Aug. 28: Heyward is taking his physical today, manager Joe Espada tells the Astros beat (X link via Chandler Rome of The Athletic). Assuming it goes well, he could officially be added to the club tomorrow.
Aug. 27: The Astros are nearing a deal with Jason Heyward, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com on X. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN relays on X that the deal is done, pending a physical. The outfielder was recently released by the Dodgers. The Astros will need to make a corresponding move to open a spot on the 40-man once the deal is official, as well as a move to open an active roster spot once Heyward reports to the team.
Heyward, 35, was able to engineer a nice bounceback season with the Dodgers last year. After struggling for much of his time with the Cubs, he spent 2023 in Los Angeles, hitting 15 home runs while walking in 9% of his plate appearances. His .269/.340/.473 batting line translated to a 120 wRC+, indicating he was 20% better than league average.
Most of that damage came with the platoon advantage, as the lefty swinger only stepped to the plate 28 times against southpaws, compared to 349 times against righties. But it still allowed him to have a productive season. When combined with strong defense, he was considered to be worth 2.2 wins above replacement by FanGraphs.
He and the Dodgers reunited this winter on a one-year, $9MM deal but the Hollywood sequel wasn’t as satisfying as the original. In 197 plate appearances with the Dodgers this year, Heyward slashed .208/.289/.393 for a wRC+ of 91.
The Dodgers faced a tough roster decision when Mookie Betts was recently returning from the injured list. He had been serving as the club’s everyday shortstop prior to getting hurt but the decision was made to move him back to his customary right field spot for the stretch run and postseason. The club had Teoscar Hernández in left and was planning to use a mixture of Tommy Edman and Kevin Kiermaier in center, with Andy Pages also around as optionable depth. For bench/utility roles, they decided to keep multi-positional guys like Enrique Hernández and Chris Taylor, which nudged Heyward off the roster.
Given Heyward’s diminished performance and notable salary, he unsurprisingly went unclaimed off waivers, but there’s logic to the Astros picking him up now. With Heyward’s recent release, the Dodgers are on the hook for the majority of what is left to be paid out of that salary. The Astros will only have to pay him the prorated portion of the $740K league minimum, making him more or less a free pickup.
It’s also possible that his results this year are a bit based on luck. His .224 batting average on balls in play is well below the .291 mark he had last year and the league-wide average of .290 this year. His average exit velocity and hard hit rate are actually higher than last year’s, according to Statcast, though his launch angle is less than ideal. His 41.4% ground ball rate last year was a career low, as he has pounded the ball into the dirt at a 48.3% clip in his career. That number is up to 51.4% this year, so perhaps he could have some better results if that normalizes by even a few points, getting closer to his career rate.
The Astros have been without their regular right fielder for a long time. Kyle Tucker put up a monster batting line of .266/.395/.584 for a 174 wRC+ in 60 games before fouling a ball off himself in early June. The club announced his injury as a shin contusion and it didn’t seem like he was going to be away from the club for long, but he’s coming close to a three-month absence at this point. The club is hopeful of Tucker returning in September, but as of a few days ago, he still hasn’t been able to sprint at full speed. That suggests there’s still some hurdles to clear before he’s a candidate to return.
On top of that, Yordan Alvarez missed a few days recently due to some neck stiffness, though he was able to return to the lineup last night. Alex Bregman was also taking up the designated hitter spot for a while due to elbow inflammation, though he’s been back at the hot corner for the past three games.
Jake Meyers is the regular in center field. The corner outfield mix consists of Alvarez, Ben Gamel, Mauricio Dubón and Chas McCormick. Gamel is a 32-year-old journeyman who was just claimed off waivers recently. Dubón is a glove-first utility guy. McCormick has some good results on his track record but is having a brutal year, currently slashing .188/.253/.275.
Heyward isn’t a guarantee but he has a decent shot at being an upgrade over that group, and at no real cost to the Astros. Even if his bat doesn’t turn around, he’s still a solid defender at this point in his career. It’s a solid pickup and one that raises the possibility of Heyward perhaps facing his former club in the World Series, if the Astros and Dodgers end up in a rematch of the scandal-plagued 2017 series.
