The Chicago Cubs have had a busy offseason and that continued with the signing of Jason Heyward to a contract on Friday. The reportedly could consider trades with either Jorge Soler or Javier Baez for someone like Tyson Ross, Carlos Carrasco, Jake McGee or Brad Boxberger, as the team would like to add pitching after also signing Ben Zobrist and John Lackey.
Heyward was reportedly choosing between the Cardinals, Cubs and the Nationals and he opted to sign in Chicago on an 8-year, $184 million deal. Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports first reported the deal, which has an opt out for Heyward after three years. Heyward was traded to the Cardinals from the Braves and he finished last season hitting .293 with 13 homers and 60 RBIs. Heyward is a plus fielder with two Gold Glove awards and he likely will play centerfield if the Cubs do not make any more trades or free agent signings in the outfield.
According to ESPN.com, the team may consider making a move with Jorge Soler after signing Heyward, but right now a deal is not close to happening. Heyward is the second major signing for the Cubs among position players, as the team agreed to a deal with Ben Zobrist this week. The Cubs also signed John Lackey to a free agent deal to help add depth to the rotation. The Cubs traded second baseman Starlin Castro to the Yankees and added another arm in Adam Warren and now Theo Epstein could look at making more deals this winter.
According to Jon Morosi at Fox Sports, the Cubs have had "trade dialogue" with the Padres about Tyson Ross and they have also talked to the Indians about Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar. The Cubs likely would have to give up either Soler or Baez if the team looked at making a deal for a pitcher. Last week Baez was linked to the Rays, as the team reportedly is willing to give up some of their young arms, with names like Jake McGee, Brad Boxberger, Drew Smyly, Matt Moore and Jake Odorizzi as potential targets.
The move with Zobrist allowed the Cubs to make the trade with Castro and now the signing of Heyward could have a similar domino effect for the Cubs. The team loves their young talent, but they have been taking inquiries about Soler and Baez and the team could consider making a move to bolster the bullpen or the rotation. Getting Heyward could allow the team to move Soler, as Jon Heyman reports that Heyward can handle center field or right field and the team will "keep fielding" offers on Soler. Heyman writes that the team could also go after Denard Span or bring back Dexter Fowler.
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