Before the Atlanta Braves traded Jason Heyward to the St. Louis Cardinals in a four-player deal, the club reportedly received a query about Heyward from the New York Yankees. New York was interested in Heyward *and* all-world defensive shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who the Braves signed to a long-term deal last winter. From the New York Daily News…
According to two major league sources, the Yankees and Atlanta Braves were talking more than we knew over the winter, in addition to swapping Manny Banuelos and David Carpenter. The Yanks were interested in what would have been a blockbuster acquisition of outfielder Jason Heyward and shortstop Andrelton Simmons.
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Had the Yankees acquired Heyward, my understanding is that they would have made Carlos Beltran the primary designated hitter (a position where Alex Rodriguez will also see some time), and would not have acquired Garrett Jones.
GUH. I can deal with Jason Heyward, Cardinals outfielder…I don’t think I could deal with Jason Heyward, Yankees outfielder.
Heyward turns 26 in August, and will hit the free agent market this winter. He’s going to be one of the top five free agents on the market, and a big year could push him to the top of the offseason rankings. So New York *could* end up making another play for him in eight months, but keep in mind, the Yankees already have $183.8 million dedicated to their 2016 payroll.
But hey, Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran both come off the books following 2016, so it may not be that hard to move one of them to make room for Heyward. An outfield of Heyward, Brett Gardner, and Jacoby Ellsbury would unquestionably be the best defensive trio in the game.
