Yankees Trade Rumors: Chase Headley Would Be Perfect Fit for New York

Sometimes it’s too easy.

The New York Yankees need a third basemen until Alex Rodriguez returns in September, and the San Diego Padres are shopping Chase Headley.

Guess what position he plays?

Third base.

ESPN’s Buster Olney linked the two sides on Wednesday:

"

The Yankees will be considering all 3B options, including Chase Headley, who'd make sense for them on a lot of levels.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 25, 2012"

What are those levels?

Well for starters, he is enjoying the best season of his career at the age of 28. Headley sports a .267 average with 12 home runs (tied for his career high), 51 RBI and 52 walks to go along with a .787 OPS and a .428 slugging percentage in 426 plate appearances in 2012.

While they certainly don’t blow you over, it’s unquestionably better than Eric Chavez.

Another aspect that makes Headley attractive is his defense. Only David Wright and Miguel Cabrera have better WAR’s than Headley among everyday third basemen, according to FanGraphs (h/t B/R’s Zach Rymer).

If the Yankees were able to obtain Headley, they would have him under their control until the winter of 2014-15. Considering he makes $3.475 million this season, they’ll have a bargain for two more years.

“But what about A-Rod? What happens when he comes back?”

Hate to break the news, but the time has come when A-Rod should be DH’ing full-time. At the age of 37, he isn’t nearly as nimble as he once was, and allowing him to concentrate on hitting is a logical move. Injuries are beginning to become an every year story, and limiting his play in the field should go a long way to prolonging his career.

DH hasn’t been a real strength of this team, and adding Headley would add a layer of depth that will certainly make them feel comfortable entering the postseason.

While the asking price for Headley is allegedly rather high according to ESPN’s Jayson Stark, the Yanks can’t let this opportunity fly by them.

Tossing a few top-10 minor league prospects is not going to destroy the long-term future of this team, especially when you’ll be getting a six-year proven veteran for the next 2.5 years at a reasonable price.

The opportunity to capture an historic 28th World Series is there for the taking, and now is not the time to be apprehensive with such a valuable player on the open market.

Splurge on Headley. 

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