Kuzul

Anytime a young player makes his way toward his first crack at free agency, there is no doubt a sense of urgency about getting a big deal done.

San Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley finds himself in that very situation right now, just a year away from free agency.

A strong stat line would seemingly be enough for the San Diego Padres to take advantage of an opportunity to get a head start on signing their lone star to a long-term deal that could help set the team in the right direction of a rebuilding process.

Instead, the team simply avoided arbitration with Headley in agreeing to a one-year deal worth $8.6 million, but that clearly isn’t what the third baseman had in mind (via Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune):

We talked about a long-term contract briefly at the start of these negotiations. It was a quick discussion. We weren’t on the same page right from the start. This close to free agency, it has to be a good deal for us. You can’t sacrifice what’s fair.

And as spring training kicks into high gear, it now appears that the team is taking the exact opposite approach to a long-term deal, with Bill Madden of the New York Daily News reporting that the Padres are putting out feelers for trade offers on their star third baseman.

When a player of this caliber enters the conversation surrounding a trade, any front office will make a phone call to see what it may take to get a deal done, though there are always a few favorites that stand out above the rest.

Perhaps the most likely landing spot for Headley, however, is Yankee Stadium, where the Bronx Bombers have already had interest in the third baseman as recently as last summer.

Before committing to such a deal, however, Brian Cashman and the rest of the front office needs to take a long look at the pros and cons that come along with bringing Headley on board.

Pros

The benefits of bringing a player like Headley into the lineup are fairly obvious, especially as he comes off his best season as a major leaguer, with 31 home runs and a league-leading 115 RBI to his name in 2012.

Injury issues are a big part of the reason that the Yankees are in a position to need to take on additional offense, and though Headley struggled to stay on the field during the 2011 season, he did average160 games per season during 2009, 2010 and 2012.

Taking into account the different players that will be missing time for the Yankees early on in 2013 (Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez), it needs to be noted that Headley has seen time at multiple positions, with nearly 500 games played at third base and 200 in the outfield—and he was solid enough with the leather in 2012 to earn his first Gold Glove award.

At the plate, Headley has seen his on-base and slugging percentages increase in each of the past three seasons and is effective from both sides of the plate, with almost equal numbers against both right- and left-handed pitchers. He has rounded out his game with more solid play in the field, taking home his first Gold Glove last season.

Cons

The Yankees may have far greater financial freedom than many other teams when it comes to pulling off a blockbuster deal, but that doesn’t mean that the moves don’t carry some risks with them.

Case in point, Rodriguez is still owed over $100 million before his contract expires five years from now, and that’s a financial commitment that the team surely wishes it didn’t have on its books.

Headley is young enough that the risks of handing out a big sum of money likely wouldn’t come back to bite the team a few years from now, but the cost of acquiring him very well could.

New York is heavy on veterans, meaning that in a matter of years it’ll be looking toward its top prospects to produce. Trading for a superstar player, however, would more than likely push one or two of those prospects out of the picture.

In the short term, the team would also need to take into consideration what type of logjam would form once players do get healthy, as Granderson, Teixeira and Rodriguez won’t be lost forever.

Nobody expects that a trade would be imminent, but with the possibility of a free-agent battle looming next winter and the Padres seemingly coming to the realization that Headley won’t be a long-term fixture in San Diego, that could change at any moment.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Have you drafted your fantasy team yet?  

If you haven’t, there are sure a lot of fantastic third base options in this year’s draft.

Miguel Cabrera, David Wright, Adrian Beltre, Evan Longoria and Hanley Ramirez; with so many options at third base, it’s tough this year to decide at what order in the draft you should add your third baseman. 

If you have one of the top-three picks, it is without a doubt that Cabrera should be one of your top—if not a shoe-in—for your first pick.  The guy is a stud and produces year in and year out—2013 will not be an exception.

But what if the Padre third baseman is still available with the fourth or fifth pick in your draft?

If none of the above names are still in the mix—which they most likely will not be, with the exception of Ramirez—Headley will be a solid choice and a productive player for your team heading into the draft.

Headley just came off of a year where he won the Silver Slugger, led the National League in RBI with 115, had 31 home runs, 31 doubles, 95 runs scored, 17 stolen bases and a .286/.376/.498 slash line.   

