Theo Epstein and the Chicago Cubs are fresh off of an impressive 2015 season and have quite a few things to do this offseason. Rumors are beginning to fly around that the Cubs could try to sign outfielder Jason Heyward in 2015 MLB free agency.
Dexter Fowler is set to hit free agency this coming offseason and was the Cubs' leadoff hitter and center fielder this past season. He will be wanting a major pay upgrade and the Cubs might decide not to give him the type of money that he is looking for. Heyward definitely isn't the best center field option, but he could be a very solid leadoff hitter despite not possessing amazing speed.
Throughout the 2015 season with the St. Louis Cardinals, Heyward ended up compiling a .293 batting average to go along with 13 home runs and 60 RBI's.
Those numbers are impressive the say the least and would look very good in the Cubs' lineup. They are very similar to Fowler's numbers, although his batting average is quite a bit higher. He might not bring the same type of defense the field, but there is a good chance that he could play center field if needed.
At just 26 years old right now, Heyward fits perfectly into the Cubs' youthful lineup. He has a lot of excellent baseball left to play in his career and there is plenty of room for him to continue improving as well.
Signing Heyward isn't going to be cheap, but they would be getting more for their money with him than they would with Fowler. While Fowler was a nice leadoff hitter, he was not as good of an all-around player as Heyward. Even though Fowler may field better in the outfield, Heyward has a much stronger arm and would make things much more difficult for opposing base runners.
Not only would signing Heyward help the Cubs, it would also be bringing in a player that absolutely destroyed the Cubs throughout the season. He seemed to always come through with big plays and hits against the Cubs and bringing him onto their side would be a productive move for Chicago.
All of that being said, signing Heyward is definitely a solid option for the Cubs. They are going to need to make a tweak or two to their lineup and adding Heyward would be one of those tweaks. Fowler is obviously a very solid option as well if the Cubs would rather just re-sign him, but Epstein could choose to go after Heyward instead.
