Two former Chicago Cubs players have recently accepted front office roles with other teams.
We learned last month that 2016 World Series champion Kyle Hendricks accepted a front office role with the Detroit Tigers. The longtime Cubs pitcher is expected to focus on developing pitchers in Detroit.
Hendricks took that job in large part because of his relationship with Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris and general manager Jeff Greenberg. Both Harris and Greenberg were in Chicago with Hendricks at one point.
However, another member of that 2016 World Series team has accepted a front office position with another organization. ESPN journalist Alden Gonzalez reported that Jason Heyward has joined the Los Angeles Dodgers front office as a special assistant.
Heyward spent the tail end of his career with the Dodgers, but the majority of his career was with the Cubs. The five-time Gold Glove winner played seven of his 16 seasons on the North Side.
The Cubs originally signed Heyward to an eight-year, $184 million deal ahead of the 2016 season. He played for the team from 2016 to 2022 before the front office released him one year ahead of his contract expiring.
Although Heyward never really lived up to his large contract, he will always be remembered for helping the Cubs win a World Series. His rain delay speech in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series has gone down as one of the most pivotal moments in the team’s history.
Chicago and Cleveland were all tied up when a rain delay stopped play ahead of the 10th inning. With momentum all on Cleveland’s side following a game-tying two-run home run off Aroldis Chapman in the eighth inning, Heyward took it into his own hands to get his teammates' spirits back up.
During a 17-minute rain delay, Heyward called his teammates into the visiting team’s weight room. There, he delivered a heartfelt speech that stuck with the players. The Cubs would then score two runs in the top of the 10th inning and hold off Cleveland in the bottom frame to break the 108-year curse.
It is a bit surprising that both Hendricks and Heyward accepted front office roles with teams other than the Cubs. Hendricks goes to Detroit as a pitching assistant, and Heyward goes back to Los Angeles as a specialist assistant.
The Cubs, though, did talk with both former players about joining their front office, according to Jesse Rogers. But both Hendricks and Heyward decided to go elsewhere.
