Atlanta Braves Should Reunite With Recently Cut Jason Heyward

Former Atlanta Braves outfielder Jason Heyward is a free agent. Would it be worth it to kick the tires on a cheap deal?

Former Atlanta Braves outfielder Jason Heyward has been released by the Dodgers and is a free agent. / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Dodgers have officially cut ties with former Atlanta Braves outifelder Jason Heyward. The news was first reported by MLB insider Robert Murray.

Jason Heyward cleared waivers and has been released by the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to the transactions log. He’s now a free agent.

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) August 26, 2024

He’s the odd man out as the Dodgers look to clear space on a crammed roster. 

Since he wasn’t outrighted to Triple-A and is out of the organization, he is free to sign wherever he pleases, should he get an offer. 

It’s been nearly a decade since Heyward was last in a Braves uniform. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in November 2014. 

But maybe that could change. While his reunion with Freddie Freeman has come to an end, maybe a reunion with his former team could be next. In a year where the Braves are running it back with a few names, Heyward could be the next guy to partake. 

Heyward spent the first five seasons of his career with the Braves. He was an all-star during his rookie season in 2010 and finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting to Buster Posey - they got that pick right, not gonna argue it. 

4/5/10 Jason Heyward hammers his first career home run. #Braves pic.twitter.com/WCEVVme1Dl

— Historical Baseball Stats (@HistoricalBaseb) March 11, 2024

He also won his first of five gold gloves with the Braves in 2012. 

So, the nostalgia points are there. Now let’s talk about what he would bring to the team a decade later. 

Let’s talk his bat. This season, Hayward has a slash line of .208/.289/.393 with six home runs and 28 RBIs. Not great, but that’s looking better than a lot of their other options. 

Maybe he, like other recent additions, returns to form upon return. Just a season ago, he had a slash line of .269/.340/.473 with 15 home runs and 40 RBIs. Would he be even better in Atlanta and have everybody saying, “Of course that happened.” 

But the big addition would be his glove. His defense would be a huge addition. He’s also primarily played right field this year, meaning he could be an improvement offensively and defensively over Adam Duvall, or Triple-A options such as Luke Williams or Eli White. 

Of course, these reunions don’t always work out. We saw an example of such with Eddie Rosario just this season. But if it it works on a low-cost contract and Hayward is able to significantly contribute to a playoff push and playoff run, then it’ll make the reunion all the more sweet.