In 2022, the Cubs bit the bullet and released Jason Heyward, their $184 million star outfielder, despite still owing him $22 million for the 2023 season. He'd only appeared in 48 games after being sidelined from late June through the end of the season, and put up by far the worst offensive performance of his career — .204 average with a .556 OPS.
The Dodgers, though, decided to give him a shot. In December of that year, they signed him to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, and he broke out of camp to form a platoon in right field with Mookie Betts. He batted .269 with a .813 OPS in 2023, and the Dodgers brought him back for the following season for $9 million.
His performance dipped again in 2024, and the Dodgers DFA'ed him in August to clear roster space for Chris Taylor, who was coming off of the IL. He signed another major league contract with the Astros and hit free agency again at the end of the season.
The Dodgers were never going to bring him back (even if he probably shouldn't have been let go in the first place), but on Friday night, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported that he was signing a new deal with the worst possible team: the Padres.
The Padres have agreed to a free-agent deal with Jason Heyward, a source tells @TheAthletic. Heyward is expected to share time in left field with Connor Joe, who agreed to a deal earlier today.
Former Dodger Jason Heyward signs with the Padres on a new deal
It's unclear how many years Heyward's deal includes or the money attached, but it's likely a one-year contract. Reports of his signing came on the heels of news that the Padres were also signing free agent and former Pirate Connor Joe, and Lin added that he and Heyward will split time in the outfield.
Heyward was batting just .208 by the time the Dodgers let him go in 2024, but he was still better than Taylor, who the Dodgrs are still stubbornly standing by, and had just hit a game-winning homer against the Mariners two days before the Dodgers DFA'ed him. When Taylor returned, he continued to be completely ineffectual and his average sunk to .167 by the end of the month.
The Padres have had one of the worst offseasons out there, and Joe and Heyward's back-to-back deals are little consolation for all the other opportunities they've already missed out on. Still, it'll be tough for Dodgers fans (and presumably Freddie Freeman) to watch Heyward suit up for San Diego this season.
