Chase Headley Rumors: Latest Buzz and Speculation Surrounding Star 3B

Although third baseman Chase Headley has had his ups and downs over the past couple of seasons, the skilled third baseman is receiving a fair share of interest on the free-agent market. However, he reportedly will re-sign with the Yankees.

Continue for updates.

Monday, Dec. 15

Headley Returning to Yankees, Pending Physical

"Sources: #Yankees close to signing free-agent 3B Chase Headley to four-year deal," reported Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal. CBS Sports' Jon Heyman quickly supported, stating the "deal is $52M, pending physical."

Tuesday, Dec. 9

Giants Reportedly May Not Be Mulling Headley

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Chase Headley may not be on the list of targets for the Giants:

Monday, Dec. 8

Yankees Reportedly Willing to Go to Four Years, Decision Coming Soon

Buster Olney of ESPN reported on the Yankees' talks with Chase Headley:

Headley will make his decision in the next couple of days, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, who says multiple teams are still bidding for his services:  

Sunday, Dec. 7

Headley Reportedly Has Four-Year Offer, Yankees Still Interested 

ESPN's Buster Olney reported Headley's offer but was unable to name which team put in the bid:

Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports on one team that remains interested in Headley:

Yesterday, Rosenthal reported the Giants were aggressively in pursuit of Headley:

Yankees Still in Pursuit of Headley

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reported the Yankees have not given up hope of retaining Headley's services: 

"

The Yankees would like to retain their third baseman, and sources say they recently convened with Headley's representatives in an effort to keep the union together -- though unsurprisingly, there is real outside interest. ...

... Headley and the Yankees' two-month 2014 marriage is said to have worked by all involved, as the Yankees loved him at third and in the clubhouse, and he is said to have told folks he was stunned about how much he enjoyed New York.

Headley is said to have gone so far as to suggest to some that the Yankees are his top choice.

"

On Nov. 26, Heyman reported Headley might not be willing to stay in New York:

"

The Yankees have signaled a willingness to give free agent third baseman Chase Headley a three-year deal, but with a thin third-base market now that Aramis Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval are off the board, it appears Headley is looking around for something better.

By all accounts the Headley-Yankees second-half marriage was a major hit last year, but he likely believes he can beat three years elsewhere.

"

As a result, on Dec. 2, ESPN's Wallace Matthews reported the Yankees may had lost interest in Headley:

"

But one free agent who might not find the Yankees to be his Santa Claus is Chase Headley, who only two weeks ago was being touted by folks in the organization as Priority No. 1 considering the lack of faith the Yankees have in the returning Alex Rodriguez.

Now, however, the Headley Fever seems to have cooled, especially since the Pablo Sandoval deal with the Red Sox -- five years, $95 million -- seems to have stiffened Headley's resolve to get a five-year deal of his own. According to a baseball source I spoke with Tuesday, the Yankees are not willing to give Headley five years, considering his age (31 in May), so-so offensive production the past two seasons, and lingering lower back problems, which could lead to surgery at some point over the length of a five-year contract.

"

Thursday, Dec. 4

Conflicting Reports on If Marlins Have Reached out to Headley

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports has an update on a new team that has interest in Chase Headley:

"

The Miami Marlins, who may have an interesting idea to fill their first base opening, have reached out to free agent third baseman Chase Headley and may be ready to make a significant offer.

Headley, of course, would play third base, with Casey McGehee, the NL Comeback Player of the Year in 2014, switching from third base to first.

The Marlins are trying to land bats, preferably a strong lefthanded one, and have a keen interest in finding strong hitters to bat behind superstar Giancarlo Stanton. Headley is the sort of lefty bat they could use.

"

Later Thursday evening, though, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reported that the Marlins have not discussed Headley:

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman notes that the team was scared off by Headley's reported four-year, $65 million offer.

Headley Reportedly Reveals Best Offer

According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, Headley may have revealed his best standing offer, although it's unclear who made it:

Monday, Nov. 24

Headley a Backup Plan for Giants?

With rumors that Pablo Sandoval could sign with the Boston Red Sox, Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal states, "If #SFGiants have indeed lost Sandoval, they likely would make a run at Headley."

Thursday, Oct. 30

Headley Drawing Interest from Red Sox

Nearly one month before Sandoval appeared to be the man for the Red Sox, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported the Red Sox were in search of someone to man the hot corner, and Headley may have been near the top of their wish list.

Headley was on the road to superstardom just a couple of seasons ago, as he hit .286 with 31 home runs and 115 RBI for the San Diego Padres in 2012. That was good enough for a fifth-place finish in the National League MVP voting, and he also took both Silver Slugger and Gold Glove honors.

Unfortunately, his production dipped significantly in 2013, and it got even worse with the Padres this past season. With the 30-year-old slugger hitting a disappointing .229 with seven homers and 32 RBI over 77 games, San Diego traded him to the Yankees for utility man Yangervis Solarte.

Following the deal, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman revealed that he viewed Headley as a rental player who he brought in to help New York reach the playoffs, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch:

The Yanks fell short of that goal, but Headley did some good things in pinstripes. His hitting improved while with the Bronx Bombers, as he put up a .262 average with six home runs and 17 RBI in 58 games.

Where he truly shined, though, was out in the field. Headley masterfully manned the hot corner for the Yankees and the Padre, ranking third in the league with an Ultimate Zone Rating of 20.9, per FanGraphs, which measures his contributions compared to an average fielder.

The impact of strong fielding is often overlooked, but Headley is arguably the best defensive third baseman in baseball. He has also flashed enticing power potential offensively, so it is easy to see why he is generating interest.

Headley's stellar play down the stretch endeared him to Yankees fans, and it makes for an interesting situation. Despite Cashman's rental comments after making the trade, Heyman has reported that "strong indications" suggest the organization is interested in signing Headley.

One potential issue that complicates matters, however, is the impending return of Alex Rodriguez from a season-long suspension. A-Rod is a third baseman by trade, but it remains to be seen if he can hold up at that position over the course of an entire season at 39 years of age.

The Yanks seem committed to utilizing Rodriguez, but David Waldstein of The New York Times believes that New York should bring Headley back regardless:

Headley has similarly expressed some interest in returning, but his comments to Dan Martin of The New York Post seem to indicate that he would require an assurance of regular playing time:

"

I know they have a player (Rodriguez) under contract. We'll see how that shakes out. We'll see what my role would look like. ... I want to be a guy that plays. At what position? Obviously, third base I think is my strongest position. I don't want to be a part-time guy.

"

If the Yankees are unwilling to commit to Headley as a full-time player, then his time in the Bronx may have already come to an end. With that said, he won't have any issue finding a landing spot elsewhere.

There is a big market for a switch-hitting third baseman in his prime who also happens to be a wizard with the glove. Headley is poised for a huge contract even after a couple of difficult seasons, and that speaks to the dearth of quality hitters available.

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