I believe you’re right even though I don’t quite get the logic of the PA req That was an open question at the time it was signed too. There is no reason why Heyward would request this requirement for the opt out, and it doesn't make sense for the Cubs to want it since the only way he's getting less than 550 ABs is if he's hurt or he's not good enough to play every day. I have a feeling that Heyward wanted 2 opt outs, and the Cubs wanted to steer him towards taking the first one, as they knew guys like Harper and Machado would be available this offseason plus expected Jake to leave, Lester to be declining, etc so they wanted payroll flexibility. Also because even before he started to suck at the plate, the skills that made him the most valuable would start to decline towards the back half of the contract. Basically the Cubs were hoping that this 8 year contract would only be 3 years long