‘It’s been a blast’: Former Cubs star Jason Heyward retires from baseball

Former Cubs star Jason Heyward, who was one of the key members of the group that brought the team its first World Series win in over a century, has announced his retirement.

Heyward revealed the news Friday, marking an end to his 16 seasons in Major League Baseball, which included time with the Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Dodgers, Astros and Padres.

“I wanted to reach this moment and know without a doubt that it was time to walk away, and I do. No second-guessing, no looking back, just gratitude,” Heyward said in a statement.

The news comes just one day after the Cubs’ 2026 home opener, kickstarting a season 10 years from the coveted 2016 World Series season that made baseball history.

Heyward, who signed the biggest contract in franchise history — an eight-year, $184 million deal entering 2016 — spent seven seasons in Chicago, helping the Cubs win the franchise’s first World Series title since 1908.

A respected leader in the clubhouse who won two of his five Gold Gloves with the Cubs, Heyward will go down in franchise lore for the rain delay speech he delivered during Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.

He was released from the team in 2022. The Dodgers then brought him in on a minor league contract for the 2023 season and signed him to a one-year, $9 million deal for the 2024 campaign. He was designated for assignment and then released, before he inked a contract with the Houston Astros in August 2024.

Heyward plans to spend his retirement focusing more on his Jason Heyward Baseball Academy, a “youth development program that mentors young athletes and provides them with the tools and training needed to succeed both on and off the baseball field.”

He also said he plans to continue his mentorship of the next generation of MLB stars and grow his relationships across multiple sectors.

“Sixteen years in this game gave me everything, and now I get to give some of that back,” Heyward said. “Through the Jason Heyward Baseball Academy, I get to mentor the next generation, keep my hands in the game, and make sure kids in my community have the opportunities and the space to dream the same way I did. And it does not stop there. Staying connected to the younger guys coming up through the league and being a resource for them as they navigate this game matters to me just as much. It’s been a heck of a career. It’s been a blast.”