MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees Won’t Trade for 3B

When Alex Rodriguez went to the ground yesterday in agony after being hit by a Felix Hernandez pitch on his

left hand, the rumors started flying.  Would the Yankees go out and seek a third baseman on the trade market to fill the hole?  Would they specifically go after Chase Headley of the Padres?  The answer is no.

According to Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York, Brian Cashman, the Yankees’ GM, has said he will not trade for an Alex Rodriguez replacement.  The team has Eric Chavez, and they intend to use him in A-Rod absence.

“Chavez is the solution and Jayson Nix is the solution, and whoever we have in the farm system are going to have to be the solution,” Cashman said. “I’m very comfortable with Eric Chavez as Alex’s replacement.”

Rodriguez is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a broken bone in his left hand.  The non-displaced fracture will not require surgery, but A-Rod will not be able to swing or put a glove on while the injury heals.  He will also have to rehab the broken hand to regain strength.  While it seems he will return toward the end of the season, it’s not out of the question that he could be lost for the rest of the year if he has any set-backs in rehab.

Eric Chavez has proven himself a capable back-up to Rodriguez this season.  He is hitting .269/.324/.474 with 8 home runs in 64 games.  He will get the bulk of the time at third now that Rodriguez is out.

Many people, including ESPN’s own Buster Olney, thought the Yankees would go after the Padres’ Chase Headley has been drawing interest since the 2011 off-season, but that interest has increased as the deadline approaches.

Headley is hitting .268/.361/.423 with 11 home runs this year.  He has been one of the most productive Padres in San Diego’s lineup.  The team, though, has his replacement ready and waiting at Triple-A in Jedd Gyorko.  They also know they can likely get an impressive return on Headley now because Headley is under team control through the end of the 2014 season.

If the Yankees truly do not pursue another back-up (Headley would be an expensive back-up in terms of what New York would have to give up), there are plenty of teams out there interested.  It’s just a matter of time before a deal gets done for Headley.

For more on the Yankees, be sure to check out Yanks Go Yard.  

For more on the Padres, be sure to check out Chicken Friars.