The Cubs already had given outfielder Jason Heyward a sendoff at Wrigley Field, honoring him during a game in early October. President Jed Hoyer had made their plans to part ways with him clear a couple of months before.
On Wednesday, the Cubs made the move official, announcing they had granted Heyward his unconditional release. He had one year and $22 million left on the contract he signed in December 2015.
‘‘What I’ve taken most from it is, how do we handle failure?’’ Heyward said in a news conference in September. ‘‘Because that’s a big part of life, obviously, but it’s a big part of this game. We’re always going to fail more times than we succeed. And I know that’s cliché, but how we handle those things, that comes back your way.’’
Heyward leaves the Cubs with a 2016 World Series ring, two Gold Gloves and a .245 batting average during his tenure, a reflection of his highs and lows with them.
‘‘Great teammate, great defender,’’ Hoyer said in August when he was asked how Heyward’s tenure should be remembered. ‘‘Someone that, even when he was struggling, tried his absolute hardest every day, every offseason.’’
When Heyward spoke in September, he didn’t rule out a return to the Cubs when his playing days are over, mulling over a vision that would allow him to be a bridge between the players and front office. The Cubs, too, have expressed interest in a potential reunion in some capacity down the road.
