The free agent market is starting to get light on bats – third baseman Chase Headley has reportedly agreed to a four-year deal worth more than $50 million to stay with the New York Yankees.
Sources: #Yankees close to signing free-agent 3B Chase Headley to four-year deal.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 15, 2014
headley deal is $52M. pending physical
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 15, 2014
The 30-year old Headley was one of the best bats remaining on the market this winter, and his return to the Yankees will really put teams that still need a third baseman (hey, Marlins, Giants, Astros) in an uncomfortable situation. Though he hit just .243/.328/.372 in 2014, Headley smashed 13 homers, provided excellent defense at third, and saw a significant uptick in his offensive numbers once he left Petco Park for Yankee Stadium.
And now, the New York Yankees get to have some fun with their depth (if you want to call it that). Signing Headley all but confirms that Alex Rodriguez won’t be playing third base for the club in 2015. First base is still manned by Mark Teixeira, at least until his contract expires after the 2016 season. Martin Prado is signed for two more years, and I’d imagine that he’ll be getting most of the reps at second base thanks to the presence of Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, and Carlos Beltran in the outfield. Brian McCann’s contract still has four years left, and he’ll either be at first base or DH when his body needs a day off from behind the plate.
So that leaves A-Rod as New York’s regular DH, with him possibly getting some reps at first base when Teixeira inevitably gets hurt again. I’m not sure if the Yankees are a contender with those nine men making up their every day lineup, but there won’t be a shortage of storylines surrounding the Yankees this season.