Wow
Nine lives
16 years later he might finally live up to the hype…..or not
He’s definitely better than Chas so we’ll take it.
Not defensively
5 gold gloves, so, yes he is
he’s still a pretty good RF but his last Gold Glove was 7 years ago…
I really liked him with ATL & was bummed when they traded him, but he didn’t live up to the hype. Like autumn leaves he has dried up and is falling. Time to go sell insurance, sad but true.
He’d still be an upgrade to what the Braves have.
Ramón Laureano is on line 2, Heyward’s’ no stinkin’ upgrade
Are you joking bro
In Atlanta and even St. Louis he looked like a franchise player, if he had better contact skills and plate discipline he would’ve been an all star every year
But flags fly forever with the cubs
the problem is that espada has too many options and not enough playing time. i hope i’m wrong, but i don’t think anyone will be able to have sustained success playing every 3rd day or being pinch hit for in the 6th inning after going 0 for 2.
i still think chas can get back to his past production, but wow he’s fallen off a cliff. i think he should be optioned to AAA for a couple weeks and if he gets hot then bring him back up.
Chas optioned to AAA tonight
2 months too late imo but i’m glad they finally did it. meyers and dubon aren’t much better sadly lol
He went to the dark side, this will be interesting
He already understands the dark side since he was with LAD for 1.5 years.
Nah, you got that all backwards coup.
Bro…at what point will LAD fan finally get over the fact they had home field advantage in the 2017 WS and still lost. Its not like the Dodgers are a team that has endless success in the playoffs except during Covid years. Lets move on shall we. We won the 2022 WS without any can banging or cheating. FYI…baseball is a game that appreciates cheating especially now with they way it sold itself down the river with gambling interests. I dont know who is or isnt playing legit anymore….be well friend!!
Definitely agree, dodgers Yankees giants bosox are the most hated organizations out there.
I mean he was on Los Karens, might be nice getting away from the constant crying.
Bye Bye Chas!!
At least it’s not the Braves
Exactly
The Dodgers have too many outfielders. Pages should have gone. But pages is trade bait. He has value. Taylor is getting the heat but in the past he has been invaluable in the playoffs and can play a lot of different positions. Hayward is hurt too much. He would be better on a team where he can play everyday and not platooning. Outman was playing great last year and he should at some point get it together. Kiermaier is tearing it up this year. He’s the reason Hayward is gone
You may be conflating 40 man roster with the 26 man active roster. Pages still has options and is back with OKC.
Heyward was released as Taylor: is healthy; has more defensive flexibility than Heyward; and was hitting better before he got hurt.
Heyward has not hit much since the first half of ’23.
But I thought the Dodgers unlocked something with him. I’m confused.
That was last year
So actually it was more of an outlier than actually tapping into some unrealized potential.
Personally, I was never convinced he was as good as his numbers last year. I guess that’s your point or is it that Dodgers get too much credit for “unlocking” latent talent?
I didn’t believe the numbers and the uptick in lotion sales. Otherwise, I’d put the Dodgers ability to maximize talent as good as any organization.
LAD probably unlocked all the talent that was left given Heyward appeared to be in steep decline and was 33 years old when he joined the Dodgers.
And as for 2024, looking back at his CHI numbers, would anyone as of 2021 expected a 34 yo Heyward to be putting up as much as his seasonal 91 OPS+ with positive defensive numbers?
Hard NOT to give LAD credit for JH’s career rebound.
“Hard NOT to give LAD credit for JH’s career rebound.”
No… not really.
It happened “magically” with Pujols and Kiké last year
Heyward is gone because he slipped back into his old self. He doesn’t want to play more than a few games a week. Kiermaier is as you say, tearing it up since coming to the Dodgers.
Good for him I’m glad for him we’ll just waste time with Chris Taylor and much needed roster spot
Oh boy, more of this nonsense… J-Hey can ONLY play RF… Mookie isn’t going to be on the bench. And since we all know Taylor’s average is terrible right now (like 160 or something)… maybe more people need to know Heyward had a 176 average his last 30 games… sure he had a couple big hits, but everything else was an out. And Taylor has a year left on his contract, plays 6 possitions, WAS a fan favorite, has been really clutch in the postseason a few times (yes its been a couple years, nobody was good the last 2 postseasons for LA), and has a lot of money left on that contract too. There wasn’t even much of a choice between these 2. I do still wish they would have just had him take an IL stint until 9/1 and then keep him around with the expanded rosters. Who knows maybe a batter gets injured in september and it solves the postseason roster crunch back to 13 also.
