The Rangers announced yesterday that Michael Young has had a change of heart and requested a trade. That's not quite the way Young sees it though. He told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he has been "misled and manipulated and [has grown] sick of it." Here's the latest on Young, who can veto deals to teams other than the Cardinals, Yankees, Twins, Astros, Rockies, Dodgers, Angels and Padres, but would consider other destinations:
- The Cardinals haven't heard from the Rangers about a possible trade and don't plan to initiate discussions, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. GM John Mozeliak didn't mention Young by name, but says his roster is set at this point and that he doesn't expect "any major additions at this point." The Cardinals have discussed Young before, according to Strauss.
- It's time to forget the idea of Young going to the Astros, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. The Astros like his tools, but not his contract. GM Ed Wade declined to comment on his club's interest.
- The Rangers are increasing their asking price for Young, since it's harder to find offense now that Vladimir Guerrero has agreed to terms with the Orioles, according to Rosenthal (Twitter link).
- The Twins have discussed trading for Young in previous years, but there's "zero chance" a deal happens now, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
- The Mariners will "probably stay the course," GM Jack Zduriencik tells Morosi (Twitter link).
- Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the Tigers are "set" at second base (Twitter link). Detroit is also set at third and short, so Young isn't a fit.
- A Carlos Lee for Michael Young trade is a longshot, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Lee, a former Ranger, can veto deals to 14 teams, including Texas.
- The Dodgers have had preliminary talks about acquiring Young, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. However, it's "a very long shot" that the sides agree to a deal, according to a baseball source.
- There is no imminent deal with the Rockies, though Colorado has shown the most interest in Young, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
Well now that half the galaxy knows MY wants out, good luck to the Rangers to try and get anything for him.
Like I said, MY shot himself in the foot if he thought spouting off would get him traded faster. If anything, he just threw a monkey wrench into the machinery.
Doubtful. What team brings back their longtime captain who has publically calledout the GM following a WS appearance. Baaad news.
Looks like the young hot shot GM has fallen flat on his face. Signing Beltre was a stupid move while they still had Young so now he has destroyed his team chemistry all the while never acknowledge the lack of pitching. Even with some starters left out there you would think he would get a little depth in case of injury.
So vastly upgrading one position was “stupid”? Yeah, disagree.
I don’t think Texas is done with their rotation yet. Probably one more signing and then an ins-season trade.
Right, because scrounging the bottom of the barrel gives you the best pitchers… The best pitcher available recently was Kevin Millwood, who has an ERA of 4.57 as a Ranger, good enough for a 5th starter. OR, the Rangers could go with one of a dozen viable in house candidates for their 5th starter spot.
I thought $48M/3 made it hard to get anything for him
He should go to the Mets!
yes another large contract is exactly what the Mets need…its not like they dont have any financial problems or anything
I hope so. Send Texas some single A LHP with an ERA under 5.00 or OLIVER PEREZ. Either is worth taking on YOUNG’S extra large pay check. Having him play 2nd base every day would solidify an excellent infield.
no shot in hell does michael young get traded for ollie
alderson has made it clear he wants to get rid of big contracts and not take on more this year
i have to say the way the Rangers front office has handled some things this offseason has been odd but Young needs to go trade him and get what you can at this point
This was the Rangers fault. He did nothing but accommodate them when they needed him to. I think he would have been okay had they just acquired Beltre, but going out and getting Napoli was the straw that broke the camel’s back for him. I don’t blame him in the least. He is an all star, a career .300 hitter, and the team’s all-time hits leader, and this is how they treat him. Frankly, as a Rangers fan, it upsets me that they tried to spin it in their favor. Everyone on the outside could see they were pushing him out. I’m surprised he’s lasted this long.
As a fellow Rangers fan, you knew the writing was on the wall when Beltre was signed. Maybe we all deluded ourselves that the Rangers could find a role for MY after that. But, even if he can still hit for average (mostly singles), he is below the level of guys like Moreland, Kinsler, Andrus and Beltre at those IF positions. That’s the bottom line.
I might wish that the Rangers had handled this better, but their biggest mistake was signing MY to that long term deal. They didn’t know how badly his skills would diminish back then though. Now he is pulling too much money and is INCAPABLE of playing up to it. How is his lackluster play the Ranger’s fault?
The Rangers mistake was not shooting straight with one of their veteran players.
What a mess in Texas. They might be off welfare, but the World Series fluke has clearly gone to their collective heads. Who runs a team like this?
Actually, trading for Napoli was the straw that broke the Camels back for Young. That said, you can’t blame the Rangers for wanting to get better, younger, and more cost effective. It was not this regime that gave him the deal, and the sad fact is that whenever that its a business, and in business, when ownership, or management changes hands, its usually the stalwart old guard, last of the old regime folks that get let go, or are offered severence to ride off into the sunset.
Anyone who is surprised at this in nothing more than naive.
It’s a business. Lucky for him his contract is garaunteed and he still gets paid his 16mil for the next three years regaurdless. The Rangers just wanted to get better, which they did.
“He did nothing but accommodate them when they needed him to.”
Other than, you know, right now. …or back when they asked him to play 3rd. Awkward to go on and on about what a great, selfless guy Young is when he has such a long history of taking his ball and going off to the corner to stomp and pout.
