Chicago Cubs: Addressing the Jason Heyward trade rumors

We’re just a little over a month away from Winter Meetings, and the hot stove is already heating up. Jason Heyward is perhaps the most intriguing of the Chicago Cubs players being mentioned in potential trade talks so far.

Rumors have been circulating lately that the Chicago Cubs are exploring options to trade Gold Glove outfielder Jason Heyward. Most notably involving the San Francisco Giants and a familiar face in Jeff Samardzija.

Phil Rogers of MLB.com reported that the Giants have interest in Heyward and are willing to part with Samardzija and Mark Melancon to get him. It isn’t known if the Giants or the Cubs are serious about making a deal in any capacity, but the fact this rumor has even been floated is interesting.

Would the Cubs be interested?

There is a certain irony to the possibility of Jeff Samardzija being traded to the Cubs, a contender, after he had previously made clear his belief, the Cubs were going nowhere. The Cubs offered Samardzija a lucrative deal in 2014, but the right-hander declined, stating his lack of faith in the team’s rebuilding progress. So he was ultimately traded, which resulted in the Cubs getting Addison Russell.

It’s hard to blame Samardzija. Sure, there may have been an arrogant and bitter tone to his comments, but he wasn’t necessarily wrong to believe the Cubs would fall short of their expectations. When hadn’t they in the last century?

Of course, Samardzija did end up being wrong. To add insult to injury, the Cubs defeated his team, the Giants, en route to the World Series championship Samardzija so fervently doubted would come to the North Side.

How the tide has turned. Samardzija’s team of choice now finds itself in a potential rebuild of its own, having just finished the 2017 season in last place. Samardzija isn’t coming off a particularly impressive year, either. But the Cubs likely wouldn’t view him as anything more than a four or five-spot starter in their rotation.

Would Heyward accept a trade?

A big factor in all of this is that Heyward would have to waive his no-trade clause. There’s no indication he’d want to do that. Samardzija and Melancon also have no-trade clauses. So, everyone involved would have to agree to any such deal.

Essentially, the Cubs would be getting rid of one bad contract and inheriting two different bad contracts. The Cubs do need to target pitching this offseason, but these contracts may present a bigger headache than the one they’re already dealing with in regards to Heyward.

Heyward’s elite defense is no longer enough to justify his regular playing time. Perhaps the only thing that could convince him to waive his no-trade clause is the possibility that he won’t be an everyday starter in Chicago.

It’s also worth noting that the Cubs and Bryce Harper might have mutual interest after the 2018 season. With Heyward still around, the Cubs would have neither the cash nor the field space for Harper. It is possible Heyward could move over to center field, but that’s not preferable for either party. And beyond that, what would the team then do with Albert Almora?

Next: Willson Contreras year in review

This is an intriguing trade rumor, but it comes with more questions than answers for both teams. It seems unlikely anything will happen on this front. It does, however, bring about some unsettling concerns over Heyward’s future and how the Cubs will address it.

The player they signed prior to 2016 is not the player they received. Unless he makes a quick turnaround, we could hear his name attached to trade rumors more frequently as the Cubs move forward.