Let’s start with a little game. I’m going to show you slash lines from two 2015 third basemen – one plays in the AL East, the other in the NL West. Try to guess who’s who:
Player A: .259/.324/.369 – 11 HR, 29 2B, 62 RBI in 156 games
Player B: .270/.320/.428 – 14 HR, 33 2B, 63 RBI in 152 games
If you’re into the WAR stat, Player A: 1.1. Player B: 2.2.
Player A committed 23 errors at the hot corner (424 chances), while Player B committed 11 total (six at 3B, four at 1B, one at 2B). If you still haven’t guessed yet, this might give it away: Player A made $13M in 2015, Player B $516,400. That’s right. They’re Chase Headley and Yangervis Solarte respectively, two guys who were traded for each other back in July of 2014.
Now, on with the story!
On a team with so many big name players, it’s easy for a guy to get lost in the shuffle. This happened to Headley last year, who quietly had a disappointing season in the first year of a four-year $52M deal.
The Solarte trade looked like it was a good one at first, as Headley immediately paid dividends for the Yankees when he was acquired. He played Gold Glove caliber defense and slashed .262/.371/.398 with six homers and 17 RBI in 56 games.
GM Brian Cashman lauded his clubhouse presence, leadership and toughness, which was evidenced when he got hit in the face by the Rays’ Jake McGee in September and played only a few days later. He was rewarded with a hefty contract, which will take him through his age 34 season.
In trying to explain Headley’s deal, Cashman said that they evaluated his defense and ability to take runs away from the other team and “added” those runs toward the offense. I understand that philosophy, but it doesn’t quite hold up when the guy goes out and makes an MLB leading 23 errors.
At times, Headley makes unbelievable highlight plays and then boots a routine grounder the next inning. It also feels like I hold my breath every time he makes a throw. Headley would’ve had more errors if it weren’t for Mark Teixeira picking short-hop after short-hop over at first.
As the season is about to get underway, it feels like Headley is once again flying under the radar. The major talking points seem to revolve around guys like Masahiro Tanaka, Alex Rodriguez, Teixeira, Starlin Castro and Aroldis Chapman among others. Now, it might be a good thing that he can just blend into the background and just be a piece of the puzzle, but at the same time, Headley needs to be held accountable for his play. He received such a pass last year.
While he may not return to the guy who hit .286 with 31 homers and 115 RBI in 2012, he can still be a productive player. According to Baseball Reference, Headley is projected to hit .250/.326/.382 with 13 homers and 54 RBI. You can live with the average and relatively low OBP as long as he plays great defense and cuts down on the errors – but that remains to be seen.
Headley can be such a vital cog in this lineup. He’s a switch hitter who provides good balance to a lefty-laiden order. I’d like to see him hit .260-.270, with 15-20 homers. He hasn’t hit that many since 2012, but with the short porch in right at the Stadium it’s a possibility.
I admit that I was one of the people who thought Solarte would come back to earth. I thought he’d revert back to the nine year minor leaguer that had fallen into the category of a Quadruple-A player. He’s proven to be a valuable commodity, capable of playing two other infield positions as well as the outfield for the Padres. Flexibility (both financially and on the field) is something this Yankees team has needed, as well as youth. Keep in mind that Solarte is four years younger than Headley.
Headley desperately needs a rebound season, not only for the team, but for Cashman who traded away a younger, cheaper and somewhat equal version. A solid campaign would greatly contribute to this offense, which has so many question marks. If he’s not going to hit, then at least he has to catch the ball and throw the ball effectively.
It could always be worse, though, Yankees fans. We could have Pablo Sandoval.