Sure you may think these numbers won’t be replicated by someone playing in San Diego, but Headley can surprise you this year if you look at a few factors:

– First of all, he’s durable and has never experienced any significant injuries throughout his career.  

– He’s found his groove after a few years of uncertainty, but is now starting to produce similar numbers to what he put up playing in the Padres system.

– As a switch hitter, he’s more than likely going to benefit offensively from the fences coming in at Petco Park—especially from the left side of the plate.  

One player you should definitely keep your eyes on this year that could factor in to Headley‘s success is outfielder Carlos Quentin.  

If he can stay healthy and produce the way he did last year in a shortened season, he will not only provide solid protection behind Headley, but will surely drive him in a good number of times as well.

And don’t forget, that while Headley is not a huge threat on the base paths, he will still hit double digits in stolen bases consistently.  

With an abundance of third basemen so high up in the order, Headley can turn into a surprise mid-round pick for your team and should be considered just as productive as most third basemen in this year’s draft.  

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Anytime a young player makes his way toward his first crack at free agency, there is no doubt a sense of urgency about getting a big deal done.

San Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley finds himself in that very situation right now, just a year away from free agency.

Headley has had a strong start to his career, and his productivity peaked this past season to the tune of 31 home runs and a league-leading 115 RBI.

He’s seen his on-base and slugging percentages increase in each of the past three seasons and has rounded out his game with more solid play in the field.

All of that would seemingly be enough for the San Diego Padres to take advantage of an opportunity to get a head start on signing their lone star to a long-term deal that could help set the team in the right direction of a rebuilding process.

The team did avoid arbitration with Headley in agreeing to a one-year deal worth $8.6 million, but that clearly isn’t what the third baseman had in mind (via the San Diego Union-Tribune):

“We talked about a long-term contract briefly at the start of these negotiations. It was a quick discussion. We weren’t on the same page right from the start. This close to free agency, it has to be a good deal for us. You can’t sacrifice what’s fair.”

If Headley starts off the 2013 season where he left off, his price will no doubt continue to soar, potentially pricing the Padres out of the picture in a long-term deal.

This close to the start of the season it’s seemingly unlikely that a trade would get done during spring training, but if his free-agent value increases, his trade value would go in the same direction.

In a league chock full of third baseman, there may not be many teams eager to jump at the opportunity to dump top prospects, but the notion of having Headley in the hot corner is something worth looking into.

The Minnesota Twins could be a potential destination for Headley if it comes to this, as they’re heading into spring training with a less-than-consistent option in Trevor Plouffe.

Luckily for Plouffe, he can maneuver around the infield if necessary and has spent plenty of time in the outfield as well.

There’s also the fact that the Twins have the best power-hitting prospect in baseball in third baseman Miguel Sano; however, his inability to field consistently could mean a move to first base, a place he’d fit in with Justin Morneau in the final year of his deal with the Twins.

Perhaps the most likely landing spot for Headley, however, is Yankee Stadium, where the Bronx Bombers have already had interest in the third baseman as recently as last summer.

With the situation surrounding Alex Rodriguez‘s future in New York seemingly changing by the minute, the Yankees would no doubt love to secure another long-term option at the position.

Rodriguez is still owed over $100 million before his contract expires, but reports have surfaced this week that the team is looking at options to possibly void his contract amid the connections to PED injections at a clinic in south Florida.

Ridding themselves of the contract is certainly an uphill battle, and even though earlier this week it was mentioned that he may be working on a retirement package, A-Rod quickly refuted that claim (via the New York Daily News, h/t NESN).

Nobody expects that a trade would be imminent, but with the possibility of a free-agent battle looming next winter, that could change at any moment.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It’s just been that kind of year.

Nothing has gone right for the Boston Red Sox. Their lone bright spot, rookie Will Middlebrooks, hit .288/.325/.509 with 15 home runs before breaking his wrist. While he’s only been placed on the 15-day DL, there’s a very good chance he misses the rest of the season.

Boston is now in a delicate situation. The Sox need a third baseman, but need to avoid any options that will make the roster too rigid in the future.

Here are a few waiver wire options Boston can explore before the final trade deadline.

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The New York Yankees have been linked to San Diego Padres third-baseman Chase Headley (h/t Ken Rosenthal, FOX Sports), but the 28-year-old would be an unnecessary addition to the Bronx Bombers.

