Should St. Louis Extend Jason Heyward?

Even though Jason Heyward has yet to play an inning for the St. Louis Cardinals, management already has a decision to make regarding the outfielder’s future. With just one season left before free agency, the team needs to figure out how much they want to invest in him. They obviously know he has talent, but will they be able to meet Heyward’s demands?

In 2015, Heyward is set to make about $8.3 million. The 25-year old might not be a future Hall of Famer like many predicted he would be in the minors, but he is an above-average outfielder who provides nice statistics in fantasy baseball. He instantly becomes one of the most well-rounded players on the Cardinals, and they know that he is just now getting into his prime.

What makes St. Louis such a sustainable franchise is they rarely overpay for players. Think back to Albert Pujols for any refresher. Heyward won’t be looking for that type of deal, but at the same time the Cardinals know that if the asking price gets too high, they can find a suitable replacement.

Age is going to definitely work in Heyward’s favor, even if he is only coming off a rather modest 2014 year. He had a slash of .271/.351/.384, and he hasn’t exactly turned into a legitimate power threat yet. His age could give him a long-term deal, but for what asking price. A 9 or 10 year deal could lead to a salary of around $200 million, so we are looking at an average of about $20 million a year for one player.

The common consensus around baseball right now is that he will likely only sign a long deal of eight years or more before the 2015 year really gets going. If St. Louis can’t hammer down a deal, Heyward will likely roll the dice and hope for a big year before hitting free agency. St. Louis might only have the slugger around for a short amount of time if that is the case. It might initially sting, but fans need to trust management when it comes to asking price.