You’ve got me there. After being asked to move to third for Elvis, he did throw a hissy fit. I could see his point of view on that though, the previous season, he won a gold glove. I was a little upset myself until I saw Elvis play. And this trade business didn’t get brought up until they traded for Napoli. What went on behind closed doors, we’ll never know, but to us, it seemed like he was willing to be the DH/Super Utility player. Then the bottom fell out.Frankly, I see both sides: if he’s going to whine and pout every time he doesn’t get his way, ship him off.
I think it’s safe to say a trade to any team is a longshot until TEX decides to pay a large chunk of that remaining salary.
Which is why I don’t think any trade is going to happen anytime soon. Money won’t be given unless a particular team balances the pot by throwing the Rangers some top talent from the class A-AA level at the very least.
Good luck on that. Texas has very few teams that are a fit and 2 of them are in their division. Texas will be lucky just to move him and not eat all of his salary.
…and at that point, I think the Rangers just have to come back and tell Young, “sucks to be you.” No matter how much he “demands” a trade, there’s no reason why the Rangers should just give him away AND pay his salary.
And at that point Young should say “sucks to be you” and stop working out and running to first base and swinging the bat. Just because he is under contract doesn’t mean he has to go 100%. He can just sit on the bench for the next 3 years taking up a valuable roster spot and still collect his cash. Sometimes it is best for everyone to just move on.
He’s a professional, not a Manny Ramirez, he has too much pride not to do his best. What he can do is pout in the clubhouse until Ron Washington tells management he’s got to go.
…and at that point, the Rangers can suspend him and quit paying him. Then we can all make Milton Bradley jokes.
…and at that point the Players Association can get involved. If the Rangers are going to say “sucks to be you” I’m sure that can go both ways. Like I said before, sometimes it’s just best to move on.
i’m sure the Players Association cant do much when a team puts a player on the Restricted list, which is basically a suspension without pay… Todd Smith is correct.
That just has to be wrong. If that were the case, why wouldn’t teams just place any player they no longer wanted on the restricted list? That would make all MLB contracts non-guaranteed. Why wouldn’t the Rangers just put Young on the restricted list now?
Teams have guidelines regarding the restricted list. They can’t just put players on the restricted list just to avoid paying them. If a player refuses to play, I’m sure there’s a clause that allows the team to put that player on the restricted list.
A player can demand anything he wants. The team isn’t required to give into those demands. A player cannot just refuse to play and still get paid. Don’t be ridiculous.
Yeah, I know the rules. I also know that a player doesn’t have to refuse to play to make it so you wouldn’t put him on the field. MY could do the bare minimum set out in his contract and the Rangers would still have to pay him. If it was so easy to suspend a player for lack of effort don’t you think the Red Sox would have suspended Manny? Is there a better example of a player dogging it with no repercussions? I think MY has too much class to ever do that but at some point everyone has a breaking point.
Young and $20 million to St. Louis for Allen Craig (to DH), Lance Lynn, and Tyler Greene
As a Cardinal fan, there’s no way I would make that trade
Why? Tyler Greene is a former 1st rounder who has shown no indication of catching on as long as La Russa is here and could use a change of scenery. Allen Craig has NO POSITION, especially in St. Louis with Pujols here and if Pujols isn’t here, I don’t want Allen Craig as my 1B. Lance Lynn is a back-of-the-rotation guy at best who is no longer a top prospect.
Young is an aging vet with something to offer for a couple more seasons. The Cardinals window is shrinking with Carpenter getting older and with no significant farm help coming. Those 3 guys don’t significantly figure into future plans anyway.
As long it doesn’t effect the Pujols negotiations, I think it is a fair trade.
I’d say Shelby Miller falls into the category of “significant farm help”. Also, The only way the Cards take on more salary is if Pujols is traded.
I agree that Shelby Miller is going to be significant at some point, as is Zack Cox, but two players who haven’t been above A-ball are the only players in your system with promise, then yes, there is no significant help coming.
Also, you have no idea how much, if any salary Mozeliak and company would or wouldn’t take on for the right piece. I was sure that the Pujols contract would’ve been thought about and handled a long time ago to, but that isn’t the case. The Cardinals are traditionally very tight-lipped about all of their plans and this would be no different.
Young to St Louis for Pujols and $14 million.
They don’t need young. If they don’t keep pujols they’ll still have holiday and wainright. And they’ll get more prospects.
I would make that trade in a heart beat. Except I would try Lynn and Skip first.
No. The cardinals have already have pujols , holiday , molina and wainright. You can stick pjuols and holiday on the team that is the worst at batting and their hitting rate would improve. They’d get better run support because pujols and holiday are that good. If pujols leaves they’ll still have holiday , molina and wainright. They’ll probably get more young up coming talent if they hav a smart front office so they don’t need Michael young
What is the over under of Jon Daniels getting fired before Young is traded? Daniels orchestrated this whole mess, from beginning to end.
Uh, like, a zero percent chance?
Uh, prediction: the Rangers will soon hold a press conference and slap JD on the back and announce his contract has been extended.
This is a terrible move by the Rangers. They have been trying to upgrade their roster at the expense of their long-term reputation. They might win a few more games this year, but it’s going to hurt them down the line.