I like Taylor. I know when he comes in the position is handled. He just needs more at bats. I remember him getting that hit in Atlanta in the ninth inning when the Dodgers were one out from being no hit. That was clutch. He’s a gritty guy. His year reminds me of the year Trey Turner had last year. He’s doing better now.
Of all the players who can be called up in Sept., what are the chances that Heyward would have been at the top of the list?
NTD
“people need to know Heyward had a 176 average”
No one needs to know anyone’s batting average ever. Most overrated stat in baseball. I mean, it pretends that a single and home run are the same
They weren’t going to dump Taylor, not only for his versatility and postseason track record, but he’s under contract next season while Heyward, Kiermaier, and E Hernandez are not. If ;Heyward hadn’t just hit the pinch hit homer, this wouldn’t even be a story.
Surprise team for heyward but he would have no use when tucker gets back
So next year…
Why? Any team could have signed another all glove/no hit JBJ at anytime over the off season before he signed a Milb deal with the NYM in like June.
I’m sure he will magically start hitting .300 all of sudden.
Maybe he will know what pitches are coming 😉 hahahhahahaha,sigh.
Pretty sure Beltran and Cora haven’t been on the Astros in a LONGGGGGGGG time LOL!
Chances of him getting a second ring have increased a lot now
Good. The Braves don’t need anymore more nostalgia retreads.
Going to the Astrik is like going to the dark side
Take out your tampon and live your life as an adult!
You should know being fan of the cheaters
live your life as a misogynist
Yeah, and women baseball players are as good as men!
I’ll have to check the records, but I think it was the Astros who were penalized for cheating.
Couldn’t be worse than anyone else there at 1B
15 years, 6 games at 1B
Like I said, couldn’t be any worse than anyone else playing 1B for Stros.
Unacceptable play recently by Singleton, Caratini, and Dezenzo: lack of hustle and inexperience
Does this mean Singleton gets cut?
Definitely not. It’s likely McCormick DFA’d or one of the youngsters Dezenzo or Whitcomb getting optioned.
McCormick and Meyers are both making Maldonado’s batting numbers look good. They should both be sent down. Dezenzo and Whitcomb are the future.
Dezenzo has been terrible defensively. Meyers has been one of the best CFs this year and McCormick has been useful defensive late inning replacement. Let’s hope it’s Singleton that is jettisoned. I would like to see Whitcomb get 1B reps though
Gamers, Dubon, and McCormick proved their worth today! Rather ominous for Singleton not to be in today.
Singleton is a first baseman, Hayward is an outfielder. Singleton’s numbers are not overly impressive but they’re way, way better than McCormick’s. I said in a previous post that I would like Chas to go to AAA, rather than just be outright released. It’s not going to be Singleton saying goodbye. We’ll just call it a gentleman’s bet and wait and see
Astros should be embarrassed.a chance to have a good team, and they are blowing 400 and on a guy that should be in the Mexican league.
It’s really a shame Chas McCormick forgot how to hit. I hope that he can go to AAA rather than get released. I got to believe there’s still something in the tank for him.
There wasn’t anyone better than Heyward for them to sign?
Well it’s the waiver wire, Ben Gamel might’ve been better but they already signed him
Toro released afterwards… whomp, whomp
Do you think the trash cans can help this guy hit?
Do you think you will ever grow up ?
@Astros_fan_in_Aus
Did I hurt your feelings?
Good for Jason. He will get to the playoffs; albeit with an ethically challenged organization.
Would you like a tissue Princess ?
Players and coaches from Houston cheated throughout the season and in the playoffs. Players and coaches and management knew of the cheating and covered it up. That’s unethical.
MLB/Manfred should have vacated the trophy and declared no champion in 2017.
Only princesses are ethical? What’s your point, clown?
