Dodgers Trade Rumors:Chase Headley

Hey Dodger fans, we may have found out who that mystery player is the Dodgers and Ned Colletti were hinting at trading for. Drum roll please…….it could be Chase Headley, another Padre, and a third baseman. I saw this reported on twitter per Molly Knight. Source: Dodgers looking into Chase Headley.

Molly Knight

Very interesting. So what do we know about Chase Headley? Well let’s take a look……..

Chase Headley is 27-years old and has been with San Diego since 2007. Originally a Fountain, Colorado native Headley was drafted by the Padres in the 2nd round of the 2005 amateur draft. Headley’s first full season wasn’t until 2008. Here are Headley’s stats from 2008-2011, along with his slugging numbers as well. They are somewhat productive numbers, with marginal pop despite playing in the mausoleum of Petco Park. Headley is pretty adept at getting on base, and he can also swipe a bag or two as well. He stole 13 last year, and had a career high 17 in 2010.

2008:.269/.337/.420/.757-9 HR 38 RBI
2009:.262/.342/.392/.734-12 HR 64 RBI
2010:.264/.327/.375/.702-11 HR 54 RBI
2011:.289/.374/.399/.773-4 HR 44 RBI

Headley was one of the few Padres who could hit at all in any way last year. Despite being injured he still put up decent numbers while only playing in 113 games. Headley has put up a career line of .269/.343./.392. Headley has hit 36 home runs and driven in 204 RBI. Defensively he rated below average, but he shows a lot of versatility. His total zone runs was above average for 2011 was -8.0, but in 2010 it was +14 during a full season. Perhaps that could be attributed to his injuries? Headley primarily plays third base, but can also play left field. I can understand why the Dodgers could be interested.
He is a useful player to have on the bench.

How much is Headley worth? I’m not sure, but he made 2.54 million dollars in 2011 for San Diego. He has a few arbitration control years left until he’s able to file for free agency, which won’t be until 2015. Seems like a useful piece, but who could the Dodgers give up for him? I’m not sure what the Padres need exactly. We know the Padres need offense, but alas, they would be dealing with the Dodgers, so they’re not gettin’ any. However, I’m sure we could flip them a couple of failed prospects their way. Ivan Dejesus Jr….. come on down! Hey we could even throw in a Russ Mitchell, or a John Ely. We could give them a Jamie Hoffman er wait no we cant, hes already gone. I’m fine with flipping Dejesus and Ely, or Mitchell for Headley. Please spare me the “but you can’t trade Dejesus, Ely, or Mitchell for a 27-year old position player”….gasp! shock! !!!! tantrum! Sure you can if those young players (and one 30-year old Albuquerque lifer) are lousy and don’t have much of a future in blue. Let’s be realistic here, Dejesus is heading for DFA ‘o ville, and John Ely’s ceiling will never be higher than minor league depth or emergency starter. Remind me to do a piece on Dejesus and his uselessness. Please don’t talk about Russ Mitchell being young, because the guy is a 30-year old career minor leaguer. So throw him in the deal. If we could flip two of those guys for a useful player with some power, I’m all for it. Heck, could we possibly interest San Diego in a slightly used, slightly overweight, slightly expensive third baseman? (cough Uribe cough)

Let’s see if any of these rumors develop or they fall by the wayside. The Dodgers are looking for more offensive depth in any way they can, which is a good thing, but I’m worried Colletti will do something stupid. Maybe someone can lock him in a room until the winter meetings are over? At least that way he couldn’t do any harm. Maybe Chase Headley is the mystery player? Let us know if you guys can think of any other players we should be looking at. The hot stove is heating up Dodger fans. Don’t blink or you might miss something…..Go Blue!