The St. Louis Cardinals acquired outfielder Jason Heyward from the Atlanta Braves earlier this offseason and will have a different role with his new team. In Arizona, the Diamondbacks avoided arbitration with shortstop Cliff Pennington.
St. Louis solidified their outfield and improved their offense with the addition of Heyward and now manager Mike Matheny will be tasked with inserting him into the lineup. According to Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, it looks like the 25-year-old will be batting second or third with the Cardinals.
"I think it's too early to start falling in love with a lineup," said Matheny. "But I want to have a conversation with Heyward to see where he feels most comfortable. And the rest of the guys, as well ... I can see Jason as a '2' or '3' guy. And I really like him in the '2' hole."
Heyward batted leadoff for the Braves for 94 games last season and slashed .270/.343/.393 with 47 runs scored, 10 home runs and 39 RBIs. He then batted fifth for the rest of his at-bats (54 games) and maintained a .274/.368/.368 stat line with 27 runs scored, one home run and 19 RBIs. He has actually spent most of his career batting second (203 games) and has compiled his best power numbers (25 home runs and 78 RBIs) to go along with 118 runs scored and 113 walks.
The Cardinals signed reliever Jordan Walden, who also came along with Heyward in the trade, to a two-year deal this offseason. They'll have Heyward for the 2015 season before he becomes a free agent.
Shortstop Cliff Pennington solved a contract issue with his incumbent team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. On Monday the two sides avoided arbitration with a one-year, $3.275 million contract, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Pennington has played in only 164 games with the D-Backs over the past two seasons, but is a key utility player and was entering his third year of arbitration eligibility.
Pennington owns a career stat line of .248/.315/.350 with 27 home runs, 190 RBIs and 77 stolen bases in seven MLB seasons and has the ability to play shortstop, second base and third base. Arizona's second baseman Aaron Hill has been battling injuries over the past two seasons, so it looks like Pennington may have an increased role in 2015 if that continues to be the case.
Additionally, manager Chip Hale said shortstop Chris Owings may not be ready for spring training because he's recovering from surgery on the posterior labrum in his left shoulder. Pennington could potentially be the team's starting shortstop on Opening Day depending on Owings' health.
