Outfielder Jason Heyward has reportedly been traded from the Atlanta Braves to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for young starting pitcher Shelby Miller. Relief pitcher Jordan Walden was also sent from Atlanta, while the Cardinals shipped right-hander Tyrell Jenkins.
The move fills a hole for the Cardinals that was left by the tragic passing of young outfielder Oscar Taveras this offseason in the Dominican Republic. Taveras was projected to be a bopper in the middle of the Cardinals' lineup this season, but in acquiring Heyward, the Cardinals may be taking the team in a new direction.
Heyward was decent at the plate in 2014, slashing .271/.351/.384 with 11 home runs and 20 stolen bases. He was worth 5.4 WAR per Fangraphs, however, despite those relatively pedestrian numbers.
Much like Alex Gordon of the Kansas City Royals, much of Heyward's valued is derived from his defense. Heyward posted a 24.1 UZR, saved 32 runs, and made 122 plays outside of his zone. In St. Louis, he will be paired with another defensive specialist-center fielder Jon Jay. While left fielder Matt Holliday is no Gold Glove-caliber fielder, he was worth 3.8 wins last season on the strength of his bat.
All in all, the Cardinals' expected starting outfield was worth 11.7 wins collectively in 2014, and largely because of their defense. Add Yadier Molina, Matt Carpenter, and Jhonny Peralta, all above average defenders at their positions, and St. Louis appears to be mimicking the Royals' path to the World Series, albeit with more power in the order.
As for the Braves, this trade doesn't betray much of a shift in philosophy. They've acquired a talented young pitcher, which the Braves franchise has had plenty of since the 1990s. Miller had a down 2014, but still averages upward of 93 miles per hour on his fastball with a vicious 77-mile-per-hour curve.
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