Teams get well-earned reputations. The Twins are able to bring in Pavano and Thome at discount prices because the Twins have a reputation for having a good clubhouse, and guys want to be a part of it – that’s fostered by honest and fair dealings with players. The Yankees are able to bring in ARod and Tex because they pay top-dollar. Players know they’re going to be under a higher level of scrutiny, but they’re willing to do that for a premium paycheck.
Texas needs to decide which kind of model it wants to pursue. Because they’re not going to get many “discounts” with free agents or extensions if their reputation is failing to take care of their own.
The Twins were able to bring in Pavano at a discount because he’s Carl Pavano.
Fine. The fact is, teams get reputations, and those factor into player contract decisions.
I don’t ever want to hear a Texas fan ask a player to make a sacrifice for the team. Because when the cards are down, that front office has shown they don’t make a sacrifice for a player.
It is not the front offices job to sacrifice for the player. It is their job to put the best product on the field every year. It is the players job to do what he is asked to do. He is getting paid $16mil for 3 years. Unless he has verbage in his contract that gauranteed anything about playing time and a certain position, he needs to suck it up and play.
This has nothing to do with sacrifice.
It has everything to do with integrity.
Don’t expect employees to be happy if you lie to them.
This is just a bad situation.. Rangers already had zero flexibility in trading him unless they sent some cash. .. and that was when he didn’t demand a trade.. now that he has, any team they talk to is going to start with 25 Million cash minimum, and probably more
But the zero flexibility happened back when they put a huge honking contract extension on the table, not when they signed Beltre or asked Young to move or whatever. The dollars for skills are the obstacle and Young’s blatherings are just icing on the 5000 lb block of stupid.
EDIT: We might be saying the same thing.
Getting Beltre and Napoli makes the Rangers better. I was willing to give MY a chance at being this super utility player, but sounds like he decided to cry to the media and demand a trade. By his very actions though, he made it extremely likely that he’ll still be with the Rangers on opening day and sitting looking miserable at the end of the bench.
How many of you want to trade for him if you are so keen on him and support him rather than “how the Rangers mistreated him”? Uh huh…now how many, if the Rangers won’t pay his way to play on your team? That’s what I thought. Nobody thinks he is worth his current contract because he can’t play up to it except maybe in BA anymore, which is why he was going to get most of his playing time at DH, even if he had to share with Napoli.
When MY gets traded, I believe JD will get some decent talent for him in return. They won’t demand major league level players, but they will pull some guys off some team’s list of top 10 prospects. As well they should.
Yes, you upgraded your roster. But at what expense?
Hamilton might just have it in the back of his mind, “Boy, do I really want to extend here, look how they just threw out Mike when they had a chance for a minor upgrade…”
Maybe that plays into his decision or his asking price, maybe not. But you know he’s certainly not going to say, “I love this organization. I’ll give them a discount, because I know they’ll have my back!”
Beltre over Young is a ‘minor’ upgrade?
please explain this statement.
I was referring to Napoli. That, in my opinion, was the nail in the coffin to Young. The team assured him he’d still get playing time, even with Beltre at third. Then they acquired someone who will surely take DH time away from him. Yet, he was still assured he wasn’t going to be traded. However, word seemed to have leaked to him that they were shopping him, while telling him they weren’t out of the other side of their mouth.
Napoli is a ‘minor’ upgrade over Young at DH. Better power, worse average…
If Napoli is Dh who’s catching?
Torrealba
Oh ya forgot they got him…
I still see Napoli catching 2-3 times a week though.
And I still see texas going out to get a DH bat, a Delgado, Dye or something
Napoli has never caught 100+ games in a season. Only twice has he even caught 82. He’s a part-time catcher. He’ll be splitting time with Torrealba.
He’s really not going to spend a lot of time at catcher unless Torrealba gets hurt. They have Treanor to play backup and he was solid last year.
But TX has had a lot of problems with injured catchers over the years (who hasn’t?) so they might be overcompensating for that a bit at the same time they add Napoli’s bat. Remember the swarm of awesome catching prospects that they couldn’t find playing time for? I think JD does.
Saltalamacchia, Teagarden, Max Ramirez, Kevin Richardson. If any of these guys had worked out, there would have been no need for Molina, Treanor, Torrealba, Napoli, or even bringing back Pudge… the Rangers can never have too much catching.
Napoli? He only hit lefties. Trading for napoli makes no sense since it cost them a relief pitcher. That pitching staff is weak. One injury to a starter and their season is over. Their bullpen is not very strong too. Beltre will be busy trying to catch all the hard hits off that pitching staff.
A Napoli/Murphy platoon at DH will put up better numbers than Young. What Young offers is depth in case of injury (*cough* Kinsler *cough*). But that’s not an everyday position and he knows it.
I think it’s even worse if Young is upset that Napoli is going to take ABs away from Treanor… Young, if with the Rangers, IS going to have 600+ Plate appearances.
He has too much $$$$ left on his contract to just get prospects in return. The Rangers are gonna have to eat some of his money or take a another veteran with a decent size contract in any deal.
How about Marco Scutaro and JD Drew from Boston for Young straight up and we assume his contract? Drew is in his last year and Scu has an option after this year.
Why would the Red Sox do that? Wouldn’t they have been better off re-signing Beltre?
