Report: Cubs land Heyward with 8-year, $184M deal

If you can't beat them, join them. Jason Heyward is leaving the St. Louis Cardinals for the division rival Chicago Cubs.

Two months after eliminating the Cardinals in the NL Division Series, the Cubs struck a deal with their rival's most coveted free agent, reportedly agreeing with Heyward on an eight-year, $184-million contract that makes Chicago the prohibitive favorite to win its first World Series in more than 100 years.

The club had yet to confirm the deal, but multiple reports said an agreement between Heyward and the Cubs was in place.

Heyward's deal - seemingly well below the $200-million contract the Gold Glove outfielder was rumored to be seeking - includes a pair of opt-out clauses, according to Peter Gammons, one of which can reportedly be triggered after the third year.

Heyward, widely considered the top position player available this offseason, was pursued aggressively by several teams, including the Cardinals, who were reportedly informed he would not return moments before news of his decision broke.

Acquired in a trade with Atlanta last winter, Heyward hit .293/.359/.439 with 13 homers and 23 stolen bases during his only season in St. Louis while topping all right fielders with 22 defensive runs saved. His 12.7 wins above replacement since the beginning of 2014 are the fifth most in baseball among position players.

It's unclear where the 26-year-old Heyward will play in Joe Maddon's outfield, though earlier indications suggest he'll assume the middle of the field with Jorge Soler already in right and the expected departure of last year's starting center fielder, Dexter Fowler. Other reports raise the possibility of the Cubs dealing Soler for pitching and either re-signing Fowler or pursuing other external options in center.

Either way, Chicago's acquisition of Heyward - at the expense of its intense division rival, no less - caps a spectacular week for Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer after the Cubs executives bolstered their 97-win team by signing Ben Zobrist and former Cardinals right-hander John Lackey.

Heyward and Lackey will cost the Cubs their first two picks in next year's draft - including the 28th pick overall - after the pair rejected $15.8-million qualifying offers last month.