After being traded from San Diego, Chase Headley turned out to be an offensive bright spot in the Yankees' lineup.
Grade: B+
2014 Statistics: .243/.328/.372, 13 HR, 103 wRC+, 4.4 fWAR
2015 Contract Status: Free agent
Going into the 2014 season, the Yankees thought it would be a good idea to have Kelly Johnson, second baseman, and Yangervis Solarte, rookie, split time playing third base. This worked for awhile, particularly during Solarte's hot start to April, but Solarte fell back to Earth eventually and Johnson wasn't able to get anything going at any point. Things weren't looking great, then Brian Cashman did his thing and traded Solarte for the Padre's third baseman, Chase Headley. Although he hadn't been having a great year in San Diego, he turned his season around with the Yankees.
When the Yankees traded for Headley, he was hitting just .229/.296/.355 with the Padres, and the thought was that at the very least he would be a good defensive third baseman. Throughout his career he has been good defensively, and this season was no different, as he finished the season with a 28.0 UZR/150. Though he hasn't been able to duplicate his 2012 season where he hit 31 home runs and knocked in 115 runs, he did improve offensively after the trade. In just 58 games with the Yankees, he hit .262/.371/.398 with 6 home runs. Headley was also responsible for three walk-off wins. The first came during his Yankee debut, when he joined the team at home, midway through their game against the Rangers. He ended up pinch-hitting as the game went to extra innings, and eventually hit a walk-off single during the 14th inning.
Headley is a free agent this year, and he has already expressed how much he loved playing in New York. Unfortunately, he's also stated that he wants to play full-time next year. Alex Rodriguez is set to return from his suspension, and the Yankees have already said that they expect A-Rod to play third base That statement alone might be enough to deter Headley from signing with the Yankees, which would be unfortunate given that there are a number of question marks surrounding A-Rod's ability to stay healthy, field the ball, and hit productively. (Although there have also been some rumors that the Yankees still want him as see A-Rod as a DH.) Headley is only 30 years old, and if his asking price isn't too high, they should seriously consider signing him for a few years and letting him play the majority of games at third base. A-Rod could rotate between 3B and DH, and Headley could also back up Mark Teixeira at first base. If Headley does not return, he will at least be remembered as one of the few bright spots in the Yankees' lineup during the latter half of the season.