MLB Rumors: Jason Heyward, Dodgers Agree to New 1-Year, $9M Contract in Free Agency

The Los Angeles Dodgers and veteran outfielder Jason Heyward agreed to a one-year, $9 million deal Monday, according to ESPN's Kiley McDaniel.

Heyward is coming off a productive year with L.A. He hit 15 home runs and slugged .473, his second-best output in that category, in 124 games. He was tied for sixth among Dodgers position players with 2.2 WAR, per FanGraphs.

The 34-year-old complemented his production at the plate with the defense on which he has built his reputation. According to Baseball Savant, he ranked in the 81st percentile in fielding run value and the 91st percentile in range.

Heyward offered manager Dave Roberts some positional flexibility. Right field (90 games) was his primary position, but he occupied center (23 games) and left (seven games) for stretches, per Baseball Reference.

In an interview with SportsNet LA, first baseman Freddie Freeman lobbied for the Dodgers to re-sign Heyward, who was also his teammate on the Atlanta Braves.

ESPN's Alden González laid out the value the five-time Gold Glove winner will continue to bring:

The question remains how much more Los Angeles plans to spend to avoid a third straight exit in the NLDS.

The Dodgers were the favorites to sign Shohei Ohtani in a poll of 14 MLB executives by MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. They've also been linked with Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is widely considered to be the top pitcher on the board.