Priests announced that they have released Jason Heyward. This is the expected result after he was assigned as a mission on the weekend.
San Diego signed a one-year, $1MM free agent deal. They hope he can become a cheap left-handed guy in the left-field row. It didn’t work. Heyward hit .176/.223/.271 with a 95-set home run. He missed several weeks of knee inflammation in mid-April and has been confined to tilt strains since May 24. He is healthy now, but the Padres chose not to regain his active roster. On 296 trips to the plate, San Diego’s left fielder hit .220/.270/.320. As the deadline approaches, it’s a clear area for upgrades.
Heyward, 35, returns to the open market. Last season, he split between the Dodgers and the Astros, hitting .211/.288/.412 in 87 games. He unexpectedly turned a strong .269/.340/.473 slash as the Dodgers’ volleyball bat two seasons ago, but his work has since fallen. If he catches up elsewhere, his new team will only pay him a minimum percentage of $760,000 in the league, which is any time he spends in the major leagues. Otherwise, the priest will be in trouble with the rest of his salary.