Funny, I was thinking about Scutaro for Young and the Rangers throw in $35m
Beltre is a tremendous upgrade at 3B but I don’t see Napoli as an upgrade over Young at DH. Though Nap has potentially more power he doesn’t make contact at near the rate that Young does and is more likely to have 200 strikeouts than 200 hits. I’d much rather have Young as the primary DH. Perhaps the Rangers would be better off flipping Napoli to someone else….
Napoli’s role at DH was strictly for when Young would be playing the field.
Michael Young for Vernon Wells straight up
The Angels knew what they were doing all along…
i think he goes to the rockies but not any time soon this is going to keep this site busy for weeks
Young and $15million to Detroit for Guillen and Scott Sizemore? Guillen makes $12million this year, but is done after that. Would save Texas about 20 million and give them a young 2B. Gives Detroit a 2B and someone to hit second. Who says no?
The team that has to put Young at 2B… he can’t play 3rd, let alone second.
I say no and there are plenty of reasons why and I don’t feel like getting into it again. Dig through the other Mike Young threads to find out…
Well, I say NOOOO in my internet yelling voice. You will have to pry Scott Sizemore from my cold, dead hands.
How soon people forget that Sizemore spent the first half of the 2010 season recovering from a badly broken ankle. Sizemore was reluctant to use this as an “excuse,” but he said the cold weather affected the injury. Once the weather warmed up and he recovered mid-season, he started playing better. He tore it up in Toledo, and did very well in his September call up.
Why on earth would you toss Sizemore away for a guy who has no position on the field but refuses to DH?
Sorry for the novel, but I had to rage.
nm
The trade outcome, if there is one, can’t likely be a favourable one to TX. Add it to the Napoli-Francisco trade to reflect the true outcome of that deal.
Tony Reagins must be chuckling behind his paw on this one.
And somewhere in Arkansas, Cliff Lee is nodding his head in confirmation of NOT choosing the Texas Rangers…
because they are trying to dump a bad contract and essentially now a guy who can’t play defense but also his bat doesn’t translate to 1B/DH
yah gosh Cliff Lee really dodged a bullet here
That “bad contract who can’t play defense” is their longtime captain.
If they’re willing to lie to him, how can anyone take them seriously?
You realize, if Texas had said, “Look, Michael, we’re sorry, but we’re going to have to move in a different direction. We’d like to help you land with a team where you’ll get playing time. Who would you like us to start talking to?”, this wouldn’t be an issue.
The fact is they told him “It’s alright, you’re a key part of this team, you’re not going anywhere,” while going around and shopping him behind his back.
He’s not pissed that he’s getting dumped. He’s pissed that he was lied to about it.
Wow are you an acting major?
You’re being super dramatic about things “their longtime captain”… people get traded all the time its sports.. You think Michael Young cares that deeply about Texas?
You think if ownership said hey Mike, you’ve been our leader for so long, we’d love to keep you but your skills have diminished faster than your paychecks.. Would you be interested in reworking a smaller contract so we can keep you aboard..
You think Young would be so loyal then? No
It’s sports dude, grow up and realize that things like this happen all the time. They couldn’t tell him that they we’re shopping him because they were unsure if they were going to be able to do it. If they told him, and didn’t end up trading him he would be upset, so they lied to him and quietly ( or not so quietly) went about their business..
I get your from Minnesota and probably a really sweet guy, but you’re making way to big of a deal about this.. bottom line, you don’t tell a guy you’re trading him until you’re certain you can actually move him
Acting? Rework a deal? Loyalty? This has nothing to do with any of that.
How old are you? I don’t say that as an insult, I ask that because there’s a simple rule in all business: Treat people with dignity and respect.
Business and people who adhere to that reap long-term rewards. People who sacrifice that for short-term benefits always suffer long-term.
As a matter of business, you don’t “mislead and manipulate” people. You deal with them honestly, and shoot straight. Texas failed to do that, and Young is rightly pissed.
You’re not getting it…
WHy should Texas brass go to Young and say hey we’re going to shop you.. then they don’t come away with a deal because no one will take him.. At this point then Young is p/o and just because you were honest?
You don’t burn bridges until you are sure you can cross them…
If a girl asks you if ” these pants make me look fat” I bet you don’t say yes, so please spare me the honesty at all costs psycho blabble.
If Texas wants to shop him, fine. But don’t tell somebody “We’re not shopping you”, and then shop them behind their back. Don’t tell a guy, “Yeah, sure, go ahead and enroll your kids in school here, we’re going to keep you next year” while secretly trying to ship him out of town.
How the heck would you feel if your employer said, “Oh, man, we love you, you’re not going anywhere,” and then you came to find out they were trying to transfer you out of the state? You’d be rightly ticked off.
That’s what it’s all about, and that’s all it’s about. I get that it’s a BUSINESS, but GOOD BUSINESS means you deal honestly with people. You don’t LIE to them.
Wow seriously?? Now you’re playing the poor Michael Young card
yes, he will have to take his kids out of a rich, private school in Texas and put them in a rich private school some where else.. gosh darnit, how will he live??
Not to mention again, why would they say yes we are shopping you until they know they have a deal in place… you’re argument is complete fluff because you are arguing from passion not rational
You wouldn’t tell him you’re shopping him, necessarily. But you also shouldn’t repeatedly tell him you’re NOT shopping him.
