Here’s how much the Cubs are paying Jason Heyward to buzz off

The Chicago Cubs are ready to move on from veteran outfielder Jason Heyward, and they’ll be paying him a crazy amount of money to not play.

The Chicago Cubs are in the seventh year of veteran outfielder Jason Heyward’s eight-year contract, but they’re ready to move on. They’re likely going to pay out the remaining $22 million of his contract unless there’s a buyout.

Heyward began his MLB career in 2010 and was once a reliable player that hit well. Unfortunately, over the past two seasons, his performance has significantly decreased. He had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2021, hitting .280/.347/.627 for an OPS of .627. This season, he’s hitting significantly worse at .204/.278/.277 for an OPS of .555.

A knee injury is a culprit for his decreased performance this season. However, he’s shown a steady decline in the past, so the Cubs need to move on from the veteran if they want to build a better team.

Cubs moving on from Jason Heyward could help the team’s success

Chicago has an average lineup. Among all MLB teams, they have the 14th-best batting average (.245), 10th-best on-base percentage (.319), 15th-best slugging percentage (.394) and 14th-best OPS (.713).

They have several good outfielders and don’t necessarily need Heyward. Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki are both well-known and reliable outfielders. Happ is hitting .279/.357/.439 for an OPS of .796 this season. Suzuki is hitting .241/.314/.410 for an OPS of .724.

The Cubs are also highly unlikely to have postseason success. According to FanGraphs, they have zero percent playoff odds. They have only won one World Series in the 21st century, and the ones prior were over 100 years before. If they want a solid shot at success, they have to make roster adjustments, and Heyward could be a good place to start.