Cardinals' Heyward feeling no pressure to sign long-term extension

The St. Louis Cardinals are easing into the process of courting soon-to-be free agent Jason Heyward.

The outfielder was acquired in a four-player deal from the Atlanta Braves last November, but the Cardinals haven't pressured him into signing a long-term deal with the club before he becomes a free agent this fall.

"Both sides want to make sure everybody is happy," Heyward told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "That's really what they've been asking me about the whole time. 'Hey, you like it here? Hey, you comfortable?' They want to make sure I feel at home, make sure I can be myself, and that's been their focus. They've allowed me the time to fit in. That has meant a lot."

Heyward, who's now in his sixth season, could be one of the biggest positional players available on the open market this winter, but he certainly isn't ruling out the possibility of staying in St. Louis.

"I feel like they have a very structured organization, and from what I can tell they handle things when they should be handled, and now baseball is what what's supposed to be handled," Heyward added.

The 2010 All-Star and two-time Gold Glover is hitting .286/.342/.430 with nine home runs and 37 RBIs in 107 games for the National League Central-leading Cardinals.