Chicago Cubs: Jason Heyward is the glue that holds it all together

The $184 million man has had nothing but a trying time in his tenure with the Chicago Cubs, but Jason Heyward is the glue that keeps this team together

On the heels of a turnaround season in 2015 where we saw the Chicago Cubs make it to the NLCS, the team announced its arrival and entered a “win-now” mode. The Cubs were led by veterans Jon Lester and David Ross but still lacked some veteran leadership in the clubhouse.

With such a young team, having the experience to look to for guidance is a necessity. As the Cubs hit the offseason, they decided to break the bank and make a move for arguably the most highly sought after free agent at the time, Jason Heyward. After signing a deal for eight years and $184 million, Heyward, to this point, has not proven his worth on the field in a Cubs uniform.

That being said, sometimes on the field results aren’t always all that matters, and the veteran outfielder’s presence in the clubhouse as a class act and leader continue to give him opportunities and keep the team together.

In three seasons with the Cubs, Heyward has batted .252 with an OPS of .688. Needless to say, those are some very underwhelming numbers given his price tag and although he earned Gold Gloves in 2016 and 2017, that’s not enough to warrant the contract.

For all of the criticism Heyward’s received and the hardships on the field he’s endured, we see Jason as someone who’s continued to drown out the noise, put his head down, and work his tail off to improve. As a result of his humble manner and commitment to success, we’ve seen his batting average rise each season he’s been in Chicago (.230 in 2016, .259 in 2017, and .270 in 2018). This may not be anything special numbers-wise, but the example he’s set for the young stars of this team is invaluable.