Headley deal is what it is, now we wait

Chase Headley’s faded star no longer represents a problem or a possibility for the Padres.

The third baseman is a New York Yankee now. The Padres got a well-traveled rookie third baseman and a pitching prospect in return. Oh, and the Padres are paying the Yankees $1 million.

This was a terrible trade ... two years ago.

Today, it is what it is, which is just about what we could reasonably expect. You take what you can get for a wine that, depending on your perspective, sat too long or never really matured.

Maybe it’s not as profitable a deal as the Padres made four days prior in sending Huston Street to the Los Angeles Angels, but Headley was no longer the commodity Street was. (Of course, maybe this will prove to be a better deal, since uncertain projection is really the only thing you get in return when you are a seller this time of year.)

First, when discussing the Headley trade, we must pause to collect ourselves. C’mon, it is hilarious that the Padres gave money to the Yankees. The team that has had the second-lowest combined payroll in baseball over the past five seasons and never in that span ranked higher than 21st in opening day payroll ($90 million this year) is supplementing the team that for 15 straight years had the game’s highest opening-day payroll and this year was second at $204 million.

Still, that’s the way it is. Don’t blame the current Padres decision makers. They did what they had to do as they continue the unpleasant task of trying to eradicate the stench coming from their collective roster. That’s a stink that started way before this ownership group took over.

Headley, a super guy who never became the superstar we desperately wanted him to become, will make $4 million between now and the end of the season. And that was going to be the extent of his time as a Padre. So you can look at the trade as the Padres saving $3 million while getting a couple players who could help them.

You can second-guess whether the Padres should have traded Headley in 2012 or ‘13, but don’t do so solely with the benefit of hindsight. Do so only if you predicted back then he would never again come anywhere near his 2012 numbers (31 home runs, National League-leading 115 RBI) or that he wasn’t going to sign here long-term anyway.

We’ll see how Headley does in the midst of a pennant race and how that affects his offseason before knowing whether he erred in not accepting the Padres’ three-year, $33 million offer last winter. (Most of us would have celebrated that deal, but his .229 batting average, seven homers and 32 RBI so far this season wouldn’t justify the $6 million that contract would have already paid, so we would’ve been haranguing over that. Ah, clarity is so much easier when looking back.)

Anyway, the Padres on Tuesday got 26-year-old third baseman Yangervis Solarte, who’s playing his first major-league season after eight years in the minors with three different organizations. Also arriving in the deal is Rafael De Paula, a 23-year-old right-hander with a 3.58 ERA in three minor-league seasons, none of them above Single-A. He throws hard and was considered one of the Yankees’ top five prospects.

Make no mistake, it stinks to have the local team once again trading major-leaguers for prospects. See, “prospect” is of the same vernacular as “potential.” Both are akin to a four-letter word. Who knows what the Padres have actually added to the future of their major-league product by shipping off Headley and Street in the past week?

They got three of the Angels’ best prospects for Street. Shortstop Jose Rondon, reliever R.J. Alvarez and second baseman Taylor Lindsey are in Lake Elsinore, San Antonio and El Paso, respectively, because Street is in Anaheim.

While Solarte will be part of the Padres’ 25-man roster, De Paula will report to Lake Elsinore.

The reality is that’s four players to bolster a minor-league system thin on top-tier talent but two who are likely more than two years from contributing, let alone significantly, for a major-league club even more tattered.

But at this point, the Padres had to take what they could get for Headley.