Chicago Cubs: Jason Heyward vs. himself
We start with a unique battle in that it’s not one player against another. Even still, it is one of the more interesting battles out there.
Heyward should head into spring training with one thought in his mind: Make Joe Maddon’s job difficult. Or, to borrow a phrase from Maddon himself, try not to suck.
A rough spring training from Heyward will make Maddon’s job easy.
That would give Chicago a natural every-day lineup of Willson Contreras at catcher, Anthony Rizzo at first, Javier Baez at second, Kris Bryant at third, Addison Russell at short, Albert Almora Jr. or Jon Jay in center, with Kyle Schwarber and Ben Zobrist as the corner outfielders.
Even with a massive contract, Heyward would be the odd man out.
But what happens if Heyward rediscovers his bat?
Does he become a corner outfielder? If so, where does Schwarber fit in? He’s not just a No. 3 catcher. Could a big camp from Heyward open the door for a trade? It’s certainly possible.
If not, would Heyward be moved to center? Jay is a prototypical fourth outfielder. But Almora is one of the game’s top prospects.
Might a strong spring training from Heyward open up trade possibilities for Almora? If nothing else, it would certainly create some interesting questions.
Given that the Cubs are the reigning World Series champs and what happens in spring training could open the door for at least one high profile early season trade, Heyward vs. himself is a remarkably compelling spring training battle.