Struggling Heyward 'a big part of our future,' says Maddon

When the Chicago Cubs signed outfielder Jason Heyward to an eight-year, $184-million deal last offseason, many expected the move to put the team over the top.

Almost one year into the long-term commitment, the Cubs advanced to the World Series without any contributions from the 27-year-old, who hasn't started since Game 5 of the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Manager Joe Maddon met with the struggling outfielder before the Fall Classic, and said Heyward is still part of the equation.

"I covered everything," Maddon told ESPN's Jesse Rogers. "We had a good exchange of thoughts. He didn't leave angry. It was a very open conversation. He's a very good baseball player and a big part of our future. If we didn't have other options, we probably wouldn't do it (replace him)."

To say Heyward hasn't performed well would be an understatement. Entering Thursday, he's hitting .067/.125/.167 in 12 postseason games, and finds himself in a dreadful 2-for-30 slump. Maddon elected to go with outfielders Chris Coghlan and Jorge Soler for the first two games of the World Series, though they're also in a bit of a rut, with no hits in a combined 16 at-bats.

"There was nothing that needed to be said to me," Heyward told the Chicago Tribune, according to Rogers. "(Maddon) makes the lineup, and that's that. He's going to put the best team out there, whatever he feels like is going to help us win."

In his first season with the team, Heyward hit .230/.306/.325 with seven home runs and 42 RBIs - and a team-worst 1.6 WAR. The Cubs return home for Game 3 of the World Series on Friday.