Daniels, Young Have Two Meetings

After the Rangers acquired Adrian Beltre and Mike Napoli this winter, the face of the Rangers had a problem.

Michael Young has changed positions now three times in recent years, and he wasn't excited about being pushed out of the field as a DH. Then, to top it off, the Rangers brought in Napoli, who will see time at first base (one of the positions Young was supposed to get time at -- and still will), and that set Young over the edge.

Regardless of which side you fall on, Young or GM Jon Daniels, there was a definite split between the two.

Players and GMs don't have to get along, but this isn't any team, this is the Texas Rangers, the most happy-go-lucky clubhouse in all of baseball, and this is Michael Young, Mr. Team, who never complains, cares only about winning and is the ultimate teammate.

Young demanded a trade. Daniels said he would fill the request only if it helped the Rangers, which is nearly impossible considering the $48 million still owed to Young over the final three years of his deal.

According to Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, the estranged pair met for about 30 minutes on Wednesday and again on Thursday.

Other media reports say Young's trade request has not changed, but that the Rangers' request in return and the money they're asking potential suitors to eat is too much and Young will most likely be back with the Rangers in 2011.

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Daniels actually admitted he regrets how things went down this winter, which I suppose is a step in the right direction toward mending fences with one of the faces of the franchise.

"There were a lot of little things that were just that - little things - that built up," Daniels told Grant. "But looked at through one lens or another, they could have been perceived different ways. I think Michael ended up taking some criticism and some shots that were not fair. People were questioning things about him that they shouldn't have. It shouldn't have happened the way it did. We love the way the club sets up, but I hate the way it played out."

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