Muted
Unethical is what Selig did to Houston in aftermath of hurricane… payback, succas
Typical ASStros fan. And another misogynist.
Should have let Nick Ahmed go.
They already did
They did
MLB and the Players association should expand rosters to 27 players and perhaps a 42 man roster. Rosters should expand to 30 players on August 1st. This will reduce injuries, and improve the game.
MLBTR should be embarrassed about these comments.
Pathetic
“Los Karens”
“Going to the Astrik is like going to the dark side
“Take out your tampon and live your life as an adult!”
Just great, great comments here
“Would you like a tissue Princess ”
MLBTR should really feel good about the type of commenter that they attract
It’s honestly worse from what I’ve seen on other social media outlets.
Kinda surprised you called out the “Asterisk” comment though. Your username kind says “I’m a Dodgers fan” and I’d figure you would let that sort of name-calling slide since, well, you know.
I’d understand why too, since even as an Astros fan myself the whole cheating scandal almost made me quit watching baseball entirely…
JK
“Kinda surprised you called out the “Asterisk” comment though. Your username kind says “I’m a Dodgers fan” and I’d figure you would let that sort of name-calling slide since, well, you know.”
Name calling is name calling. And it’s childish
You know, when you mature, you just avoid or ignore the immature comments.
There’s barely any moderation except for hate speech and it needs to get user-flagged first. A good portion of (muted) users offer no substance in their comments. Trolls generate clicks and engagement among trolls so I guess that it’s part of their business model.
Sports fandom attracts all socioeconomic levels and by nature is oppositional and tribal. Some behavior might be childish to some but that might be because the users doing it are kids.. You just can’t expect the same level and homogeneity of discourse as you would in an academic journal.
@Yeasties
Are you actually suggesting that there are zero academics that do not use ad hominem, because I’ve seen plenty of them that do.
I couldn’t care less about some of the comments on these boards, if anyone has half an iota of intelligence they can brush it off, or if they can’t take it then utilize the mute, be a dictator and dictate. This is directed at those that are having a good old fashioned whine.
Furthermore, here you have people who are whinging about comments on this board day after day, who infer that they are grown ups, when all they do is incessantly whinge & whine about the Houston Astros, and I am not an Astros fan, just move on. Personally, I am determined to not be offended, unlike those that are determined to be offended on a baseball sports chat board and complain and complain, like the guy above talking about “hate speech”, a ridiculous comment.
Whining* and get off your high horse
@Guard the Vogt
Consult the dictionary…
Fred
“Are you actually suggesting that there are zero academics that do not use ad hominem”
No. That’s not what they said
“half an iota of intelligence they can brush it off”
Intelligence probably isn’t the thing needed to brush it off
“if they can’t take it then utilize the mute, be a dictator and dictate. ”
What if, ya know, they just don’t want to take it?
Also, how is making a decision for yourself being a dictator? Are you being a dictator if you choose not to watch a certain channel on your TV?
Also, can you differentiate between being offended by something and just not wanting to encounter it?
@DodgersBro
You made a number of quotes further up the page that you were offended by. What you might be offended by, I may not be. Furthermore, you may not be offended by what I may or may not be offended by.. You and some other Dodger fans are continually bleating about the Astros, and it appears some of their fans. Your objection about the Astros should be with the Commissioner of baseball…end of.
Remember, that this is a baseball board where a range of different views and opinions may be encountered. Based upon your interactions you appear to be quite easily ‘offended’.
You asserted what you found offensive, or deemed to be offensive content/remarks, you also said MLBTR should be “embarrassed”. I don’t agree with that at all.
I certainly don’t agree that what some contributors commented were ‘offensive’ comments or remarks. Again, you can control what you’re prepared to read or ignore/filter on this site by using mute. In fact, there are several users/commenters that feel the need to tell others who they muted on this site, they should just go ahead and do it, there’s no need to tell others by big-noting.
FMcG
“You made a number of quotes further up the page that you were offended by.”
No, I didn’t. What?
“You and some other Dodger fans are continually bleating about the Astros”
Where have I done so?
“You asserted what you found offensive, or deemed to be offensive content/remarks”
No I didn’t
Why are you making just things up?
