Ex-Dodger Jason Heyward Signs With Houston Astros: Reports
Few American League teams roil the blood of Dodgers fans more than the Houston Astros. Few Dodger players elicited more fondness upon being designated for assignment than Jason Heyward last Thursday.
In an awkward twist of fate, Heyward is joining the Dodgers’ AL rivals, according to multiple reports Tuesday.
Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reported Heyward, 35, is close to signing with the Astros. Ben Verlander of Fox Sports reported the deal is done.
Heyward slashed .208/.289/.393 for the Dodgers before he was designated for assignment last Thursday when Chris Taylor was activated from the injured list. Heyward officially became a free agent Monday.
If and when the contract is official, the Dodgers will be on the hook for all but a pro-rated portion of the major league minimum salary for Heyward, who agreed to a one-year, $9 million contract in December.
It’s a good deal for Heyward, who gets to join the first-place team in the American League West in the thick of a playoff hunt. The Astros are 70-61, 3.5 games ahead of the Seattle Mariners in the American League West.
Houston is looking to extend its streak of consecutive American League Championship Series appearances to eight — a streak that began with the 2017 World Series, in which the Astros trash-can banged their way to a seven-game series victory over the Dodgers. Only two hitters — Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman — remain on the Astros’ roster today, but the bad blood remains.
Enter Heyward, whose DFA elicited strong feelings from longtime teammate Freddie Freeman (and likely others in the Dodgers’ clubhouse).
“What Jason did for the Dodgers in a year and a half was pretty remarkable on the field, in the clubhouse, in the community,” manager Dave Roberts said Friday. “His fingerprint will be everlasting.”
Heyward made the Dodgers’ roster in 2023 as a non-roster invitee out of spring training, then surprised everyone by hitting .269 with 15 home runs and 40 RBIs in a platoon role.
A four-time Gold Glove Award winner in right field, Heyward saw time at four different positions and DH over the last two seasons.
Injuries limited him to 63 games this year, and he was not nearly as productive on the field when healthy. Heyward’s sixth home run of the season was the game-winner for the Dodgers on Aug. 20 against the Seattle Mariners.
Ultimately, that was too little too late to save his roster spot as Taylor returned from the injured list. Now, he’ll hope to take his veteran experience and clutch-hitting skills to an eager Astros team.
If nothing else, it would make for an intriguing storyline in the World Series should both the Dodgers and Astros advance that far.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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Personally, I don’t get the hype. While Heyward had a decent year last year, he reverted back to his subpar statistics and injury prone ways this season. Sure, he might have been a leader in the clubhouse, but so are guys like Mookie, Freeman, and Hernandez…..you know; guys who can actually play and produce. Heck, even Miguel Rojas is doing both these days, leading and producing. The fact is that I was disappointed when they acquired Heyward and continued to run him out there in the starting lineup and from that moment forward I was waiting for them to finally release him. I wish the guy the best, and quite honestly I am THRILLED to see him in Houston. Hopefully they play him every single game and get the same results we have seen throughout Heyward’s career. I’ll take the other side of that equation all day everyday.
I’ve never met the guy, but Heyward seems like a good guy and with some decent baseball skills. That said, he’s been having a weak year and his release didn’t surprise me at all. Good luck to him as long as it’s not against the Dodgers.