I’m not saying “poor MY”. I’m saying don’t be surprised he’s pissed he was lied to, and don’t be surprised if others players put little faith in texas’ word.
Its not a hard concept.
wow, i’m sorry, WHEN did ANYONE say “we’re not shopping you”?? Shopping and being traded are 2 entirely different things. I’m not sure what your source is, but it’s wrong and you need to pick up a newspaper and read what’s actually being said.
They were very public about the fact that Young would be with the Rangers in 2011, and get regular playing time. Based on Young’s account, he was told a similar story privately.
That would imply “we’re not shopping you”. Clearly Young believes he was misled and manipulated about the matter.
Either Young is fabricating the issue, or the Rangers’ gave him very good reason to believe they were not shopping him (only to later be shown to be doing the opposite).
So if Young is going to be pissed off either way, don’t you think it might be a better plan to at least come off as an honest GM?
No, because ideally the Rangers would have shopped him quietly and either gotten a deal done and then told him, or not found a deal and never inform him he was being shopped..
it didn’t work out that way, but I think it boils down to the fact that the Rangers feel that Young is almost untradeable (unless they pick up a large portion of his salary)
Which sounds better?
M.Y. is told he will be their DH/Super Utility Player. Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers are trying to trade him. It gets leaked and Michael Young feels betrayed. Beyond Young, it has a ripple effect in the clubhouse when the Front office betrays their leader.
or
The Rangers tell Michael Young that they want him to be their DH/Super Utility player, however they will explore trades that will allow Michael Young to continue to be an every day position player on a winning team. They tell him not to get his hopes up though as it has to work out for them as well.
and ps. you use the term mislead and manipulate pretty loosely.. Its not like they guaranteed him a contract and then cut him.. If anything Young owes the Rangers so much for even giving him that bloated contract.
There are literally dozens of players being shopped that have no clue about it.. its baseball, its how things are done, if you tell every player you tried to trade what you were doing, you would have a very unhappy baseball team…
I’ll agree with the fine gentleman that referred to you as being melodramatic.
“mislead and manipulate” was Michael Young’s words, not mine. Hence the quotes.
We all saw the stories after Beltre was signed that Texas was committed to keeping MY as an everyday player. And again when Napoli was signed. Texas has been very public about their commitment to keeping Young in the lineup. Turns out, they were telling Young the same thing privately, while doing another.
If it’s “melodramatic” to say a player is justified in being ticked off when he’s lied to, then fine. And if it’s “melodramatic” to say that word gets around and front office’s develop reputation, and those reputations have an impact on player’s decisions – then so be it. But you’ve got a twisted notion of what it means to be melodramatic.
Seriously, I’m actually glad you think it’s just “business as usual” for a team to lie to their players. It gives a competitive advantage to those teams who’s word is bond.
You’ve answered me 3 times in length and have yet to refute any of the baseball comments I made. I’ll just take it that you’re old school and somehow offended by this, either that or you just live in a fantasy land.
I’ll reiterate one more time… The bottom line is that the Rangers couldn’t be upfront with Young because they were unsure if they would be able to move him.. If you think shopping a player behind his back is ‘misleading and manipulate’ then 75% of the league is misleading and manipulating their players..
I’m sorry, but you’re just wrong and have yet to even begin to convince me otherwise..
We know each other well enough to refrain from insults.
You’re saying “its just business bro”, and I’m saying “its bad business”.
I haven’t and won’t insult you, I have no desire to do so. . All my comments are directed towards your argument not yourself personally.
I like your earth logic.
I am an acting major and I can confirm that this is inaccurate because nobody gives a flying (expletive) about baseball.
Oh, you mean the “bad contract” that they gave him???? Listen, this is less about their decision to go with a better defender (Beltre) at 3B, and more about how to communicate with people. As I recall, Daniels botched the original move for Young to make room for Andrus, and now this latest PR debacle…seems like the guy (Daniels) has a problem communicating and/or lying with/to his players. And on Cliff Lee, not even an invitation to name his price (in years & dollars) could sway him to stay with this bunch.
there’s a really good joke about the dodgers acquiring salary in this piece here. hopefully somebody funny puts it down.
Young would presumably play 3B with Blake in LF, but hey, why would the Dodgers need a guy like Young when they already have Marcus Thames, Tony Jr., and Jay Gibbons?
Yeah I’m sure MY stats won’t drop straight from the sky in Dodger Stadium.
If Yankees trade for Michael Young they should turnaround and trade him to the Angels for a starting pitcher other than Scott Kazmir.
Sorry, Kazmir is the only one available..
Ian Kinsler to Tampa – Young gets ext for one more year at 16.
Play ball
lol nice
huh?
he made a funny
Alfonso Soriano, Blake DeWitt, and a large check to the Rangers for Young.
in an odd turn of events, the guy that originally moved Young to a different position, comes back around and moves him to a whole other team entirely
Young for Peavy- Young for Lowe-
It’s called being a team player…All-Star or not, you do what’s best for the team…Youk is a great example, and he’s now done it twice…moving to 1B to make room for Lowell, and now, moving back to 3B to make room for Gonzales. I guess being manipulated and misled into playing for a team that won the AL and played in the World Series is too much for Young.
Rangers: Hi Mike, we know that you are a second baseman but we wonder if you would mind switching to shortstop. It’s the best thing for the team.