Even though Alex Rodriguez will be out for up to eight weeks with a broken hand, the Yankees don’t need to splurge on an over-priced replacement like Headley.

Headley is a quality player who is having a career-year at the plate, and manager Joe Girardi could put him at multiple positions in the field.

However, according to ESPN’s Jayson Stark, the Padres are looking for a package similar to what they got for Mat Latos last season. In that deal, San Diego brought in three quality prospects (Yonder Alonso, Brad Boxberger, Yasmani Grandal) and Edinson Volquez, their top starting pitcher. 

If they’re asking that much for Headley—and all indications are suggesting that they are—then the Yankees should hang up the phone.

Headley is a better player than the Yankees’ in-house replacements for A-Rod (Eric Chavez and Jayson Nix), but he’s not worth the Padres’ asking price. And when you consider that Rodriguez should be back by September 18—which would give him at least 15 games to shake off the rust before the playoffs—this rumored deal becomes even more unnecessary.

The Yankees still have an 8.5-game lead in the AL East, so it’s not like they’re fighting to make the playoffs. They should just sit tight, play Chavez while A-Rod heals, and hold onto their assets for future endeavors.

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On May 27, Ubaldo Jimenez had started 10 games for the Cleveland Indians in the 2012 season.

Of those ten games, five of them were quality starts and in the other five he allowed four or more runs. While Jimenez held a 5-4 record, his ERA was at a season high, 5.79.

In those 10 starts, Jimenez had a 33:42 K:BB over 56 innings. He also allowed 58 hits in those starts, ballooning his WHIP to 1.79.

Then, June started and while Jimenez is just 3-3 over his last seven starts, he has shown exactly what made him a huge acquisition from the Colorado Rockies at the 2011 MLB trade deadline.

Jimenez has thrown 46 innings, posted a 2.93 ERA, but, most importantly, Jimenez has a 44:16 K:BB and has allowed 38 hits, for a 1.17 WHIP.

Jimenez is throwing strikes and has turned back into the player who the Indians thought they were getting when they traded Drew Pomeranz and Alex White, two very good arms, to acquire the 28-year-old Dominican right-hander.

As the Indians head into the All-Star break and rumors have swirled about their interest in several players:

Shane Victorino – by Ken Rosenthal

Matt Garza – by Jon Paul Morosi

Chase Headley – by Jon Heyman

Carlos Quentin – by Buster Olney

While I have mentioned others in previous articles, particularly right-handed bats and pitchers like Ryan Dempster of the Chicago Cubs and Brandon McCarthy of the Oakland A’s, the Indians may have improved their rotation with the apparent divine intervention that has taken place with Ubaldo Jimenez and his ability to pitch efficiently in MLB.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

I have not had good experiences with fantasy baseball in the past.

First and foremost, I was terrible at it. I would say that I could identify a comfortable 95 percent of current players by name, but that doesn’t mean I know how to fashion them into a successful fantasy franchise.

Your initial instinct is to grab the biggest names you can find. You want the Pujols’s, the Hamiltons, and the Cabreras. But that’s not how it works. It’s all about variety, depth, and value. You want all your bases covered, forgive the awful pun.

It’s more important to have guys who excel in different areas. You need a home-run guy, sure—but not eight of them. You also want a batting average guy, an on-base guy, a steals guy, etc. There are too many factors and I have no patience for that.

It also requires constant attention due to staggered schedules and an overwhelming number of “day-to-day injuries.” There are baseball games every day (excluding the All-Star break) from early April to early October. It is a grueling fantasy season.

It is no secret that I love fantasy football, but baseball is a drastically different monster. Football only has one “round” per week, for 17 weeks. It is much more manageable.

And despite all the stigmas, very few people obsess over it all week long. I check maybe once a day to make sure that Tom Brady still has all his required ligaments or that some Cincinnati Bengal hasn’t been arrested for public indecency. Plus, given the short season, every game is important and players aren’t just going to take a day off on you. I would hardly categorize the schedule as grueling.

But still, I was left with an empty spot where fantasy football usually resides, and I thought maybe baseball was a fitting suitor.

Yes, despite all noted evidence, I considered fantasy baseball in 2012.

