When Jason Heyward agreed to a 8-year, $184 million contract with the Chicago Cubs on Friday, the decision wasn’t an easy one for the St. Louis Cardinals to swallow. Losing a three-time gold glove recipient to a crosstown rival certainly seems disheartening less than three months after Heyward produced the team’s largest single-season WAR value (6.5) since 2012.
However, the Cardinals have shown the ability to recover from big-name offseason departures in the past, most recently when three-time MVP Albert Pujols left the Gateway City for a 10-year, $254 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels.