The first blockbuster trade of the offseason went down on Monday, as the Braves sent outfielder Jason Heyward and righty reliever Jordan Walden to the Cardinals for right-hander Shelby Miller and pitching prospect Tyrell Jenkins. As Dayn Perry explained, the deal makes sense for both clubs.
St. Louis had a massive hole in right field this past season. The team's right fielders combined to hit a weak .237/.283/.326 (67 OPS+) with nine home runs in 2014, far below what a contending team expects from a corner position. They cycled through the likes of Allen Craig, Shane Robinson, Randal Grichuk and the late Oscar Taveras at the position.
As uncomfortable as this is to discuss, Taveras' death forced the Cardinals to switch gears this winter. Taveras was considered a potential star and one of the top two or three prospects in the game, and it stood to reason he would get a chance to man right field full-time in 2014. That plan changed when he was killed in a car accident last month. That's the reality of the situation.
In Heyward, the Cardinals get an above-average hitter and one of the best defensive outfielders in the world. He hit .271/.351/.384 (108 OPS+) in 2014 and owns a .266/.345/.431 (113 OPS+) batting line over the last three years. St. Louis has a knack for getting the most out of players, so I know I wouldn't be surprised if he has a career year at the plate in 2014.
The various defensive stats rate Heyward as truly elite in right field, so much so that he also spent 20 games in center field in Atlanta in 2013. He can do it if needed -- Heyward is physically huge (6-foot-5, 245 lbs.) but he runs well and gets tremendous reads, which is why he can play in the middle of the field -- and that's something his new team can use to their advantage.
Barring another trade, the Cardinals will go into next season with Heyward, Grichuk, Matt Holliday, Jon Jay and Peter Bouros slated for the outfield. Heyward and Holliday are guys they'll want in the lineup every day. Jay is the best of the rest of the lot, but the right-handed Grichuk has huge power and could be a real weapon against lefties. Bourjos is a standout defender who is perhaps best used as a defensive replacement.
So, with Heyward on board, the St. Louis starting outfield could shake out like this:
| 2015 Cardinals: Possible Outfield Alignments | ||
| Position | Player vs. RHP | Player vs. LHP |
|---|---|---|
| LF | Matt Holliday | Matt Holliday |
| CF | Jon Jay | Jason Heyward |
| RF | Jason Heyward | Randal Grichuk |
| BENCH | Randal Grichuk | Jon Jay |
| BENCH | Peter Bourjos | Peter Bourjos |
Furthermore, Heyward also has the flexibility to hit in several spots in the lineup. He has primarily hit leadoff with the Braves over the last few seasons, but the Cardinals have an excellent leadoff man in Matt Carpenter. Heyward could also hit second or third ... or cleanup or fifth. He fits all over the place because he has some pop and does such a good job getting on base. That plays everywhere.
If manager Mike Matheny wants to keep Heyward in the leadoff spot -- perfectly reasonable -- he could fill out his lineup card like so:
| 2015 Cardinals: Possible Lineup | ||
| Lineup Spot | vs. RHP | vs. LHP |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | RF Jason Heyward | CF Jason Heyward |
| 2. | 3B Matt Carpenter | 3B Matt Carpenter |
| 3. | LF Matt Holliday | LF Matt Holliday |
| 4. | 1B Matt Adams | SS Jhonny Peralta |
| 5. | SS Jhonny Peralta | C Yadier Molina |
| 6. | C Yadier Molina | 1B Matt Adams |
| 7. | CF Jon Jay | RF Randal Grichuk |
| 8. | 2B Kolten Wong | 2B Kolten Wong |
Don't like those lineups? Fine. What about these instead:
| 2015 Cardinals: Possible Lineup | ||
| Lineup Spot | vs. RHP | vs. LHP |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 3B Matt Carpenter | 3B Matt Carpenter |
| 2. | SS Jhonny Peralta | SS Jhonny Peralta |
| 3. | RF Jason Heyward | RF Jason Heyward |
| 4. | LF Matt Holliday | LF Matt Holliday |
| 5. | 1B Matt Adams | C Yadier Molina |
| 6. | C Yadier Molina | 1B Matt Adams |
| 7. | CF Jon Jay | RF Randal Grichuk |
| 8. | 2B Kolten Wong | 2B Kolten Wong |
There's no right answer here, certainly not in mid November. Matheny has the rest of the offseason and all of spring training to sit around and dream up lineup scenarios with his stacked roster. Chances are he will cycle through several lineup permutations early next season before settling on something that resembles a set lineup because that's what every team does each season.
Point is, Heyward is not a player who is shoe-horned into a lineup spot or even an outfield spot. He's not someone who is married to the top of the order or the middle of the order (or the bottom of the order) whose defense relegates him to low-profile spot. The Cardinals are a club with a lot of interchangeable parts and that's one of the reasons why they are so successful. Heyward fits the mold perfectly.
