On Tuesday the Yankees acquired third baseman Chase Headley and $1 million from the San Diego Padres in exchange for struggling infielder Yangervis Solarte and pitcher Rafael De Paula in hopes of remaining atop the AL East division race.
Perhaps Yanks general manager saw Brian Cashman saw potential in Headley. The Padres third baseman has been battling a herniated disc in his back for most of the season, which has contributed to a decline in his power hitting numbers (31 home runs and 115 RBIs in 2012). However, that was Headley's best year by far, and he never hit over 13 home runs in his other eight seasons in the MLB.
But since receiving treatment for his back earlier in July, Headley has batted .339 with four doubles, a triple, a home run, and eight RBIs in 13 games. He provides a consistent option at third base for manager Joe Girardi, who has been putting different players at the corner of the diamond ever since it became official that Alex Rodriguez would be suspended for the 2014 season. The Yankees will pay $3 million to retain Headley for the remainder of the season.
Cashman sent the young Yangervis Solarte to San Diego, who was sent down to Triple-A on July 3rd after hitting .187 in his last 37 games following an impressive .334 average through his first 34 games. He was recalled back up after Carlos Beltran was placed on the disabled list with a concussion. Right-handed pitching prospect Rafael De Paula was also sent to San Diego, who has compiled a 4.83 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP in Class-A Advanced Tampa.
Cashman is now looking to add some more pitching. He traded for Diamondbacks RHP Brandon McCarthy on July 6 to provide some stability for the Yanks' decimated rotation. CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova are out for the year, Michael Pineda has no timetable for his return, and Masahiro Tanaka suffered a partial tear in his UCL on July 9 and is out for at least six weeks, if not for the whole year. It's been rumored that the Yankees might make a push for Philadelphia's Cliff Lee, but many are unsure after his shaky start last night in his return from the disabled list. His hefty contract (owed over $50 million in 2015 and 2016) and his dubious elbow injury provide some red flags.
"I just think it's always difficult to acquire anything that's impactful and significant so those are tough conversations to have and they usually hurt a great deal to do so," said Cashman, in this NJ.com article. "That's my experience. It seems like it gets worse rather than easier, or harder rather than easier. But you got to go through it. You got to figure it out and find a way to run into something that's going to impact you."
You can read more about the Yankees acquiring Chase Headley in this MLB.com article.
