Chicago Cubs: Jason Heyward remains a key to this team’s future

Much of this offseason’s headlines will center around Bryce Harper. Regardless of whether or not the Chicago Cubs land him, Jason Heyward will be a huge piece.

With the Boston Red Sox up two games to none in the Fall Classic, a great many fans are already turning their attention to the upcoming offseason. With a free agent class loaded with franchise-altering talent, the Chicago Cubs and the other 29 teams are all licking their chops.

And who could blame them? This year’s free agent class includes Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and, potentially, Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who has an opt-out in his deal with L.A.

We know the Cubs, for their part, won’t stand pat. The days of talking about guys’ potential like some kind of half-baked pipe dream are over. Evaluations will be made based on performance, not promise. And that change in mindset could drastically alter what this roster looks like in 2019.

One guy you can pretty much guarantee takes the field on Opening Day 2019? Outfielder Jason Heyward, who is heading into year four of his eight-year, $184 million deal. You can forget about him exercising his opt-out clause in his deal. It’s not going to happen.

Knowing that, let’s look at what Heyward brings to Chicago moving forward.

Chicago Cubs: Strides made with the stick

When the Cubs signed Heyward to that eight-year deal, he was coming off a strong showing with the rival St. Louis Cardinals. He batted .293/.359/.439, hitting a career-high 33 doubles in 154 games.

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During Chicago’s 2016 World Series championship run, Heyward brought a lot to the table – with his glove, that is. His was dismal offensively, with his OPS dropping from .797 to .631 year over year. He rolled over balls on a daily basis and was about the furthest thing from an offensive threat.

But, most people quickly forgave the poor first impression, due to his locker room speech during the Game 7 rain delay. He rallied the troops and helped erase a 108-year title drought. That counts for something.

In 2017, Heyward appeared in just 126 games, and took steps in the right direction. He raised his average back up to .259 en route to a 2.3 WAR campaign. Again, that’s trending up, but remains a far cry from his 6.5 WAR showing with St. Louis in 2015.

Heading into 2018, we were told Heyward had, once again, adjusted his swing and was expecting better results. So what did we see at the dish from the 29-year-old outfielder?

Chicago Cubs: A tumultuous showing in 2018

After going 3-for-10 in the first series of the year in Miami, Heyward cooled off in a big way, hitting .239 in the month of April. But in both May and June, he heated up as temperatures rose in Chicago, giving cause for real optimism.

The main issue, if you’d like to find one, from those two months? He lacked any real power. He hit just two long-balls and slugged below .400 in all but one full month. June stood out as his best single month. He put up an .874 OPS, hit three home runs and slugged .510 – by far the best mark he’s put up recently.

With the glove, he did what he always does. Heyward is undoubtedly one of the best right fielders in all of Major League Baseball. He reads balls well off the bat, has one of the better arms in the league and his reputation clearly precedes him on a daily basis.

Because of injury, Heyward made just 33 plate appearances and he his just .242. He was a non-factor in the Wild Card game, going hitless in three at-bats. So what can/should we expect heading into 2019?