But I decided against it in the end, for one reason, which I at least had the foresight to recognize. And that reason currently has a 5-13 record.

I grew up in a small coastal California town called Encinitas, half-an-hour north of downtown San Diego. My allegiances have never strayed from the Chargers in the NFL or the Padres in the MLB. But every man has his limits, and the Padres are fast approaching mine.

I vaguely remember the 1998 World Series, in which the Padres faced the Yankees. I can also vaguely recall not caring all that much. I mean, I was seven years old, yet to reach diehard fan status.

It has been 14 years now, and the Padres have gone from World Series contender to league laughingstock. They won the NL West division in both 2005 and 2006 (perhaps only due to how bad the division was those years, as they won only 82 and 88 games respectively), but lost both times to the Cardinals in the first round of the playoffs.

But at least there had always been stars. There was always one guy who you could point to and say “That’s our best player, that’s who I want to pay to see.”

For a long while it was Mr. Padre himself, Tony Gwynn, and his pursuit of 3,000 hits. Or it was Trevor Hoffman, walking out to “Hells Bells,” lights-out for so many years. In the early 2000s, it was Jake Peavy, the fireballing righty from Mobile, Alabama. And until 2010, it was Adrian Gonzalez, with one of the prettiest swings you will ever see.

These players kept the Padres afloat, even through 66-98 seasons. And now, with the Padres setting a pace that wouldn’t even see them reach 66 wins, that player is…

Nonexistent.

No Padre with legitimate playing time is batting over .300, and only two players break that mark (barely) even when removing that restriction (Andy Parrino is 7-of-23 for .304, and Chris Denorfia is 9-of-30 for .300).

The only offensive bright spot thus far has been Chase Headley (.293, 4 HR, 13 RBI), who I have seen strike out in big moments too often to get excited about.

They have scored a scant 60 runs and just marked their first two-game win streak of the season, 18 games in. (Thank goodness for the Pirates, who have somehow managed to cross the plate just 30 times in 15 games—if you’re wondering, the record for fewest runs in a season belongs to St. Louis with 372 in 1908, a record the Pirates are on pace to obliterate.)

As far as the pitchers go, Cory Luebke has been pleasantly decent, putting up a 1.16 WHIP and 2.52 ERA in four starts. Plus, he accounts for 40 percent of the team’s wins, so that’s dandy.

Unfortunately, opening day starter Edinson Volquez is already up to a 4.30 ERA and has yet to get a win. Promising up-and-coming Clayton Richard has given up 12 earned runs in 18 innings, and I’m not sure who the other starters are.

I’m honestly not sure if Bud Black knows who they are.

Although they are probably going to overshoot the 6-45 mark I set for them for the first third of the season, all of these wins are meaningless. The Padres organization and the MLB as a whole have deeper-set issues. It goes deeper than just a bad team full of bad players.

It is an organization that doesn’t care about product, and a league that doesn’t care about market discrepancies. Not to make it out to be a conspiracy, it’s not like the league is fixing anything (directly), but I honestly believe that MLB would like to see the same five or six teams in the World Series hunt every year. It’s just best for business.

So this is why you won’t talk me into fantasy baseball: because my connection to the game has already been lost after two weeks. I’m already on the Clippers’ and Kings’ bandwagons—let’s hope I don’t move to LA and start rooting for the Dodgers.

Matt Kemp does have one of those lovable faces, doesn’t he?

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

For lack of a better word, the Boston Red Sox’s offseason has been quiet. Scratch that, it has been dead silent. For a team that was so aggressive in 2011, yet so disappointing in September, Red Sox Nation has been waiting for something big.

The Mark Melancon trade was nice, and the Nick Punto signing adds depth, but those moves are tiny chisels in the rock. It is time Ben Cherington pulled out the jackhammer and went to town.

The Boston Red Sox have been inquiring on starting pitchers, specifically Goo Gonzalez. They also looked into Oakland Athletics closer Andrew Bailey but balked at the asking price of top prospect Will Middlebrooks. As they should have.

I do not think it is a secret that Kevin Youkilis is not the long-term solution at third base. Youkilis, or “Youk” as dubbed by fans, made the move to the hot corner in 2011 after Boston acquired Adrian Gonzalez. The 32-year-old has been a visage of consistency for Boston, posting nearly identical slash lines from 2008-2010 (all equating to an OPS above .955). He is also known for his black-hole glove.

