Dodgers: Freddie Freeman Pushed for Jason Heyward in LA

After Jason Heyward signed with the Dodgers last month, former Atlanta Braves teammate, Freddie Freeman was very excited about the reunion.

The two players' friendship stems from childhood and was only strengthened after getting a chance to play together in the same clubhouse. The pair were former picks out of high school in the 2007 MLB Draft and have accumulated experience as they now enter their 14th season.

Dodger Insider tweeted out how Freeman was influential in bringing Heyward to LA.

Freddie Freeman, who has known Jason Heyward since he was 16 and was his teammate in Atlanta, lobbied for the Dodgers to sign the Gold Glove OF. “He's got a little chip on his shoulder. I know he wants to come in and compete for a job.”
— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) January 13, 2023

Expanding a bit, Freeman shared that he may have been in the ear of the LA front office saying to keep an eye on Heyward and pushing Andrew Friedman and company to take a shot on the former All-Star.

"It might have been a lot," Freeman said of his part in getting Heyward in LA. "When I talked to Jason in the last couple of months of the season last year and seeing where the Chicago Cubs and him were going, I went straight to Andrew Friedman and Brandon Gomes and was like, 'hey, guys it's a perfect fit. He's a wonderful human and there's a lot left in there' so I stayed on them for a little bit and as the offseason went on I talked to Jason pretty much every day and things kind of just fell into place and I got my friend back. I've just been telling him how wonderful the Dodgers have been for me this past year and he's really excited."

Prior to the 2016 season, Heyward spent seven seasons in Chicago but struggled to perform strongly, especially in contrast to such high expectations of the eight-year, $184 million contract he was on.

Heyward hasn’t posted a wRC+ above league average since 2020. In 2018-2019, the 33-year-old posted back-to-back 100 wRC+.

Last season he hit just .204 with 10 RBIs and one home run in 137 plate appearances– it was the worst offensive numbers of his career. As far as defense, however, Heyward is still in the top 20th percentile in outs above average across all MLB outfielders.

With his new team, the five-time Gold Glove Award winner can possibly get back into form and become more productive offensively. After all, Heyward was key in leading the Cubs to the 2016 World Series.

With a new club and a long-time friend by his side again, the veteran left-handed outfielder can hopefully live up to power potential.