3 players the Cubs should sell high on this offseason

Heyward is one of those players who just looks like he should be better than he is. During age-22 season with the Atlanta Braves in 2012, he looked like a budding star with 27 home runs as he registered MVP votes and won a Gold Glove. Since then, he has hit more than 15 home runs and driven in more than 60 in a typical full season once (21 home runs and 62 RBI for the Cubs in 2019).

After he hit .293, won a Gold Glove and got MVP votes with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015, the Cubs gave Heyward an eight-year, $184 million contract. He could have opted out after the 2019 campaign, as he cleared the required 550 plate appearance threshold (589 plate appearances). But with $86 million due to him through 2023, opting out would have been pretty foolish.

Heyward’s reputation as a good defensive right fielder lingers, though he has now not won a Gold Glove since 2017 (his last of four in a row). His advanced defensive metrics have reflected that lack of recognition, and in 2020’s 404-inning sample his Defensive Runs Saved reached a low (1). But he did rebound in UZR (3.3) and UZR/150 (11.1).

Heyward, like Darvish, has a full no-trade clause. Counting prorated signing bonus, he’s due to collect $23.5 million, $24.5 million and $24.5 million in the next three seasons. That’s a lot to pay someone who lacks power and is not as good as he was defensively (though he’s still passable).

If the Cubs are willing to eat a chunk of money, if only to avoid the full breadth of what they owe him, Heyward may be on the move this offseason.