Jason Heyward is among the last of the Chicago Cubs World Series core left standing, and fans are wondering if he’s the next one to go.
It wasn’t that long ago that hope on the North Side was strong.
But just as soon as the Chicago Cubs curse was broken, the bill came due. Call it another curse or call it poor management, but Homer Simpson more gracefully fell off a cliff than the Cubs have since 2016.
Jason Heyward, who was instrumental in the lore of the infamous Game 7 rain delay, was once the thorn in the side of fans looking for a scapegoat to blame for the club’s lack of spending capital. Now he’s among the last remaining vestiges of that World Series core, and he might not be around Wrigley much longer.
Heyward took to social media to post a cryptic message that will certainly have many Cubs fans wondering what it means for his future with the team.
“Appreciate the present; no matter what.. that future you’re devoted to isn’t promised, and it doesn’t happen without right now,” the caption reads.
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Cubs Rumors: Is Jason Heyward the next World Series star to exit?
What does it mean? What an existential question perfectly suited for a Cubs fan. Times on the North Side have been rough lately, as the aftermath of the fire sale at last year’s trade deadline hasn’t gone as swimmingly as advertised.
At the time, when the Cubs front office was auctioning off its World Series core for pennies on the dollar, fans were sold a bill of goods that suggested the moves were being made as a means of reloading rather than rebuilding.
Turns out the snake oil was thick.
The Cubs own the fifth-worst record in baseball and have yet to reach double-digit wins this season. Now Heyward is posting cryptic messages on social media that may be an early signal of his exit or just a call to appreciate things while we have them because you never know when your boss is going to trade everyone away.
A year ago Cubs fans would have greeted such a message by rejoicing how it meant the team might have the money to bring back the likes of Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, or sign a top free agent to add to the core. Now it’s just another shoulder shrug in an otherwise aimless and hopeless march toward an uncertain future.