After previously declaring the re-signing of third baseman Chase Headley their #1 priority, the New York Yankees have backed down a bit on the pursuit of bringing the third baseman back to the Bronx. Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com reports that the Yankees are "cooling on Chase Headley" because of the third baseman's "resolve to get a five-year deal of his own" after seeing fellow third baseman Pablo Sandoval sign a five-year, $95-million contract with the Boston Red Sox in November. 

Headley, age 30, is CBS Sports.com's #7 costless agent position player and second-highest-rated third baseman behind only Sandoval, who is #3 overall. Sandoval received his contract after posting season totals of .279, 16 HR, and 73 RBI for the World Series champion San Francisco Giants. Headley spilt the season with the San Diego Padres and Yankees and put up totals of .243, 13 HR, and 49 RBI. He is two years removed from his best season so far when he hit .286 with 31 HR and 115 RBI for the Padres in 2012.

The Yankees acquired Headley via trade with the Padres for infielder Yangervis Solarte on July 22, and Headley's bat awoke enough to help keep the Yankees in the A.L. Wild Card race until well into the season's final week. As a Yankee, Headley hit six of his home runs and drove in 17 runs in 58 games while compiling a .262/.371/.398 slash line. Perhaps the spring from the second-teir Padres to a contender helped him wake his bat up. 

Wallace indicated that the Yankees are unwilling -- at least for now -- to offer Headley a five-year contract, partly due to his lower-back problems. The Yankees already have much money and many years tied up in other injury-prone players such as Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, and Alex Rodriguez (returning from his suspension), and they have two more years and $30 million guaranteed to Carlos Beltran, who played in only 109 games this year due mainly to hand injuries.

The third base market is excessively thin this offseason. Aramis Ramirez has already exercised his 2015 option to stay with the Milwaukee Brewers, so the next-highest-rated third baseman is Mark Reynolds, who hit only .196 for the Brewers, but he did smack 22 home runs. Reynolds, though, played the majority of his games (91) at first base and 42 games at third.

The thin market leaves Martin Prado as the next main interest to play third, and Wallace says that prospect Rob Refsnyder could to try to win the job at second base out of Spring Training. Refsnyder split his time between Double-A and Triple-A this past year, and, according to Wallace, "the Yankees love his bat." If that is the case, then the Yankees may have what they want already in place in case they cannot re-sign Headley.