THE CHASE FOR CHASE HEADLEY NOT LIKELY

The Yankees like Chase Headley, not love him... like him, For alittle while last fall, he was alot of fun to watch in pinstripes, but the bottom line is, if Chase won't go 3 years on a deal to come back to New York, the Yankees are happy to take a walk.

According to Wally Matthews of ESPN NY, "...one free agent who might not find the Yankees to be his Santa Claus is Chase Headley, who only two weeks ago was being touted by folks in the organization as Priority No. 1 considering the lack of faith the Yankees have in the returning Alex Rodriguez.

Now, however, the Headley fever seems to have cooled, especially since the Pablo Sandoval deal with the Red Sox -- five years, $95 million -- seems to have stiffened Headley's resolve to get a five-year deal of his own. According to a baseball source I spoke with Tuesday, the Yankees are not willing to give Headley five years, considering his age (31 in May), so-so offensive production the past two seasons, and lingering lower back problems, which could lead to surgery at some point over the length of a five-year contract."

So what happens now? Well, either Headley comes down to earth and tries to lock down a 3 year deal with the Yankees, or he hopes another club signs him for 5, maybe 4 years.  In the meantime, the Yankees have Martin Prado, and if need be, they could walk into Spring Training knowing he can play third base. Or, they continue to search for a 3rd baseman, either on the Free Agent Market, or via trade.

I would hope the Yanks and Chase can make a deal. But the way Wally's talking, that ship may have sailed.

Oh well. Life goes on... it's only baseball.

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