There were plenty of suitors for prized free agent outfielder Jason Heyward, but ultimately the former St. Louis Cardinal left more money on the table to join the Cubs.
Heyward spurned multiple teams with more lucrative offers to sign an eight-year, nearly $180 million megadeal with the Cubs.
Less than a week after agreeing to a deal with the Cubs, Heyward was introduced to the media, alongside Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer, in a press conference at Spiaggia Restaurant in downtown Chicago on Tuesday — which ironically comes exactly a year after the Cubs held a press conference at the same location for the signing of Jon Lester.
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The 26-year-old Heyward revealed that winning a World Series and breaking a 107-year curse was a factor in signing with the Cubs.
"It'd be a beautiful thing to win a World Series for one," Heyward said. "It's a no-brainer that it would be making history here."
Heyward admitted that the money didn't play a factor in his decision.
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"Every time money comes up, I feel like the media talks about it way more than I'm thinking about it," Heyward added.
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Targeting Heyward in free agency was a no-brainer for Epstein.
"We saw this as a real unique opportunity," Epstein said. "He has a knack for getting big hits. He makes his teammates better."
Esptein added: Heyward plays "our kind of baseball. He does all the little things to win a baseball game."
Stay with CSNChicago.com for more reaction from Heyward's press conference.