In 2016, which Chase Headley will show up?

In 2012, at age 28, Chase Headley was headed to Cooperstown. That year, he hit 31 home runs, batted .286, won the Gold Glove and finished fifth in the NL MVP balloting. He even stole 17 bases.

Well... that was 2012.

Two years ago, we got him for Yangervis Solarte and a hard thrower named Rafael De Paula. Last year, Solarte hit more HRs than Headley (14 to 11) and had a higher average (.270 to .259.) And if the issue was glovework, Headley developed a love for sailing - that is, his throws to first base sailed into right field. He wasn't very good.

Naturally, the Yankees signed Headley for four years, and frankly, I'm not sure if we wouldn't have been better off keeping Yangervis. (De Paula, now 25, does not look so promising.)

Nobody expects Headley to be 28 again. And he seems like a good teammate. I remember him getting beaned by Tampa - that asshole Madden tried to sluff it off - but Headley didn't let him affect him. Good guy. But we have him for three more years, three - when he'll be 34.

In the modern era, for reasons I cannot explain, the Yankees have never been able to raise quality third-basemen. The only one we developed was Mike Lowell, whom we traded for a handful of magic beans. We don't have anybody at Scranton, and I'm not even sure we'll play a rising prospect at Trenton. We may be stuck with Headley for three more years - at $13 million per. Yep, while we decry bad deals, we go out and make new ones.

Well, here's one thought: This is a crossroads year for Mr. Chase. He either turns things around - maybe hits 20 HR and bats .270, is that asking too much? - or else he goes into the category of another blown idea.

Because unless he improves, it will have been four straight years that Headley has slumped... and it's no slump any more.