Wittenmyer: Cubs' Jason Heyward Not the Problem — Not Even in Top 5

Yu Darvish’s six-year, $126 million deal arguably was worse than Heyward’s, too, having been signed during that same offseason and producing similarly negative WAR, again, when the Cubs needed production the most that year. On the other hand, Darvish at least had enough value by 2020 that the Cubs netted a promising return prospects by trading him.He certainly has underperformed his eight-year, $184 million contract.

What other players? Rookie Nelson Velázquez started Saturday, had two hits and will play more as his performance and the matchups present chances to succeed. He also has a career strikeout problem that suggest a free run to play everyday might not be the best approach right away. Top outfield prospect Brennen Davis is hurt. Free agent right fielder Seiya Suzuki is on the injured list and probably starting a rehab assignment at Iowa next week.

But Heyward has been nothing but a respected within the team from the day he got there and a constructive influence in the clubhouse — more so now than ever on younger players as a veteran with a track record that includes eight playoff seasons for three franchises and an unmatched reputation for work and preparation.

Where’s the Cubs bump for Ian Happ, a top-three WAR outfielder in the National League who ranked 17th in the early fan voting? Is the team’s awful performance suppressing his All-Star vote?“Hopefully, there’s a nice push towards the end, and you get a chance to be involved in that,” said Happ, who hasn’t made an All-Star team. “It’s something that would obviously be incredible and mean a lot to me.

This is false. Heyward is at this point stealing AB from others. Ross can't stop playing him, & he's one of the worst hitters in baseball. His contract is partially directly responsible for the lack of splashes by Cubs. He may not be the worst, but he's absolutely a problem.

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