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BREAKING: Chicago Cubs sign veteran outfielder Jason Heyward
By David Miniel
It’s been a wild and exciting week for the Chicago Cubs and things continued to get better now that they’ve found their center fielder following the departure of Dexter Fowler.
According to multiple sources, including Gordon Wittenmyer on Twitter, the Chicago Cubs and 26-year-old outfielder Jason Heyward were able to strike a deal. There’s no official word on how many years and how much money he’ll receive, but it’s believed to be under $200 million.
The Cubs already went out and picked up another former Cardinal in 37-year-old right-handed pitcher, John Lackey.
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Lackey and Heyward had their presence felt during the National League Division Series, only to be eliminated by this young Cubs team who ran into a brick wall once it was time to take on the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series.
When watching Heyward in that postseason match-up, it felt like he was always on base. He started all four games against Chicago, going 5-for-14 with a double, one home run and two RBI while slashing an impressive .357/.438/.643.
During the regular season, he managed to record a career-high 33 doubles and 160 hits while slugging 13 homers and 60 RBI behind a batting line of .293/.359/.439. Heyward’s best offensive showing came back in 2012 when he took pitchers deep 27 times while driving in 82 runs.
Now that he’s with the Cubs, there’s no doubt he’s going to end up hitting lead-off for Joe Maddon. Joining the N.L. Manager of the Year along with the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year has to be exciting for this veteran outfielder.
On top of that, his first Major League at-bat was against Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs in Atlanta. In case you forgot, Heyward took Zambrano deep and finished 2-for-5 at the plate with four RBI in the 16-5 win over the North Siders back on Opening Day 2010.
He finished second behind San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey for N.L. Rookie of the Year honors and has won a Gold Glove three times in his five-year career.
Taking a look at this starting lineup, you have Jason Heyward, Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Miguel Montero, Addison Russell, Ben Zobrist and Jorge Soler backing up Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta and the rest of that starting rotation.
UPDATE: According to Jerry Crasnick on Twitter, Heyward’s deal is for 8-years, $184 million. It also includes two opt-out clauses.