Chase Headley avoided arbitration with the Padres by agreeing to a one-year, $8.575MM contract for 2013, and it has been widely assumed that the club would also explore a multiyear extension with its third baseman. San Diego GM Josh Byrnes said that the two sides had tabled extension talks for now, and Headley confirmed that there was a significant gap between his demands and what the Padres were willing to offer.
“We talked about a long-term contract briefly at the start of these negotiations,” Headley told Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “It was a quick discussion. We weren’t on the same page right from the start. This close to free agency, it has to be a good deal for us. You can’t sacrifice what’s fair.
“If we can do something that makes sense, I’d love to stay a Padre.”
Headley, 28, has one remaining arb-eligible year and is set to become a free agent following the 2014 season. Over 70.1% of voters in a recent MLBTR Poll said that the Padres would be wise to lock Headley up to a long-term contract, and while the team has had trouble keeping its top stars over the years, the Padres' new ownership group is known to want to reverse this trend, beginning with Headley. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes suggested earlier this offseason that Headley could command a four-year deal worth between $41-$50MM.