I did consult the dictionary my guy… What is whinging? You need to consult the dictionary my friend… The irony of your response
Whinge: an incessant and annoying complaint. The source is British English but the word is catching on in American English.
The muting function on these boards is problematic because it also blocks replies to muted posts and doesn’t give you the option to selectively read blocked posts if you want to know what the discussion is about.
I mute only those who are proven to be irredeemable trolls. On the other side of the coin, some will block you for just disagreeing with them. I’ve seen thinner skins on papayas.
@Guard The Vogt
Broaden your vocabulary, but I doubt that’s possible.
@DodgersBro
———————————————–
This you “Bro”?
““You made a number of quotes further up the page that you were offended by.”
“No, I didn’t. What?”
DodgersBro1 day ago
MLBTR should be embarrassed about these comments.
Pathetic
“Los Karens”
“Going to the Astrik is like going to the dark side
“Take out your tampon and live your life as an adult!”
DodgersBro1
Just great, great comments here
“Would you like a tissue Princess ”
MLBTR should really feel good about the type of commenter that they attract.
Then you exclaim-“why are you making things up”? That’s hilarious.
Fred
“This you “Bro”?”
Yes
And this was you
““You made a number of quotes further up the page that you were offended by.”
And this was me
“No, I didn’t. What?”
Now that we are up to speed on that.
YOU are the only one who mentioned anything about being offended. I certainly didn’t.
Is THIS *you*?
“Are you actually suggesting that there are zero academics that do not use ad hominem, because I’ve seen plenty of them that do.”
In response to someone (I muted someone and can’t get to the comment now) saying something about comments in an academic journal?
And is THIS *you*
“Broaden your vocabulary, but I doubt that’s possible”
Attempting to attack someone’s intelligence at the same time that you can’t differentiate between
1) someone being “offended” by something and thinking that it’s just simple-minded and pathetic
And
2) not being able to differentiate between someone saying that academics don’t use personal attacks and personal attacks don’t generally appear in academic journals?
Really
Urinate off, troll
Muted
We’re in America. We won the war, we say whining on this side of the ocean. But I do stand corrected, not all dictionaries have origins of words.
Ty DodgersBro, I’ll leave you in peace now
You are today’s frowny winner.
🙁
DodgersBro
You used quotes from other people to infer you were offended, then whined and whinged about it to MLBTR. It is quite astonishing.
Complain some more about the Astros.
Oh no, you muted me, I am so worried about your ‘mute’ I just won’t be able to sleep.
@Guard the Vogt
I am glad that you’ confirmed that you’re insular, but at least you had the decency to confirm that “you stand corrected”. Have a nice day.
It’s actually strangely reassuring to know that someone is keeping such close track of the words and expressions we’re allowed to use. It’s a tough job but somebody has to do it.
Fred McGriff HR, I got muted by him too for asking why he announced his mutes… Toodles
BSLA
“It’s actually strangely reassuring to know that someone is keeping such close track of the words and expressions we’re allowed to use. ”
No one is doing this, of course.
When you have to lie to make your point, you’re not making a good point.
Not defending it but that’s all very tame for sports fans. This has the least amount of that of any sports forum that I’ve been a part of. With every mute, you get closer to the comment section experience that you are looking for
Astros are giving anybody a tryout at this point hoping that all the main guys can get healthy for the September stretch run and hopefully playoffs. If healthy, the lineup is: Altuve, Bregman, Alvarez, Tucker, Diaz, Pena, and some combo of Dubon, Meyers, Caratini, Gamel, SIngleton, Whitcomb, Dezenzo, Heyward. Definitely makes sense giving all these guys a shot to see who’s worth a damn for that 7-9 spot in the order,
no one was picking up flaylor
Nice pickup for Astros. Going to a team with an attitude that they can take it all will help Heyward mentally. He will contribute in a big way for this winning team. Nice job GM Brown.
Great pickup. Proven winners, both the ASTROS and Jason.
Well, I’m glad I called this one correctly. The one thing I wasn’t sure about if Chas had any options left, apparently he does. He is AAA bound. Glad we get to keep him and get him straightened out. He’s a good player just needs to sort the head out.
Good signing. Hope he helps Astros beat, beat, beat the Dodgers.