Offseason Questions: What To Do With Young
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Michael Young of the Texas Rangers bats against the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum on October 3, 2012 in Oakland, California.
Look, we get it. Texas Rangers fans were not big fans of Michael Young during the 2012 season, and with good reason. Young had career lows in just about every offensive category and basically became a singles hitter (when he hit the ball) and had an endless leash with manager Ron Washington, who never dropped him in the lineup despite his lack of production.
Of course, in September, Young finally started showing signs of life offensively, but by then the damage had already been done. The knee-jerk reaction is to get rid of Young heading into the final year of his contract, when he's set to earn $16 million at 36 years old as a light-hitting DH and utility infielder.
That's where you run into problems if you're in the "get rid of him" camp. No one will take on that player at that salary. Sure, you could get rid of Young and get something in return for him, but it's not going to happen unless you want to pay a considerable amount of that $16 million.
So the Rangers won't trade Young, and they shouldn't. Here's why:
- Despite the fact he's not a great defensive player, he's ultra versatile and can literally play every infield position, though you'd be in a dire situation if you were actually playing him at shortstop. He's best at second base, which is where he'd likely play if dealt elsewhere.
- This is a guy that finished eighth in the AL MVP race in 2011 when he hit a career-high .338 and drove in a career-high 106 RBIs. Imagine if he could meet somewhere in the middle, or even get back to his 2011 self.
- Everyone in New York wanted Derek Jeter out heading into the 2012 season, and look what he did.
- It sounds cliche, but the guy really is glue in the clubhouse and has been a leader in the room for years. Getting rid of Young would not only rub some people the wrong way, but it would disrupt what is a very tight-knit clubhouse.
So there you go, folks. You might want Young to be elsewhere when the season starts, but don't count on it.
