MLB Hot Stove: A-Rod Now New York Yankees DH But Can He Still Hit? Club Wonders After Signing Chase Headley To Play 3B

Yankees GM Brian Cashman left no question as to how signing Chase Headley will affect incumbent overpaid headache, Alex Rodriguez, who also played third base before his full-year suspension from the league following the Biogenesis scandal. A-Rod, Cashman says, is now the most expensive DH on the planet. But can he still hit? 

"Even before the suspension, he wasn't the same player at third base on the defensive or offensive side," Cashman told USA Today. "I can't expect Alex to be anything."

Harsh words for a player the Yankees still owe $61 million over the next three seasons and a long fall from grace for the player who once signed the largest contract in MLB history because of his all-around ability. Once the most athletically gifted shortstop the sport had ever seen, Rodriguez will now spend the rest of his career without a glove.

 It will be interesting to see.

Before the suspension, Rodriguez was on pace for his worst season in the big leagues. He hit just .244 with seven home runs and 19 RBI in 44 games in 2013 before legal trouble put his career in jeopardy. He had been declining for at least three years prior to that. Once a prolific average hitter (who led the American league with a .358 clip in 1996), Rodriguez hasn't hit .300 since 2008. He drove in 100 runs in 2009 and 125 in 2010, but then just 62 and 57 in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Hip and leg injuries hindered his mobility at third and his ability to extend on certain pitches, particularly fastballs on the inner half. He hasn't played a full season since 2007, when he won the American League MVP.

For that reason, Cashman gave Headley a four-year, $52 million contract, according to ESPN. Rodriguez will be around for three of those years. In what capacity, we will surely see.