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Report: Yankees will listen on Chase Headley

As the 2016-2017 Major League Baseball off-season hot stove heats up, Chase Headley’s name has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

Headley hit .253/.331/.385 last season and played an above average defense in the field. According to FanGraphs, his play earned him a Wins Above Replacement (WAR) of 2.1. Out of all starting third basemen in majors, Headley ranked exactly in the middle of the pack.

2016 MLB WAR RANKINGS FOR STARING THIRD BASEMEN

  1. Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles: 6.3
  2. Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays: 6.0
  3. Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs: 5.3
  4. Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers: 4.2
  5. Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies: 4.2
  6. Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners: 3.9
  7. Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals: 3.8
  8. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays: 3.6
  9. Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers: 3.6
  10. Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals: 3.2
  11. Alex Bregman, Houston Astros: 2.8
  12. Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Indians: 3.1
  13. Maikel Franco, Philadelphia Phillies: 2.8
  14. Todd Frazier, Chicago White Sox: 2.5
  15. Chase Headley, New York Yankees: 2.1

Finding a suitor for Headley should be one of General Manager Brian Cashman’s top priorities so he can plan ahead for 2018 and beyond.

The Yankees will always strive to compete for a championship every year, however, Headley is not an impact player and the loss of his presence in the line-up could be filled by someone such as Juan Uribe, Sean Rodriguez or Steve Pearce on a one-year contract. The benefit of having third base as a position of need next off-season, is that the top two third basemen in the league will be free agents. Signing either Manny Machado or Josh Donaldson should be in the Yankees master plan to return to being a contender. The Yankees need to increase their defense and add a middle of the line-up bat, Machado and Donaldson both fit the bill.

What would the Yankees get in return for Headley? I would say a mid-level prospect or two. This would not be a Carlos Beltran, Andrew Miller or Aroldis Chapman trade that would incite a bidding war and be based off of the quality of prospects the Yankees could get in return. This would be a pure salary dump that would give the organization flexibility to get younger and allow Cashman to have a seat at the table next offseason for Machado or Donaldson.

Headley inked a four year, $52 million dollar contract that will expire after the 2018 season.