But 2011 was not kind to Kevin Youkilis. Injuries have always been a problem, and moving to a more active position like third seemed to be too much. In 2011, Youk hit .258/.373/.459, hitting a mere 17 home runs (two less than 2010 despite playing in 18 more games). His defense also seemed to hit a wall.

The failed transition was an eye-opener for Boston fans. Will Middlebrooks is now looked at in a new light. The 23-year-old prospect combined for a .285/.328/.506 line between AA and AAA last season, slugging 23 home runs. All things considered, he currently stands as the Boston Red Sox’s next third baseman, making Youkilis expendable.

Middlebrooks’ breakout campaign has not gone unnoticed, and teams are interested. But it would be a big gamble for the Boston Red Sox to relinquish a top prospect that can fill a huge void.

Enter Chase Headley.

Chase Headley is currently the third baseman of the San Diego Padres. Drafted in the second round of the 2005 draft, Headley was in the minors for only three years before he received his first cup of coffee with the Padres in 2007 as a 23-year-old.

Headley, now 27, has shown a great propensity for hitting. His baseball acumen has transformed into stellar patience at the plate. Despite a poor showing with the glove in 2011, Headley has good instincts on defense and posted a stellar 16.5 UZR in 2010 (the best by any third baseman that year). The switch-hitter finally came into his own last season, putting together a career best .289/.374/.399 line in an injury-shortened 113 games.

However, like all San Diego Padres hitters, we need to read between the lines.

It is well known that Petco Park is the best pitchers park in baseball—just talk to Adrian Gonzalez. Its effects have certainly been felt on Chase Headley. In his career, he is hitting .229/.319/.336 at Petco, versus .303/.364/.441 away. In 2011, Headley posted an .864 OPS away, .190 points higher than his .674 OPS at home.

If traded to Boston, I do not think Headley would have as successful a move as A-Goon. Their power is not on the same level, and Gonzalez is a more complete player. However, there is no reason to think Headley could not hit .300, get on base at a .400 clip and hit 15-20 home runs. Sounds a lot like Kevin Youkilis numbers, huh?

This biggest thing standing in the way is the asking price. Word on the street is that the Padres are asking for a lot, but as things stand, the biggest suitor so far has been the Detroit Tigers. Boston’s farm runs much deeper, and that gives them a leg up.

San Diego could use help in the corner outfield spots, which makes Josh Reddick the centerpiece of any deal. Boston could also add one of Anthony Ranaudo or Matt Barnes. It seems like Boston is giving up a lot, but this deal adds a lot of flexibility to the team.

With Chase Headley in position to take over third, suddenly both Kevin Youkilis and Will Middlebrooks become expendable. Youk has long been an OBP holy grail to Billy Beane. Boston could easily package a deal around Youkilis and Middlebrooks (and some fringe prospects) for Gio Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey. Or, they could get a third team involved for Youk and forward the prospects of that deal to Oakland.

In just two easy steps, the Boston Red Sox gain a 27-year-old switch-hitting third baseman of the future, a 25-year-old workhorse with ace potential and a solid 27-year-old closer. Suddenly, the team is reinvigorated with youth and one of the best cores in baseball. Even better is that it is all incredibly plausible.

Someone get Ben Cherington on the phone.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Padres were in the National League West driver’s seat for most of the 2010 campaign.  As we all very well know, a 10-game lull in August and September paved the way for the San Francisco Giants’ run to the World Series title.

The Padres have a new look in 2011.  Their projected Opening Day lineup will feature six new faces, and Mat Latos will take the ball in an effort to solidify himself as a staff ace in his second full season.

It will take a full team effort for there to be postseason baseball in San Diego.  Let’s take a look at five players whose productivity will pay dividends in 2011.

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Adrian Gonzalez? Gone. David Eckstein? History. The Hairstons? Adios.

Miguel Tejada? Auf Weidersehen. Yorvit Torrealba? Movin on..

You get the picture. The Padres will be a different team in 2011.

The question becomes “Is different better?” I know that what I see on paper right now looks much better than the last two seasons teams did at this same point. Lets take a look at what should be the Padres starting line up for opening day.

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