Over the winter, the San Diego Padres brought back longtime third baseman Chase Headley in a trade that amounted to an accounting trick. The Padres also received right-handed pitcher Bryan Mitchell from the New York Yankees in exchange for outfielder Jabari Blash and the salary relief gained from shedding Headley's $13 million salary.
The Padres hoped that Headley, their second best paid player, could perform well enough to draw interest at the trade deadline. As it turns out, Headley will be on another team by August 1 -- heck, he'll be on a different team before June 1. That's because on Saturday the Padres designated Headley for assignment, giving them 10 days to find a trade or grant him a release:
The Padres DFA’d Chase Headley. Cory Spangenberg has been recalled.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) May 12, 2018
Of the two options, a release seems more likely. The 34-year-old Headley hit just .115/.233/.135 across 60 plate appearances this year -- marks well below his 2015-17 average of .262/.335/.386. Combine Headley's poor play with the continued power surge shown by Christian Villanueva (he entered Saturday batting .232/.317/.518) and that was enough for the Pads to move on.
Mitchell, by the way, hasn't performed any better. In eight appearances (seven starts), he's tallied a 6.21 ERA and has 11 more walks than strikeouts. Blash, for his part, is no longer a member of the Yankees organization.
Headley had previously spent eight seasons with the Padres. He finishes his San Diego career with a 111 OPS+ and 18.7 Wins Above Replacement.
