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The St. Louis Cardinals have announced that they have extended the $15.8 million qualifying offer to outfielder Jason Heyward and starting pitcher John Lackey.
The Cardinals have made qualifying offers to OF Jason Heyward and RHP John Lackey.
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) November 6, 2015
The 26-year-old Heyward has put together a stellar six-year career at the major league level. Split between the Atlanta Braves and the Cardinals, Heyward has had exceptional full years when healthy. In his first year with the Cardinals, Jason Heyward hit .293/.359/.439 with 13 home runs, 60 runs batted in and 23 stolen bases.
Heyward is an exceptional outfielder. While he has experience as a center fielder, his best position is right field. Heyward has saved a minimum of 15 runs with both his range and his powerful throwing arm. Last year, he saved 22 runs with his defense.
Lackey is a 13-year veteran of the game. He is usually a durable, reliable pitcher. Last year with the St. Louis Cardinals, he posted his career-best 2.77 ERA in his first full year in the National League. He went 13-10 over 218.0 innings so he can still garner some serious attention from other teams around the league.
Heyward is expected to reject the qualifying offer because, at age-26, he is the youngest outfielder available. His talents more than justify sacrificing a draft pick to acquire his services for multiple years. Lackey, while he is a strong force in any rotation, is 37 years old so he may command two-year contracts at best. This possibility will weigh on him, but he'll probably reject the qualifying offer.
