Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
One of the more notable storylines to take place around the bigs over the course of the last few offseasons, and trade deadlines, has been whether or not the San Diego Padres would move star third baseman Chase Headley. A free agent in 2015, the Padres are closing in on the deadline to trade the infielder.
In fact, San Diego may be reaching the point where it’s too late to move Headley. He’s coming off of a very difficult season, with injury and performance, and has already undergone surgery this offseason. At best, they could move him at the trade deadline, when the return becomes minimal.
Going into last year’s offseason, Headley was one of the more attractive commodities on the market. Yet, the Padres chose to hold onto him coming off of a season in which he hit .286, launched a career high 31 home runs, and knocked in a league leading 115 runs. He couldn’t replicate that success in 2013.
Headley missed 21 games, mainly at the beginning of the year, and was never able to quite get his footing. He did hit 13 home runs, but it was pretty clear that his 31 homer season was a fluke, from a power standpoint. Nonetheless, he could potentially return to those types of numbers in a more hitter friendly park.
Which is why teams may still be willing to take a chance on him. The return for the Padres isn’t going to be great. If they move him at the trade deadline, teams aren’t going to see him as much more than a rental, so unless they’re that desperate for offense and/or defense at the hot corner, the Padres aren’t going to get what they once could have. If they’re going to move him, now’s the time.
The Padres may very well look to trade Headley this winter, and they might just be successful in doing so. If they are able to do it, though, it won’t be nearly at the price they could have gotten if they had moved him in one of their previous opportunities. Which makes holding onto him all the more logical.
