When Michael Young reported to Surprise, Ariz., for the Rangers spring training, things were downright ugly.
There were public comments made by both Young about Rangers GM Jon Daniels and how Young felt betrayed and misled by the Rangers front office after facing yet another position move from third base to everyday DH and utility infielder. That, after a move from second base to shortstop early in his career and from shortstop to third two years ago to make room for Elvis Andrus.
As ugly as things were, we kept hearing that everything would be fine, at least publicly, once Young got to spring training and started playing baseball. Michael Young is a professional, everyone said.
Well, that's turned out to be 100 percent truth.
Young has still hinted he'd like to be traded, and Daniels has said that won't happen unless it benefits the Rangers, as he should say.
Young has been tearing it up this spring. He's hitting .351 and is leading all Rangers regulars with a .468 on-base percentage. He's working a lot at first base, which he said is the position he needs most work at, and since camp began, he isn't complaining.
Reports have come out in the last couple of days that the Rangers are willing to eat half of Young's remaining $48 million contract if they can find a willing, and fitting trade partner (Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies have been rumored), but it'll be tough to find a team to pay even half of Young's remaining chunk of change due his way.
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Most of the time, in situations like these, the team trading a big contract like Young's will eat most, if not all of the remaining money, and the Rangers won't do that.
So get ready to see Young in red/blue and white in a couple of weeks. And that's OK, the Rangers are better off that way.
