After potentially elite lefthanded-hitting outfielder Oscar Taveras was killed in an auto accident in late October 2014, the Cardinals set out to fill that spot by trading for lefthanded-hitting Jason Heyward of Atlanta, who would be a free agent after the season.
Heyward responded with a strong defensive season in right field and batted a career-high .293 with 13 homers in 2015 as he helped the Cardinals win their most recent National League Central Division title. And then he was gone to the Chicago Cubs, where he lined up in 2016 next to center fielder Dexter Fowler. The latter, some 3 ½ years older, had known Heyward since Heyward was in eighth grade in Henry County, Ga.