MLB teams
David Schoenfield, ESPN Senior Writer 6y

Trade grades: Headley deal all about the money for Yankees

MLB, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres

The deal: The Yankees trade 3B Chase Headley and RHP Bryan Mitchell to the Padres for OF Jabari Blash.

Why it's a good deal for the Yankees: This is essentially a salary dump by the Yankees, trading Mitchell so the Padres will take on the $13 million owed to Headley in the final year of the third baseman's contract. The Yankees are trying to get under the luxury-tax threshold for the first time -- it's at $197 million for 2018 -- and trading Headley's salary puts them at an estimated $35 million below that number. Cot's Contract estimated the Yankees' 2018 payroll at $169 million before the trade, so this deal would leave them at about $156 million. The tax threshold is determined by annual average value of contracts, however, so that probably pushes the figure up to around $162 million.

^ Back to Top ^