Padres Might Wait for Winter to Deal Headley
In spite of heightened interest, the San Diego Padres may wait to trade third baseman Chase Headley until the off-season, reports Buster Olney of ESPN:
To this moment,Padres aren't far down the road in their Headley trade talks. Might table it to the winter,when more teams would be involved.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 29, 2012
While it was rumored earlier this week that San Diego was "all but sure" to trade the coveted third baseman, and discussions were "heating up" as recently as yesterday morning, it is not certain the Padres will move Headley before tomorrow's 3pm deadline.
At least five teams -- the Orioles, Indians, Pirates, Athletics and Yankees -- have been in discussions for the third baseman, but it is possible that more teams would join the fray during the off-season. A source has told Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports the team will decide today whether or not to deal Headley.
With top prospect Jedd Gyorko waiting in the wings to take over third base duties, it seems likely San Diego will move Headley sooner rather than later. The 28-year-old Headley is hitting .265/.359/.422 in 101 games this year and is under team control through the 2014 season.