Jason Heyward agreed to a one-year deal with the Padres. Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images.
Veteran outfielder Jason Heyward and the San Diego Padres finalized a $1 million, one-year contract on Tuesday.
Heyward can earn $250,000 in performance bonuses: $50,000 each for 200, 250, 300, 350 and 400 plate appearances.
The 35-year-old spent last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros, batting .211 with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs in 87 games. He was 5 for 10 with two homers, a triple and seven RBIs as a pinch hitter.
A five-time Gold Glove winner, Heyward has a .256 career batting average with 184 homers, 718 RBIs, 125 stolen bases and a .748 OPS in 15 major league seasons with the Atlanta Braves (2010-14), St. Louis Cardinals (2015), Chicago Cubs (2016-2022), Dodgers (2023-24) and Astros (2024).
He helped the Cubs win the 2016 World Series and was an All-Star in 2010, when he finished second in NL Rookie of the Year balloting.
He had a $9 million salary last year in his deal with the Dodgers, who released him on Aug. 24. He signed with the Astros four days later.
Astros show signs of life in blowout win over Brewers
May 7, 2025, 3:25 pm
Framber Valdez pitched seven strong innings and Jeremy Peña homered and drove in four runs as the Houston Astros defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 9-1 on Wednesday.
Houston earned just its second victory in seven games to snap Milwaukee’s three-game winning streak and leave both teams with .500 records. The Brewers were attempting to sweep a series from the Astros for the first time since 2012.
The Astros led 3-1 before Peña broke the game open by delivering a three-run homer to left off reliever Elvin Rodriguez with two outs in the sixth inning.
JP3-run bomb. #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/En0XXWdlt0
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 7, 2025
Valdez (2-4) struck out seven while allowing three hits, two walks and one run to earn his first win since the Astros’ March 27 season opener. He threw a season-high 101 pitches.
The Framchise is all business.#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/J8EGGDk5gl
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 7, 2025
Milwaukee’s only run off Valdez came on Eric Haase’s fifth-inning homer, a 425-foot drive to center.
The Astros took a 1-0 lead off Quinn Priester (1-1) in the second inning as Jake Meyers hit a two-out single and scored on Zach Dezenzo’s double.
RBI double for Zach gets us on the board early! #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/AilCY27A9d
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 7, 2025
The Brewers have lost all 13 games this season in which their opponent scored first.
Five-time All-Star closer Josh Hader worked the ninth while pitching in Milwaukee for the first time since the Brewers traded him in 2022.
Key moment
The Astros led 1-0 and had runners on third and second with one out in the fifth when Peña hit a bouncer to third.
Safe all day. #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/OVjcvev7cM
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 7, 2025
The throw home beat Dezenzo to the plate. Home plate umpire Chris Conroy initially ruled Dezenzo out, but the Astros challenged the call and replays showed the runner slid home ahead of Haase’s tag.
Key stat
Valdez has now pitched at least seven innings an MLB-leading 57 times since 2020.
Up next
The Astros host the Cincinnati Reds on Friday. Scheduled pitchers are right-hander Hunter Brown (5-1, 1.67) for the Astros and right-hander Nick Martinez (1-3, 4.19) for the Reds.
The Brewers visit the Tampa Bay Ray on Friday. Left-hander José Quintana (4-1, 2.83) will pitch for the Brewers.
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