The Marlins need corner infield help and are pursuing free agent third baseman Chase Headley, reports my colleague Jon Heyman. I really like this fit from the Marlins' perspective.
Signing Headley would unseat Casey McGehee from third base, and this could draw the ire of some. He hit .287/.355/.357 last season in winning the NL comeback player of the year.
Now, I'm not saying McGehee is the answer at first base, only that he gives them another option there. Headley's a much better option at third regardless.
Offensively, McGehee hit .221/.282/.351 in 2011-12 combined before spending 2013 in Japan and then coming back to MLB last season. After the All-Star break last season, McGehee hit just .243/.310/.310, so his overall numbers came on the strength of the big first half.
They were flukey, too. Overall, McGehee's average is inflated by an uncharacteristic and unsustainable .335 average on balls in play, compared to a career mark of .297. His first-half RBI total was at least partially due to a huge spike in batting average with runners in scoring position.
As for Headley, we need to throw out that absurd second half of the 2012 season. That's an outlier. Even still, he's shown very good on-base skills (career mark of .347) with some decent pop. The spacious dimensions of Marlins Park won't bother him, because he used to hit better at San Diego's Petco Park than on the road.
Even if McGehee doesn't have a down year in 2015 -- which would surprise me -- Headley's significantly better defensively at third base. His range and instincts at third are matched by just a few other hot corner men in baseball and he rated out as the best defensive third baseman in baseball by at least one advanced measure (Fangraphs.com's defensive WAR).
A reasonable expectation for Headley is around league average batting average (which was .249 last season, by the way), well above average on-base percentage and around 15 homers. Along with very good defense, that'll play well with the Marlins' group of talented young position players.
For those who still want McGehee in the starting lineup, there's always first base. The Marlins definitely needed more offensive production from there last season. Miami first basemen hit .258/.313/.410 compared to a league average of .263/.338/.440 from the obviously offense-heavy position. I'm not sure McGehee is a great option, but he's a better fit there than keeping him over Headley at third.
Basically, if the Marlins can go out and get Headley for third, they need to do it and then figure out what to do with McGehee, Justin Bour, Garrett Jones (platoon?) or outside help at first base later. The best option is probably the latter, but that step can come after the Headley situation sorts itself out.