MY: Ok, if it helps the team, I’ll do it
Rangers: Hi Mike. We know you just won a Gold Glove at SS but we need you to switch to third base because we picked up ARod. It’s for the good of the team.
MY: Ok, if it helps the team, I’ll do it
Rangers: Hi Mike. We need you to become our DH because we just picked up Beltre. It’s for the good of the team. Oh, by the way, don’t worry, we aren’t going to trade you. We aren’t even thinking about trading you.
MY: Ok, if it’s for the good of the team, I’ll do it. Glad to hear that you still want me around. I’d be pissed if you traded me after I sacrificed and sacrificed for the good of the team and you traded me when we finally got good.
Rangers: Hi Mike. We just got Napoli so we need you to be our super-utility guy. We really still want you on the team tho.
MY: Ok, I’m just glad you guys are being honest with me.
Rangers to other GM’s: Let’s talk MY. He’s a great team guy and will do ANYTHING you ask of him. You can even lie to the guy and tell him you aren’t trying to trade him and he’ll believe it! Anyone interested in him?
Yeah, I can’t see how MY would get peeved at being treated like he has. /rolls eyes
Young moved from second to short…short to third…now third to utility…you dont think he ever did was best for the team? I dont think youk would be to happy if boston would sign a third baseman and ask him to play short.
Damon and Boggs were team players and the Sox showed no loyalty to them. How about Nomar.
My memory is hazy. How many times did they change JD and Wade’s position while they were on the Sox?
By no loyalty you mean they didn’t break the bank to keep them in Boston, right? If that’s how you measure loyalty you might as well throw in Clemens, Ruth, and all the other players that left or were traded. It doesn’t change the fact that Young was treated (unnecessarily) poorly.
why are you making it seem like switching positions is the equivalent to a lifelong journey through the desert?
Because it is hard enough to play ONE position well enough to make it to the majors let alone 3 (or more). Why are you making it seem like switching positions is just like going to a different patch of dirt when you take the field. I wonder how good Beltre would be defensively if they changed his position every 3 years.
And those players won world series with other teams. Maybe they should have been more loyal. Boggs liked his time with the Sox so much he went into the hall wearing a Rays hat.
Loyalty and payroll are NOT the same thing. At least not to me.
What about Nomar? Prior to the 2004 season the Sox offered him a contract extension on par with what the rest of the big shortstops at the time were getting. Nomar turned it down and then took his sweet time getting over an injury. I’d say the team showed him plenty of respect before they traded him.
Young for Zito?
Young for Bradley.
Zito would be the only way a pitcher goes to texas.
Young for Zambrano!
I’ve been saying that for months, but it’s going to take more than Young to bring back Big Z at this point. It was an easier deal for the Cubs back when they had Gorzelanny – now, not so much.
Zambrano has a bad contract the Cubs might want to get rid of like the Jays did with Wells. They also have a bad contract with Soriano. How many bad contract do you want to keep.
Young and cash to the Reds for Francisco Cordero.
Young for Tony La Russa!
Can he take Skip Schumaker with him?
How about Young to the Phillies for Joe Blanton? If the Rangers pick up the difference in salaries ($7.5 per year) for this season and next, plus $10M of his $16M in 2013, it makes sense for the Phils, who could use Young in RF this year until Brown’s ready, then shift him to LF in 2012. (Young won’t be stellar in the outfield, but I’ll bet he’s at least as good as Ibanez right now without any practice.) He would also be used as the primary infield backup, giving them depth in case the injury bug bites Utley, Rollins, or Polanco like it did last year. $25M is an awful lot for Texas to eat in a deal, though.
I’d feel really sorry for Shane Victorino in that scenario with Ibanez and Young at the corners. He may just retire.
A deal to Philly would not happen.
BUT… a better deal would be Ibanez AND Blanton for Young. Young would play LF this year and next, Could DH in interleague games, back up everywhere in the IF, and Brown plays RF, or Platoons with Francisco.
If he can still hack it in two years, he mvoes back to third when Polanco’s contract is up after next year.
He serves the need for a big right handed bat in the 5 spot, it’s s hitter friendly park, and he’d be no worse than Ibanez defensively.
Ibanez can DH, serve as the 4th outfielder, can play 1B in a pinch, or be used as a trade chip, and Blanton helps the rotation. It also frees up 8 million bucks next year for the rangers, cause Ibanez deal is up after the year.
I think Texas would actually consider that deal in a hearbeat, in terms of return for young, but I don’t know if Young would take it, or if Amaro would be interested.
Actually, the moe I think about it, Blanton for Young and cash straight up and a third team deal for Ibanez for Prospects would be the only way it would work. Philly would never agree to 16 million per for Young after this year.
I thought about Lee for Young–but Lee’s BA fell into a black hole last season and he still probably believes he is a good OF. He should be a DH in the AL, but he would have to accept a part-time role with Texas. The pluses for him are that he could DH, spot relieve in the OF, be on a winning ballclub and play with his good buddy Nelson Cruz again. The money is close (within 2 mil based on the backended deal Lee signed in 2006) and the plus for the Rangers is that Lee will drop off the books at the end of the 2012 season.
That being said, I’d rather trade MY to the Astros for Hunter Pence, but I know that won’t happen. Besides, Uncle Drayton hates the Rangers and wouldn’t lift a finger to help them in any way that doesn’t heavily benefit him.
