San Diego Padres in no mood to trade third baseman Chase Headley - MLB News
Chase Headley can be a preferred third baseman for more than one team. With a recent revelation that Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees could be out of the game for as long as June next year, Chase is likely going to be a favourite to replace him.
The San Diego ball club seems to be unmoved on their earlier stance that they will not be trading Headley and want to continue with the star hitter. Padres’ general manager, Josh Byrnes was quite clear in echoing these sentiments and said that the other
teams have actually stopped inquiring about Chase. "We're really not having those discussions at all," he said.
The 28-year-old had a fantastic 2012 season where he lead the National League in RBI’s with 115 and also hit 31 home-runs. He posted a very acceptable .286 batting average along with a .376 on-base percentage and had 173 hits including 33 extra base hits.
Headley is arbitration eligible and is expected to get a salary in excess of $7 million. Josh Byrnes believed that he has earned whatever good is coming his way. “Chase is a very well-liked guy. He's respected, he's a home-grown Padre … he's earned the right
to at least get a nice raise in arbitration,” Josh said.
The switch hitter is under the Padres until 2014. There have already been some suggestions that the ball club may want to extend his stay in San Diego. “I don't know, until we compare notes in earnest, it's hard to say,” Byrnes said. “We have two more years
with him. There's lots of time.”
When quizzed about the Yankees having an interest in Chase, Josh gave a simple answer. "So do we," he said, smiling. The New York ball club’s interest obviously would also have been boosted by the fact that Chase can give strong performances and be cost
efficient at the same time.
Chase has been with the Padres since 2007 and has played all six of his Major League seasons with the San Diego ball club. A native of Fountain, Colorado, Chase excelled in baseball and basketball at his high school.
He started out as a shortstop for the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California and later transitioned into a third baseman. He transferred to University of Tennessee in 2003 in his sophomore year. He was named the Most Valuable Player in 2004. Headley
was drafted by the Padres in 2005 in the First Year Player Draft.
Chase Headley is certainly an asset for the San Diego Padres. The team has persevered with the switch hitter over the years and is now reaping the fruits because of that. It will be wise on the part of the Padres to continue just that and decline any trade
offers they get for him.
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