St. Louis Cardinals fans have every right to feel jilted by Jason Heyward. He didn't just spurn them, after all. He ran into the arms of their longtime division rival. So the jersey-burning antics, while a touch melodramatic, are somewhat understandable.
Taking the long view, though, this could be a blessing in disguise for the Cards.
To bring Heyward back, St. Louis was willing to pony up more than the $184 million the Chicago Cubs offered, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, though the average annual value would have been lower than the $23 million Heyward got from Chicago.
Let's assume Heyward would have gobbled up about $20 million annually out of the Cardinals' budget. Now, with Heyward instead heading to the Windy City, they can spread that cash around and address multiple needs, including in the starting rotation.
Mostly lost amid all the Heyward shouting has been the fact that the defending National League Central champs need arms—badly.
First, St. Louis lost right-hander Lance Lynn to Tommy John surgery. Then, veteran John Lackey—who posted a career-low 2.77 ERA for the Cards last season—bolted for those same pesky Cubbies.
On top of that, ace Adam Wainwright missed nearly the entire 2015 campaign with a busted Achilles tendon, Carlos Martinez was shut down in September with a shoulder strain and Jaime Garcia has had an injury-checkered career.
That's a lot of question marks and not enough answers. So it's no surprise general manager John Mozeliak is prioritizing rotation upgrades over a Heyward consolation prize.
"Just to chase an [outfielder] now is something we won't do," Mozeliak said Sunday, per KMOXSports. "My focus now will be to look at how we continue to ramp up pitching."
Even with top-shelf names like David Price (another missed target for St. Louis) and Zack Greinke off the board, there are ample options.
On Dec. 6, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reported the Cardinals were "looking closely" at Mike Leake, a solid No. 2 or No. 3 talent who spent most of his career in the NL Central with the Cincinnati Reds.
Others in the Leake tier, such as lefties Wei-Yin Chen and Scott Kazmir, also remain unsigned.
Johnny Cueto is an unlikely target considering the ugly incident in 2010 when Cueto, then with Cincinnati, kicked Cardinals catcher Jason LaRue in the face during an on-field fracas.
But the Cardinals could make a run at Japanese ace Kenta Maeda, as Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal suggested:
The other part of Rosenthal's tweet is interesting, too. The Cardinals don't need an outfielder. Matt Holliday in left, Randal Grichuk in center and Stephen Piscotty in right is a solid, if unspectacular, alignment.
But with the Cubs loading up an already dangerous roster and the Pittsburgh Pirates looming as well, the Cards can't afford to be complacent. And Gordon—a capable hitter, one of the best defensive left fielders in baseball and a newly minted champion with the Kansas City Royals—would be a welcome addition.
As KMOV.com's Brian Feldman opined, the Cardinals' farm system tips toward the pitching side, which lends credence to the idea of locking up a position player long term:
[The] Cardinals depth lies mainly on the pitching side. They grow it on trees, it seems. From Tim Cooney to Marco Gonzales to Alex Reyes to Luke Weaver and so on there is seemingly an endless supply of arms available. ...
Offense, however, is a different story. There is no top hitting prospect coming anytime soon. Stephen Piscotty was pretty much the last of the position players who you knew would command an everyday job in St. Louis.
St. Louis could take its Heyward offer and toss it at Justin Upton, another young, five-tool outfielder. Or it could aim for Chris Davis and his game-changing power.
That would grab more headlines, no question there. And it might appease the jersey-burning crowd. But it would also likely preclude an impact pitching addition.
As much as it may sting to watch Heyward don a Cubs uniform and scale the ivy next season, St. Louis has an opportunity to plug multiple holes, fill out its roster and enter 2016 a deeper, more complete team.
Cardinals fans, by and large, are noted for being a discerning bunch. Surely they can taste the potential sweetness among the sour grapes.
It always hurts in the moment. Sometimes, though, in relationships and in baseball, being jilted is for the best.
All statistics current as of Dec. 13 and courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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