If there is one imperative this
offseason for the St. Louis Cardinals, it is that the team resign right fielder
Jason Heyward. Heyward was acquired this
past offseason in a trade in which the Cardinals sent pitcher Shelby Miller to
the Atlanta Braves. Heyward had a terrific season for the Cardinals this year,
hitting .293 with 13 homeruns and stealing 23 bases. These are decent offensive
numbers. But when combined with Heyward’s
defense, which won him a Gold Glove this year, and the fact he is still only 26
years old, Heyward is a prime free agent this year.
Heyward’s past numbers alone may
not seem like they merit a large contract, but it must be taken into
consideration that Heyward is just now reaching his prime years. Most players do not reach free agency at this
young of an age. Most players Heyward’s
age are just making it to the major leagues, let alone already having an
established, all-star career. Heyward is
only going to get better as he continues to mature.
Heyward was vital to this
team. After being acquired to fill the
void left by the death of right fielder Oscar Tavares, Heyward was a staple on
the team. He was a solid, middle of the
order bat and provided consistency in the lineup when injuries plagued the team
all throughout the year. Heyward brought
much needed speed to the basepaths, where the Cardinals have been very lacking
in recent years, stealing 23 bases.
Heyward also played outstanding, Gold Glove defense in right field. Another area where the Cardinals had bad
lacking in recent years was outfield arm strength. Heyward has one of the best throwing arms of
all major league outfielders. All this being
said, and remember, he should only get better.
However, the most important reason
the Cardinals need to resign Heyward is they need a new franchise player. When Albert Pujols was here, he was the franchise
player. He was the guy the team was
built around. After Pujols left, Matt
Holliday became the franchise player.
Holliday is older now and not quite the player he was when he came
here. The Cardinals need someone to take
that mantle and they don’t have anyone else on the team who fits that
bill. Matt Carpenter is a very good
player but isn’t a guy you build the team around. Randall Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty could
both develop into that type of player but they are not there yet. Yadier Molina is the best catcher in baseball
and still the most irreplaceable player on the team but he is not offensively
adept enough to label a “franchise player”.
Jason Heyward fits that bill. Franchise
players don’t come around very often. They Cardinals need Heyward to be on this
team.
Now what do the Cardinals do if
they are unable to resign Heyward? I say
they use the money they would have spent of Heyward and use it to sign a couple
of players. First, they should sign Ben
Zobrist. Zobrist is what one would call
a “super utility” player. He can play
anywhere. Infield, outfield, you name
it, he can do it. The Kansas City Royals
acquired Zobrist at the trade deadline and that worked out pretty well for them
as they went on to win the World Series.
What Zobrist would bring is depth.
He can spell guys like Jhonny Peralta and Carpenter, who both suffered
from fatigue this year. He could also
play some right field if needed, since Heyward would not be here anymore. But most importantly, he could play his main
position, second base. Kolten Wong has
struggled to show he can be a consistent, everyday second baseman. Perhaps learning some under Zobrist would do
him some good. As well as Zobrist, the
Cardinals should sign first baseman Chris Davis. The biggest issue for the Cardinals this past
year was a lack of power. Chris Davis
would easily help solve that. Davis has
hit 159 homeruns over the past four years and totaled 47 this past season. To put that in perspective, the Cardinals top
two hitters combined for 45 homeruns last year. The Cardinals need power and Chris Davis can
provide that. That being said, signing
Heyward should remain the first priority, but these two players provide a solid
back up plan.
