The dance between the two parties appears to finally be at a close, and we will see Chase back at the hot corner in 2015.
Well, it's taken a little longer than some might have expected for this to happen, but here we go. The Yankees have re-signed third baseman Chase Headley to a four-year contract. The exact dollar amount is not known at this time, but Jon Heyman reported that it would be at least $50 million. (Update: $52 million.) The Yankees now have their third baseman for the foreseeable future, and filling that spot is crucial, as the hot corner is far from an easy position to handle. If Headley had not returned, that would have stuck Martin Prado at third base and likely forced the Yankees to try either Robert Refsnyder, who is not ready defensively, or Jose Pirela, who is likely just a utility man at best, at second base. (No, the twice-surgically repaired hips of Alex Rodriguez were not going to make for an acceptable third baseman.) Not having insurance at third base has really crushed the Yankees over the past two years, and Headley nicely fixes that problem.
Here were the original reports:
Sources: #Yankees close to signing free-agent 3B Chase Headley to four-year deal.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 15, 2014
Re: Headley -- other teams expect that the third baseman will sign with the Yankees.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 15, 2014
headley signing with yanks. 4 yrs, a little north of $50M
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 15, 2014
So there you go! Chase Headley will be a Yankee in 2015, and although it might seem high to some fans, four years and $50 million for a high quality defensive third baseman who hits around league average is not bad at all, especially considering the Red Sox paid almost double that for Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval, each. We'll be sure to have more on the Headley signing throughout the day.
Welcome back, Headley! You got your payday.
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