Multi-Time Gold Glover DFA'd for 3rd Time in 4 Seasons

The San Diego Padres had a hole to fill in left field for the 2025 season, and were hoping that a former top prospect in all of baseball and a five-time Gold Glover would be the answer. But Jason Heyward, at 35, is not the player he used to be (in fact, he was never really the player he 'used to be'), and has been DFA'd by the Friars.

The Padres announced that Jason Heyward has been designated for assignment pic.twitter.com/aOER4bqcAx
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 21, 2025

This is the second straight season that Heyward has been designated for assignment, and the third time in the last four seasons. The Chicago Cubs, after seven years of getting mostly mediocre offense from the elite outfielder (OPS+ of just 85), cut him loose in 2022, just before he was to enter free agency.

He caught on with the LA Dodgers in 2023, and had a bounce-back season, before they DFA'd him in 2024 amidst another rough year at the plate.

Jason Heyward DFA'd by Padres after batting .176

The Padres decided to give Heyward a shot this season, signing him to a one-year, $1M deal and handing him the left field job that was vacated by Jurickson Profar leaving in free agency. Heyward struggled, however, in 34 games, batting just .176 with a .494 OPS. He also made his way to the injured list a couple of times.

It's unclear if any other MLB team will give the 16-year veteran another crack at it.

Despite his always questionable offense over most of his career, Heyward still compiled a 41.5 Wins Above Replacement (WAR), per Baseball Reference, due to his strong defense in the outfield. He was an All-Star once, way back in his rookie season of 2010.

As for San Diego and their left field spot, they'll go back to inserting DH Gavin Sheets there on most nights, though that's not preferable from a defensive standpoint. They'll continue to search for another solution. The Padres were said to have interest in a Boston Red Sox All-Star at one point earlier this season.