Chase Headley could be headed to Oakland, Philadelphia, or Baltimore. And although the Yankees deny they will add a third baseman, to play while Alex Rodriguez recovers from a broken hand, don’t count them out.
Headley is a switch- hitting 28-year-old third baseman with his best baseball ahead of him.
Starting pitching has begun to sort itself out in this market and with teams trending towards trading for players who are under team control, the market for Headley may just be getting started.
Headley is hitting .265/.360/.424 with 12 home runs, 51 RBI, 50 runs and 10 stolen bases in 100 games for the Padres this season.
Away from Petco Park how slash line is .272/.374/.489. Headley is making $3.4 million this year.
What makes Headley most attractive to potential suitors is he won’t be eligible for free agency until 2015.
He will qualify for arbitration at the end of this season, but will be a bargain for starting third baseman with the kind of production Headley provides.
Where Headley lands should be determined in the next few days.
It’s not often that the Oakland A’s are buyers at the deadline, but the A’s have won 17 of 20 games, and not only find themselves in the thick of the wild-card chase, they are only five games back of the American League West leading Texas Rangers.
Certainly Headley fits in to the A’s salary structure. The Phillies are in need of a every day third baseman, and have expressed interest.
Senior VP of the Padres Omar Minaya was in attendance at the Orioles/Athletics game at Camden Yards on Friday night.
He could have been scouting both teams for a potential deal, as the Orioles are interested as well in Headley.
Over the next three or four days Headley trade talk will reach a fever pitch. Headley has talent and is under team control.
That makes a valuable combination for a team like the Padres, and they should get value in return for him.
