Comments on: Jason Heyward: Potential Offseason Target

By: Zack Moser

Zack Moser — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 06:01:33 +0000

I am certainly pro-Heyward, and at nearly any price. Youth, contact skills, defense, great personality, moderate power, flexibility to make center field moves in the future… he’s all that I covet in a player.

I’d love for them to sign him and then re-up Austin Jackson as the fifth OF. Incredible amount of defensive versatility and a great variety of offensive strengths with Heyward/Schwarber/Soler/Coghlan/Jackson.

By: Joel

Joel — Thu, 03 Dec 2015 17:58:48 +0000

Well, this is where it starts to get complicated, and given that they won 97 games last year I wonder how much you need to reinvent this team. But I’m thinking you could bring in Heyward and put him in CF and also sign Samardzjia, but that’s a LOT of money. So maybe you sign Heyward and trade Soler for an arm… but then who goes in center (or right, if you put Heyward there)? So it does get more complicated as you move more pieces.

But to your point about “comfort zone” of the 2016 payroll — why is there a comfort zone? I know Ricketts is smart and made his money being reasonable and judicious. But this is also a team with a wide window for this season, and their business side is raking in the money. So why not go a little crazy? (I think I know the answer to that question, but I’m putting it out there anyway.)

By: CubsTHEOlogy

CubsTHEOlogy — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 23:24:59 +0000

Yeah, then sign Lackey. Operation Dog the Cardinals.

By: Carlos Portocarrero

Carlos Portocarrero — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 21:48:32 +0000

I would do this in a heartbeat. I love Soler, but you have to give something to get something.

By: victor19nyc

victor19nyc — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 20:15:03 +0000

Wouldn’t be ironic if the Cubs signed Heyward, then traded Soler to the Braves for Shelby Miller? I’d do it.

By: Sahadev Sharma

Sahadev Sharma — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 18:54:38 +0000

I do wonder how creative they could get with the contract and allow them some flexibility to add the other players they’d like to bring in as well. Right now, it’s hard for me to see them bringing in Heyward, and for example, Samardzjia, stopgap CFer, and another arm. That’s what I’d love to see, but I’m not sure if that would push them past their comfort zone as far as overall 2016 payroll goes.

By: Isaac Bennett

Isaac Bennett — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 18:25:25 +0000

Yes, yes and yes again. Heyward perfectly bridges so many gaps we have. I want to see us put the full court press on him.

By: Carlos Portocarrero

Carlos Portocarrero — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 16:47:21 +0000

One point you make in this piece that is often overlooked: the Cubs already have more than enough pop in the lineup. Bryant, Rizzo, and Schwarber alone are enough in the HR department. Let alone whatever improvements Russell and Baez have on the field.

So yes, go get this guy and then you can trade Soler for a young, controlled starter.

Don’t forget Chris Coghlan is still there and can play RF with Heyward in CF.

By: Joel

Joel — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 15:55:22 +0000

I would love to see the Cubs sign Heyward because he checks so many boxes for them: he brings a different offensive skillset that would provide some nice variety for the lineup, and of course his D would be a great add. Plus, you could put him in center for a while (thereby keeping Soler) until Almora develops (a big IF, I know), or he gives them the flexibility to trade Soler if they want to go that route.

My only hesitation is the money — as you indicate, he’s going to earn a huge paycheck, and I don’t know if the Cubs will be willing to pay that much. Then again, they are a big market team, they’re going to draw well north of 3 million, there are new revenue streams all the time, etc. So for a player in his prime, shouldn’t they be right there when it comes time to write the biggest check?