PS I hope the Rangers don’t get too desperate that they would take Vernon Wells for MY from the Angels. Please no….
Lee’s BABIP was ridiculously low (.239) last year. If he rebounds to his usual .290 BABIP, his batting average will be up near .300 and he’ll be a productive hitter again. He’s a good bet for a comeback this year. His glove’s still terrible, though – if you play him in the field you negate most of his value. Kind of like Young, really, which makes it a fair deal all around.
Sorry, but I simply do not feel bad for Michael Young. He has a $48M guaranteed contract with a diminishing skill set. He is acting just like Derek Jeter who places his ego and past reputation before anything else. This isnt like the Rangers are trying to short change him in arbitration or free agency talks. Just compare Michael Young’s attitude against Gil Meche’s.
The Mariners will “probably stay the course,” GM Jack Zduriencik tells Morosi (Twitter link).
….The Mariners have a course?
Of course!
yep. its called ride felix’s arm till it breaks and get ichiro to 3000 hits.
he was referring to playing golf… “if the Rangers call regarding Young, i will probably stay [on] the [golf] course, but i will still answer the call”
“probably stay the course of not having Young on our team.”
It’s their only real course, and so far they’re batting 1.000
It’s a longshot, but I wonder if the Cubs could work something out with moving Soriano.
How bout Fukudome and Grabow? I’d be happy taking two one-year bad contracts off the books.
If that happened I’d be thrilled. Beyond thrilled.
I can see why MY is upset. It’s like having a desk job you’ve done for 10 years, and after you come back from vacation, your boss tells you they’ve hired someone else to do your job for more money. You’ll now be a floater that primarily opens the mail and does light janitorial work while occasionally filling in for when other people when they need days off.
If you know of a job where you can do light janitorial work and occasionally fill in for people making 16 million a year guaranteed for 3 years.. please be sure to let me know.
Except in this example the person with the desk job has gotten pretty lousy at his job over those ten years, so it makes complete sense that they brought in somebody new.
If playing defense was a desk job, I think MY would have been fired years ago.
can i be a floater for 16,000,000 a year?
Loney and Elbert… Rangers eat 15 million…Blake platoons at first Dodgers win it all
That’s how baseball go……
Don’t count out Kenny Williams. He’s always been a big fan of a)Michael Young; b)taking on ridiculous salaries and c)pulling off a big trade when none of the experts are expecting it.
You know I just don’t get this… So Young is making more in one season that most American’s make in their lifetime, and he does that playing a game. I don’t see how the Rangers owe him anything, they paid him to perform where ever. And more than he deserves.
Trade Papelbon to texas for Young! bard is ready and jenks has proven himself – with young wanting out of texas, sending paps their way (I’ve heard they might want to move their closer into the rotation) and plugging young in at SS here in boston would be huge. Scutaro is decent but if we could get young, the line up would be dominant.
I agree with this completely. People are getting too hung up on the finances of Young’s contract. He’s not asking for more money, nor commenting on his contract at all. He is simply tired of getting jacked around by an organization who he had given 10 years to. I’m sure if they had just come right out and said that they may look at possible trade destinations for him, Young would have been fine with that. It’s this back-and-forth that he finds ridiculous, and I agree with him.
That was supposed to be in response to another post. Whoops.
How about Dodgers send Loney and Brox for Carlos Lee in Houston. Skip the middle man, Mike Young.
Haha. “The Rangers are increasing their asking price for Young, since it’s harder to find offense now that Vladimir Guerrero has agreed to terms with the Orioles, according to Rosenthal.” I hate to agree with the Yanks, but if Rosenthal is right, the Rangers MUST be delusional. You have a player demanding to be traded, calling the front office in essence a bunch of liars and manipulators of his image in the media. The Rangers HAVE to trade Young, especially if he is as upset as he seems (which I believe he is). Then the Rangers have the audacity to come out and say they are RAISING their asking price??? Nice try Rangers.
More of a FU to MY and his “Trade Me Now after all other options have signed” rant. It is going to get to the point of either do what your told or go on the suspended list and not get paid.
He may be a problem but all it will do is kill his longterm value elsewhere. Looks like Texas is going to call his bluff. That is what you get when you try to use the media as a negotiation tool. When you win, you win big. When you don’t you crash ans burn spectactularly.
he bluffed when he moved to 3B
Young to the Braves for Lowe. Young plays first this year, and if Chipper gets hurt he moves to third. Young is better than Freeman or Jones at this point. The Braves move Medlan or Beachy into #5 starter. Texas gets a veteran pitcher, and the Braves improve offense and get rid of a bad contract.
i have been saying this all along
Or you add Gonzalez to the deal and move Young back to SS.
I love how the Rangers are INCREASING their asking price when nobody wants the guy to begin with.
i dont know what you’re talking about, actually i do, but your words are wrong… EVERYONE WANTS him, NOBODY wants to be the one to PAY him
Young for Lowrie and Lars Anderson. Welcome to Boston.
did theo go brain dead overnight or ??
Cubs CLEANING HOUSE!
3b Aramis Ramirez and LF Soriano, 30MM from the Cubs to the Mariners.
Michael Young and Chone Figgins to the Cubs
Carlos Zambrano and Milton Bradley to the Rangers.
