Yankees send Chase Headley back to San Diego to free up cash

Less than 24 hours after unveiling Giancarlo Stanton to the world as a member of the Yankees, general manager Brian Cashman struck a deal to send Chase Headley and Bryan Mitchell to the Padres.

Let’s get one thing straight; the Yankees did not send third baseman Chase Headley and right-handed pitcher Bryan Mitchell to the Padres because they wanted 28-year-old career minor league outfielder Jabari Blash.

In 164 at-bats last season, Blash hit .213 with five home runs.

No, it was purely a salary dump — which is funny, considering the recent acquisition of Giancarlo Stanton. Yet in retrospect, Stanton’s descent into New York is the exact reason that Headley, the 10-year veteran, is headed back to the only other big-league franchise he’s ever known.

Indeed, for the Padres to take back Headley and his one-year, $13 million contract, they rightfully wanted something else in return.

With a plethora of hard-throwing right-handers littered through the Yanks’ system, Mitchell was more than expendable. At 26, Mitchell never really grabbed his opportunity with the Yanks and ran with it.

In all fairness, he did look to be well on his way in 2016, pitching lights-out during spring training. Of course, a comebacker hit him in the leg, forcing him to miss much of the season. Mitchell would go on to only tossing 25 innings in the majors that season.

If it weren’t for Jacoby Ellsbury, Headley would have been the most criticized Yankee over the past few years. At times it was warranted, but not for most of 2017.

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Headley was one of the clubs most productive hitters for the first two months of the season before going on his patented midseason slump. However, he steadied himself in September before bringing some much-needed stability to the Yanks’ anemic ALCS offense.

But now Headley is gone, which could mean a few different things for 2018.

Having also traded Starlin Castro, the Yanks have question marks as to who will play both second base and now third base.

With the potent lineup that manager Aaron Boone will likely unleash upon the rest of baseball, it’s entirely possible he could opt for a defensive-first option like Ronald Torreyes or Tyler Wade.

Should the club ultimately decide to stay the course with the “rebuild,” which would allow for Cashman to use the $30 million or so in available funds on a starting pitcher, Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar could inexpensively fill the two open infield spots.

While both have electric bats, their glove-work could still use some refinement (especially Andujar’s).

For those that fell in love with Todd Frazier and his contagious leadership following his late July arrival to the Bronx, a one-year return to the club is possible with Headley’s $13 million recently coming available.

Next: Yankees lineups in 2018

However, Joel Sherman reports that Frazier and his camp are still looking for a multi-year deal, which makes sense considering he’s 31 with an ever-deflating batting average (.213 in ’17). Maybe a one-year deal with a team option would intrigue the Toddfather.