Nick Cafardo, one of the great, non-national baseball insiders, has a brief note on the Astros' interest in Chase Headley.
Besides Jed Lowrie, the Astrros have also kicked the tires on Chase Headley.
— Nick Cafardo (@nickcafardo) December 8, 2014
Does "kicking the tires" mean giving Headley a four-year, $65 million offer? That's what Headley reportedly has on the table for a mystery team that's not the Yankees or the Giants, his two most likely destinations.
We know the Astros are willing to spend big this winter, but could they be opening the bank for Headley?
The former Padres third baseman was traded mid-season to the Yankees before departing as a free agent this winter. Headley hit .229/.296/.355 with the Padres in 77 games before being dealt to New York, where he hit .262/.371/.398.
For his career, Headley has hit .265/.347/.409 and has a reputation as one of the best defensive third basemen in the game. He has posted positive Defensive Runs Scored totals in four of the last five seasons, topping 13 DRS in 2014 alone.
His best offensive season came in 2012, when Headley hit .286/.376/.498 with 31 home runs and 31 doubles. Since then, Headley managed a line of .246/.338/.387 with 26 homers in 1,131 plate appearances.
Headley will be 31 in May of 2015, so the team who signs him will be buying years on his downslope. For a player who's not been a particularly effective offensive player for two years, that's troublesome. How much, though, did Petco Park suppress his power?
What do you think? Should the Astros get in on the bidding for Headley?