The St. Louis Cardinals were denied their fifth straight NLCS appearance when the Chicago Cubs defeated them last night to take the NLDS in four games. Now the Cardinals will focus on the offseason with a number of questions to answer, including whether or not they can re-sign outfielder Jason Heyward.
Rumors earlier in the season indicated there were no "substantive" contract extension talks and last month it was reported a number of other MLB clubs such as the Yankees, Mets, Giants, Indians, Angels and Mariners could also be interested in him.
It's hard to believe Heyward wouldn't be open to re-signing with St. Louis, given their success as a franchise and how he fit in seamlessly with the club in 2015 after coming over in a trade in the offseason. He had some intriguing comments about the situation when talking to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com yesterday.
Impending free-agent Jason Heyward on possibly coming back to #STLCards: "This is definitely an ideal situation."
— Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) October 14, 2015
He then added: "I can't tell you what's going to happen. I wouldn't have been able to tell you a year ago I would be in this spot right now. But I'm very fortunate to have had the opportunity this year to play with these guys. We'll see what happens."
Heyward had his best season since 2012 with the Cardinals this year. He batted .293/.359/.439 with 79 runs scored, 13 home runs, 60 RBIs and 23 stolen bases in 154 games and is expected to take home his third career Gold Glove. He's only 26 years old, so the rumors linking him to many teams across the league are more likely to be true.
However, the Cardinals certainly have the advantage because they provide a favorable future situation for him (which he was able to experience firsthand) and he'll probably be open to discussing a contract with them before hearing out another team.
That could happen soon because general manager John Mozeliak is already getting to work as he plans to meet with other front office personnel in the next few days.
"The Cardinals envisioned Heyward as more than a one-year fit when they swung a November 2014 trade with the Braves that cost them 10 years of controlled pitching for one guaranteed year of Heyward," Langosch wrote on MLB.com. "By bringing Heyward in a year ahead of his free-agency eligibility, the Cardinals hoped to help him find a home.
"Their intent was to sell St. Louis as he was selling himself to them."
