The San Diego Padres released third baseman Chase Headley on Friday. The move is no surprise after Headley was designated for assignment last week. With the emergence of third baseman Christian Villanueva, Headley was reduced to pinch-hitting duties in San Diego and was slashing a poor .115/.233/.135. Any team that takes a risk on Headley will likely just offer him the veteran league minimum. The Padres will remain on the hook for the remainder of his $13 million contract this season.
Chase Headley Designated For Assignment, Corey Spangenberg Recalled
San Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley was designated for assignment prior to Saturday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Headley was slashing .115/.233/.135 this season in 52 at-bats and had been reduced to pinch hitting duties with the emergence of third baseman Christian Villanueva. The Padres traded for Headley along with pitcher Bryan Mitchell from the Yankees this offseason which has proven to be a mistake. Unless he's claimed by another team, the Padres are on the hook for the rest of his $13 million contract. Utility player Corey Spangenberg was recalled from Triple-A El Paso to replace Headley. Spangenberg was batting .196 with two homers as a Padres before being sent down earlier this season. He should play sparingly and is not a fantasy option.
Christian Villanueva Sitting, Chase Headley Playing Third Base
San Diego Padres third baseman Christian Villanueva is sitting Wednesday. That is good news for Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jon Gray, as Villanueva is hitting .356 with seven home runs this season. Third baseman Chase Headley will take Villanueva's place in the lineup. Headley is hitting just .088 this season and is 1-for-6 when facing Gray. Headley is someone you should definitely avoid starting in any format Wednesday. This news does make Gray a slightly better play, but in Colorado he is still someone to avoid if possible.
San Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley hopes a few mechanical adjustments in his swing will allow him to surpass his recent unexceptional performance. Since a magical 2012 season when he hit 31 home runs, scored 95 runs and drove in 115 RBI (along with 17 steals and an .874 OPS), Headley has settled for mid-teens power and half the runs and RBI. The latter body of work is much closer to his career norms, while the former was supported by a 21.4 percent HR/FB rate. Headley discussed with Jeff Sanders his challenges of pulling balls in the air; he's a 44.4 percent career ground-ball hitter who was trained to drive balls to the opposite field. Today, the Padres value Headley for his .343 on-base percentage and won't particularly depend on his power. If he focuses on his natural ability to hit liners up the middle, his at-bats will be successful. Headley is locked in as the starting third baseman and should bat anywhere from second to sixth.
San Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley may be headed to Los Angeles before he even makes it to San Diego, as according to Jon Heyman, San Diego is looking to flip him to the Angels. Heyman also reports that there are other teams in on Headley, who is due to make $13 million this season. Earlier this week, Headley was traded with Bryan Mitchell to the Padres from the Yankees in exchange for Jabari Blash.
Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports that rival executives say the San Diego Padres are "working very hard" to move recently acquired infielder Chase Headley. The Padres took on Headley's $13 million contract to acquire pitcher Bryan Mitchell earlier in the week for outfielder Jabari Blash. Headley has been linked to the Angels, who are working hard to acquire a third baseman. This past season, Headley hit .273 with 12 home runs and 61 RBI for the Yankees.
San Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley may not be in San Diego for long, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today notes that the Padres are already drawing interest for Headley. San Diego just acquired Headley from the Yankees on Tuesday, but the veteran third baseman could be flipped for some younger and cheaper talent. Headley, who turns 34 years old next May, batted .273/.352/.406 with 12 home runs and 61 RBI over 147 games this past season with New York. He is owed $13 million in 2018, the final year of his current deal.
Padres Acquire Chase Headley and Bryan Mitchell For Jabari Blash
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic is reporting that the San Diego Padres have acquired Yankees infielder Chase Headley and pitcher Bryan Mitchell for outfielder Jabari Blash. It will be Headley's second stint with the Padres. The move will help clear some money for the Yankees after taking on Giancarlo Stanton as the Padres will take on all of the $13 million owed to Headley this upcoming season
New York Yankees third baseman Chase Headley and pitcher Bryan Mitchell were traded to the San Diego Padres on Tuesday. Outfielder Jabari Blash will head to New York in the trade, but this is a move for the Yankees to shed salary while improving the Padres roster. Headley was projected as the Yankees starter at third base, giving the Yankees vacancies at second and third since the Giancarlo Stanton trade. Mitchell was projected to be in the Yankees rotation, but the team has looked at pitchers like Gerrit Cole, Michael Fulmer and Patrick Corbin.
Jacoby Ellsbury, Chase Headley Could Be On The Way Out
New York Yankees third baseman Chase Headley and outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury could be on the way out of the Bronx, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Headley hit a solid .273/.352/.406 with 12 homers for the Yanks last season and is currently projected as their starting third baseman. However, they might not mind shedding his contract after taking on outfielder Giancarlo Stanton's deal, and they have potential in-house alternatives for the hot corner in Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar. Ellsbury, on the other hand, is extraneous after the acquisition of Stanton and would have to fight off Aaron Hicks for the center field job. Ellsubry does have a no-trade clause, though, and wants to fight for his starting job.
