Last winter, the Chicago Cubs signed Jason Heyward to an eight-year, $184 million contract. Less than 11 months later, they won their first World Series since the Teddy Roosevelt administration.
Here's the rub: They did it as much in spite of Heyward as because of him.
Heyward played 142 games in his first season on the North Side and won a Gold Glove for his work in right field. His exploits in the batter's box, however, defined abysmal.
He hit .230 and set career lows in on-base percentage (.306) and slugging percentage (.