Report: Chicago White Sox had interest in Jason Heyward
According to a report and tweet from Joel Sherman of The New York Post on Tuesday, the Chicago White Sox were one of a handful of teams close to trading for Jason Heyward this offseason.
Here is the tweet from Sherman:
#Yankees were among many teams that called on Heyward, but teams close b4 went to #stlcards were #whitesox and #sfgiants
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) March 10, 2015
How interesting would that have been for the White Sox if they would have traded for Heyward, a right fielder, in a deal with the Atlanta Braves?
Heyward (and Jordan Walden) were eventually traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Tyrell Jenkins and Shelby Miller.
I’m still curious as who who the White Sox would have had to offer to obtain Heyward from the Braves in a trade. Looking at who the Cardinals let go, it looks like it would have had to include a young pitcher, but that is just a guess on my part.
The good news for the White Sox in all of this was they were able to sign Melky Cabrera via free agency, and to be honest, I’d rather the White Sox have Cabrera than Heyward, though both are very good players.
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I can see why the White Sox were interested in Heyward as he batted .271 with a .351 on-base percentage and .384 slugging percentage. He hit 11 home runs last season with the Braves and finished with 58 RBIs in 149 games last season.
This spring Heyward, with the Cardinals (before games on Tuesday), has played in three games with a .429 average in seven at-bats. Heyward has three hits (all singles) with one RBI and one strikeout.
Mar 4, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago White Sox outfielder Melky Cabrera bats in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training baseball game at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
But on the other hand, with Cabrera, the White Sox gained a player who (with the Blue Jays last season) batted .301 with a .351 OBP and .458 SLG. In 139 games, Cabrera had 16 home runs and 73 RBIs.
Cabrera this spring, in four games with the White Sox, has a .111 average before Tuesday’s game, with one hit in nine at-bats. He has no RBIs and two walks.
Again, even though he cost the White Sox a little more money, I believe Cabrera was the right player for the White Sox to obtain this offseason to replace Dayan Viciedo in the outfield.
As a White Sox fan, which would you rather have happened this offseason: the White Sox trade for Heyward or what happened in the White Sox signing Cabrera via free agency?
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