR. Although he was a big part of their Game 7 World Series win that ended a 100+ year drought, the Jason Heyward experiment did not go well in Chicago. Cano is suspended for 162 games as a repeat offender. Heyward wasn't signed in a vacuum; the Cubs have built a deep team, and if the Heyward contract was a bit of a bomb, there's enough talent to absorb it. Last year - and this spring - Jason Heyward was bad. . Ill say that I appreciate theyre real, Heyward said during the 35-minute media session Thursday, per NBC Sports Chicago. Vazquez is one of few remaining members of the 2018 World Series team, so knowing what it takes to win will be crucial to a rebuilding team. For Jason Heyward, there are two silver linings. While Chicago's offer of $184 million . He decided to accept a long-term contract with the Atlanta Braves at just 21 years old. What happens when you narrow it down to outfielders, or at least players who have played a substantial amount of outfield this year? Underpaid: Christian Vazquez, Boston Red Sox ($6.25 million). By contrast, the Cubs paid $13 million for Dexter Fowler for one year; he'll probably end up at about 4 WAR. The Milwaukee Brewers right-hander was nothing short of dominant in his first three seasons and was rewarded with All-Star selections in 2018 and 2019. ESPN ranked the But this year he's not. So, no. Sometimes, all it takes is one bad move to lead to a domino effect of destruction within an organization (ex: the Orioles shelling out $161 million to Chris Davis in 2016). Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Jason Heyward. Theyre gladiators. I feel like its very hard to outplay certain contracts, especially one like that one. Here's how WBC offenses stack up with MLB's best. Steamer and ZiPS are projecting a regression. It took that group. His defense is still excellent, ranked 8th best among all players by Fangraphs. These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. I truly hope Im proven wrong, but history suggests that wont be the case. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. Checking in on some of the game's worst financial commitments and what makes them so detrimental. From his comments on the subject, per NBC Sports Chicago: Well, I feel like Im a very fortunate person to be in a select group of players that earn bad contracts, because theres a lot of bad contracts out there, if thats how were looking at it, right? This list was created using Fangraphs' 2021 Steamer projections for WAR and players' 2021 salaries. 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. Underpaid: Joey Gallo, Texas Rangers ($6.2 million). The 35-year-old Longoria was unable to get going the last two years as he battled injuries. Be grateful for it. I think I can bridge that gap as far as helping everyone be on the same page.. "We want to give him a full offseason to be able to go out and find an opportunity," Hoyer said. The club initially tried to keep that core together to go for a fourth World Series title, but many of those players have now departed, and the ones left are in their 30s.