Cubs spend 55MM with this trade with Figgins, Young, and 30MM, but save 50MM with (Soriano 18MM, Aramis 14MM, and Zambrano 18MM gone). Cubs can deal with Zambrano being gone with all the top pitching prospects they have.
Mariners commit basically 4 years and 42MM to Soriano to play LF/DH/provide much needed power to lineup and pay nothing for ARAM to play 3b/provide more power and get rid of Milton.
Rangers get a quality starting pitcher for 2 years, a Switch-hitting DH to spot start, and get rid of Michael Young.
PIPE DREAM FOR CUBS FANS
If the Astros don’t want to explore a Carlos Lee for Young trade, that doesn’t make much sense. If the Astros could get Texas to eat at least $10 mil of Young’s remaining contract, the Astros would improve. Lee doesn’t really have a position with the Astros. Wallace is the 1b and Lee has declined in the OF to the point he should be DH’ing. The Astros need a 3b (or 2b). Young has 3 years left on his deal compared to Lee, but with the offsetting contracts, if Texas included just $10 mil, the Astros would save $2.5 mil each of the next two years and then Young would cost them $6 mil in 2013.
The Rangers might realize the Cardinals aren’t going to help the much with Young’s salary when Johnny MO calls them Collect!
Poor Michael Young, unloved, unwanted. He’s probably crying on a pillow stuffed with hundred dollar bills.
I don’t see that way. We all are descendants of a small tribe of hunters from the African savannah and our emotions (especially that of alpha males) are geared to care mostly about our position in the tribe, independent of money, which didn’t exist when we evolved. MY doesn’t even need to care about money, so it’s not motivation to swallow his pride when he feels disrespected.
Any way the Braves get in on this? If the Rangers want to get rid of the contract, they might be interested in Lowe and Gonzalez plus a pitching prospect or two. Young moves back to SS … ?
Just thinking out loud.
I think the hardest part of this trade for Dodgers and most other teams is the money owed on Young’s contract. Im sure the Dodgers could get this done if the Rangers send $20mm along with Young, but the Rangers have also said they want a hitter in return. The Dodgers cant afford to give up anyone in the starting line up other than Casey Blake who is a right handed bat / 3rd baseman just like Michael Young. Blake was eventually going to be moved into a utility role in L.A so if the Dodgers could maybe package him with Jerry Sands and a Bullpen arm, Michael Young wearing Blue might not be that unlikely.
That would also mean they would move Juan Uribe to 3rd and have Michael Young play 2nd.
With all the amazing pitching in the N.L West i hope the Dodgers can make this trade for Michael Young. This off season the only really offensive move the Dodgers made was adding Juan Uribe, so I hope the Dodgers can get Michael Young right before the start of spring training so he can start fresh with a new team that will let him play everyday just like he wants.
GO BLUE!!!
DISLIKE
Geez. At some point, you have to wonder if MY is going to take this scrambling away from him by his preferred teams personally. He is so sensitive after all. It would be nice though if MY realized that he hasn’t played up to his contract and that nobody wants him enough to pay him his money in full. Teams would be happy to play him, but only want to pay him about a quarter of his contract dollars at best.
Maybe the simplest solution to this is either to shut up and play for the Rangers wherever they tell him to or retire and go out with a touch of dignity.
Youk was drafted by Boston. Young was drafted by Toronto
*I hate you disqus*
*Seriously, it’s been pissing me off lately too.*
Did you really just offer up Sands in a potential Michael Young trade….?
Wait.. is this Colletti???
^^ @ ThinkBlue311
^^^ @ThinkBlue311
Money aside, the Dodgers seem like the best fit for Young. Unfortunately, money is going to be a major component here.
Rangers mgmt continues to make me sick to my stomach!
I’ve lived in D/FW since 1977.
If any of you are wondering whom to believe – believe YOUNG! (Trust me!)
Young for Pap
Crazy Idea, 3 team trade
Yankees get Santana
Mets get Young to fill in at second base
Rangers get prospects
I may not be a great negotiator like the Rangers GM…but “raise asking price” when there is no takers at the first asking price, doesn’t seem to be the best way to get a deal done.
The angels should be favorites to land him, after they demonstrated their willingness to take on bad contracts. Heck, they might even take Young and give cash players.
I don’t blame Young for being pissed. Clearly they have no room for him. He shouldn’t hold that against them. They think they found better players at bargain prices, nothing wrong with that. If I were him, I’d feel the same way. He’s had to move around the horn his entire career because the team keeps bringing in good players, certainly nothing wrong with that. Time to move on. Its was great while it lasted but now their moving in a different direction. If I was JD & Ryan, I’d be willing to pay every dime of that contract in order to get 3 prospects (catcher, 1B, SP). Who ever can offer the best package of those 3 spots, get’s him & doesn’t have to pay him a dime. What team can offer the best deal.
Can he play right field?
I recall that when news broke of the Contreras signing, Theo Epstein
Hardly anyone ever goes “running to the media to whine…” the media is
everywhere, and they poke and prod and ask, and ask some more until they get
a reaction…seems to me that Michael Young had had enough of the Jon
Daniels “plan” for his use, and reached his boiling point. I don’t blame
him, you can call him a “whiner” if you want to though, whatever floats your
boat.