Gold Glove 5th inning outfielder Jason Hayward (34) was released from the Chicago Cubs after the season last year. He had one more year left on his eight-year, $184 million free agent contract, but the Cubs cleared Hayward while blowing $22 million in salary this year. 

The team that reached out to Hayward at the crossroads of his career was the Los Angeles Dodgers. In December of last year, he signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers. The Dodgers showed their sincerity in the recruitment of Hayward, who has recently seen a sharp decline, although there was no financial burden as he only had to pay the minimum annual salary of 720,000 dollars. 

According to the US’The Athletic’ on the 4th (Korean time), Hayward said, “After leaving the Cubs, I wasn’t sure which team would contact me. It was a difficult time for him to be true to himself. But the Dodgers called me three days in a row. They contacted me first, and it was amazing.” 

Hayward continued, “I was looking to see if I could recover and be a part of the Dodgers. Their answer was ‘definitely’. The process of getting to know the Dodgers staff was cool, but something different. They took the time to visit in person and wanted to let them know how sincere this opportunity was. There were other teams, but from my point of view, I needed an opportunity to sign a contract as soon as possible and exercise.” 

Heyward, a left-handed left-handed outfielder who made his major league debut with the Atlanta Braves in 2010, played an active part as an outfielder. After going through the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015, he signed an 8-year, $184 million free agent contract with the Cubs that winter. He contributed to the Cubs winning the World Series since the first year of 2016 with the highest contract ever for the Cubs, but the joy was short-lived. Throughout his contract period, he was left with a lot of ups and downs. 744 total games for 7 years with the Cubs, batting average .245, 62 homers, OPS .700. An adjusted OPS of 86 was below average.  먹튀검증

In the last two years in a row, grades have dropped sharply. In particular, last year, in the aftermath of a knee injury, he had a career-low season with a batting average of .204, 28 hits, 1 homer, 10 RBIs, and an OPS of .556 in 48 games. The last game was against St. Louis on June 25 last year. In August, the Cubs effectively parted ways as he moved to the 60-day long-term injured list. 

In a situation where recovery was uncertain, the Dodgers captured Hayward’s heart by calling him for three consecutive days. The Dodgers, who released center fielder Cody Bellinger (Cubs) as a non-tender, needed outfield depth reinforcement. Hayward, who has been working out this winter at Dodger Stadium to build up his body, joins Glendale Spring Training in Arizona from the 21st and aims for a revival. 

Meanwhile, Hayward established a baseball academy under his name on the West Side of Chicago on the 3rd. With an area of ​​10 acres (about 40,000 square meters), it has prepared sports facilities and learning spaces for youth in the Chicago area. “My family is a member of this community and we want to create more opportunities and a lasting impact for our children,” Hayward said.