Jason Heyward is one of the more intriguing free agents to hit the market in years. Since he was just 20 when he reached the majors, he hits free agency in the prime of his career at age 26. That makes him a safer investment than many older free agents, since even a nine-year contract would take him through just his age-34 season.
But what kind of investment will it take to sign Heyward? Since he entered the league, he ranks eighth among all position players in Baseball-Reference WAR, behind only Robinson Cano, Adrian Beltre, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout, Andrew McCutchen, Joey Votto and Jose Bautista.