Jason Heyward signed an eight-year, $184 million contract with the Chicago Cubs this offseason after spending 2015 with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The 26-year-old outfielder was asked about why he chose the Cubs and in his explanation took an shot at his former teammates in the Chicago Tribune (h/t David Brown of CBSSports.com):
Being 26 and knowing my contract would probably put me in any clubhouse longer than most people there, you have to look at age, you have to look at how fast the team is changing and how soon those changes may come about. You have Yadier, who is going to be done in two years maybe. You have Matt Holliday, who is probably going to be done soon.
There were already moves with Jon Jay gone, and then Tony Cruz, and Wainwright is probably going to be done in three or four years. I think that's when his contract is up. Not to say he won't play any longer, but guys like that are what really introduced me to the St. Louis Cardinals organization. I felt like if I was to look up in three years and see a completely different team, that would kind of be difficult.
Chicago really offers an opportunity to come into the culture and be introduced to the culture by a young group of guys. Grow up with them and still watch myself grow up and have some fun with some familiar faces for a long time.
What he said may or may not be true, but it did not go over well with Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, per Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "I don't think it's going to ring too well with our club."
Matheny explained his comments in detail, per Hummel:
I told Jason this before. I’ve got a lot of respect for Jason as a person. He’s got to go make the decisions he’s going to have to live with. If that (core group comparison) is a big deal to him, he’s just being honest with people.
But I don’t think we have anything to apologize for in having a group like a Holliday, a Molina, a Wainwright. Those are the kinds of guys everybody wants on a club.
I see where he’s coming from. I mean, look at what Chicago’s done. It’s very unique in this game — to have that many impact players at that young age. And he’s a young player. But I can’t say I’m in any kind of agreement with that (Chicago) core being better than any kind of core that we have.
That veteran group (that the Cardinals have) also helps drive what the younger group turns into.
I don’t blame him. But I don’t like it. I thought we created a really good atmosphere and he had to weigh what was most important to him.
Matheny, 45, did a good job of responding without taking a jab at Heyward. It's obviously a blow for the Cardinals, as Heyward is coming off a season in which he slashed .293/.359/.439 with 13 home runs and 60 RBI. He also won his second Gold Glove.
Heyward's now entering his prime with the rival Cubs, who are building a legitimate winner after signing uber-utility player Ben Zobrist.
The comments probably sting just a little more than normal considering the Cubs, who have not won a World Series in more than a century, defeated the Cardinals in the 2015 National League Division Series.
The "money grab" comments were all over social media from Cardinals fans, but given the comments and this information from Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan, that doesn't seem to be the case:
Most likely these comments will blow over until the next time the Cubs and Cardinals take the field. Who knows if Heyward will get a high and tight fastball, but a St. Louis win against Chicago will be just a little sweeter for the guys in the Cardinals' clubhouse.
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