The Red Sox have intensified their efforts to trade Kevin Youkilis, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported last night. It appears that the Red Sox are willing to take on salary in a deal and that the Diamondbacks, White Sox, Dodgers, Indians, and Pirates have some interest. Here’s the latest on Youkilis…
- Red Sox GM Ben Cherington won't comment on specific talks he's had regarding Youkilis, but he's not denying that they've occurred, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter).
- Youkilis is not a fit for the Angels despite pedestrian offense from Alberto Callaspo and Maicer Izturis, Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports.
If some team offers the Red Sox a popcorn machine for Youkilis, take it & move on with the season. Middlebrooks NEEDS to be at 3rd EVERY day & Agon’s bat is suffering far too much from him constantly playing out of position. God bless ya Youk, but peace the F out, kid.
I must ask: is there any statistical proof that playing out of position harms offensive performance? I haven’t seen any.
Youk’s stats since Agon arrived are enough proof.
One player is a very small sample size.
Then why didn’t those 69 games at 3B hurt his hitting in 2009? This is a professional hitter who burned bright from age 27-31 and had a nice prime, but it now sliding down the back side of that bell curve.
A-gon said that playing RF was having a negative impact on him because the running was different than in the IF. Stats be damned, if he says it that’s the only proof I need right now.
oh you’ve spoken to A-gon personally?
The amount of running first basemen do other that rundowns and recovering errors is probably fairly negligible. So yeah, probably a lot different in the outfield.
That right there is a fair point but let me counter that.
Every time he goes out to right field, he is thinking “oh boy please don’t let it be hit to me. and if it is let me catch it without hurting myself” rightly or not, that is a distraction. and hitting is an art that requires little to no distractions. Yes he was bad before he moved to RF but it likely (likely) has taken a toll on him mentally which manifests itself physically.
LOL love this. I feel the exact same way
That kid over in Houston Lowrie would be a hell of a good fit for the Sox, maybe we could package Youk with Melancon and…yeah probably not enough, they’d be stupid to get rid of a solid young player like that so cheap…
That would be one expensive popcorn machine.
Designate him for Assignment and move on. DFA would give them ten days to convince him to repair his fractured mechanics in Pawtuckett, release him, or trade him and would free up a roster spot when some of the walking wounded return.
That takes virtually any leverage away from the Sox.
what leverage do they have now? he’s batting around .200 since returning. him playing doesn’t help his value. him sitting wouldn’t help his value. if he goes on a tear and hits .500 for 2-3 weeks that won’t help his value. Designating him at least removes him from the clubhouse.
that would not make any sense…he is not that horrible…we aren’t just gonna let him go
well in a few weeks there is going to be a log jam on the roster. Podsednik has played well enough to earn his spot as the team’s 4th or 5th OF, plus he can steal bases, so let’s say they want to keep him. Look at the players that are returning: Ellsbury (CF is his), Crawford (LF is his), Bailey (Bullpen)
So name three players who they’ll remove? are you going to take Middlebrooks and demote him? No? OK, so how about Nava? you could get rid of him (demote to the minors), so that’s One (maybe). Maybe D-Mac gets DFA’d? That’s two (one if you want to keep Middlebrooks). Youkilis is starting to look like the odd man out, no? Yeah DFAing him takes away the leverage the Sox have, but hey, right now he’s arguably doing more harm then good in the clubhouse, and he’s not hitting. So it would be a tough decision, but yes; I would DFA him. Guess it’s a good thing I’m not the GM of the Red Sox. Because I’d probably get fired the first time I told that clown Larry what I really thought of him.
Current Roster:
Catchers:
Salty and Shoppach (both should be safe unless Lavarnway gets the nod in lieu of Shoppach…not likely at the present.
First basemen:
A. Gonzalez (currently plays a lot of Right field)
Second Basemen:
D. Pedroia
Shortstops:
M. Aviles
Third basemen:
W. Middlebrooks
Utility INFs:
Youkilis/Punto
Outfielders:
Ellsbury (DL)
Crawford (DL)
Ross
Podsednik (DL)
Sweeney (DL)
McDonald
Designated Hitter:
D. Ortiz
Pitchers:
Starters:
Beckett (DL)
Buchholz
Lester
Morales (temporary)
Matsuzaka
Felix D.
Bullpen
Bailey (DL)
Atchinson
Aceves
Mortensen
Melancon
Vincente P.
that might not be the entire roster. Regardless, it is legitimately difficult to come up with three players that will be removed from the roster without making Youkilis one of them.
hey, think about it your right…but isn’t it good do be in this situation when everyone comes back
If you’re not being sarcastic (I have to check when dealing with people on the internet), it’s what I’ve been saying all along. Designating him would be an unfortunate end game to the situation but the roster has more bodies coming back.
Pedroia just re-aggravated his thumb tonight so if he gets DL’d we’ll probably see Iglesias coming up. Maybe they’ll go buy a second basemen from a team’s minor league affiliate. See if lightning does strike twice.
But as I said before with Crawford, Ellsbury, and Bailey coming back, you need three. you need a fourth if you count Beckett; Mortensen can be the casualty when Beckett returns. Picking three players without making him one of them is going to be difficult.
And if I was the GM I’d feel bad. But it is Middlebrooks’ time. He started hot then now that he’s not playing every day he’s struggling! They’re letting him rot on the bench.
25 Man rosters don’t give much (any?) room to keep dead weight on them. Youkilis isn’t dead weight yet, but he’s terminally ill and coughing blood all over the other players. If I was in charge, I’d treat him like a gangerous limb and cut it off.
There is definitely a log-jam. I counted 27 in your list as well as Albers, Miller, Nava, Kalish, Bard etc. My opinion is that out of the OF’ers D-Mac will be one of the first on the list to go, although he is a RH bat which helps his cause vs. Pods, Nava (who I believe is stronger from the left) and Sweeney. Depending on where the team is in a month and a half when both Ellsbury and CC are back, Kalish will probably be sent down if he has options. Despite Pods playing well enough to earn a spot, it is very unlikely that they are going to keep 4 LH OF’ers with Ross being the only RH option. Sweeney or Pods is likely gone, although I think Sweeney can be sent down.
For Bard, Beckett and Bailey…I would say Mortenson or Melancon could be sent back down and Padilla may well be sent packing. With Morales and Atch being able to go multiple innings, and Mortenson as a back-up long guy there is no reason to keep Padilla. After that, even if he has pitched ok, Albers may be sent as part of a Youk deal somewhere.
I agree that Youk is an obvious choice to be sent somewhere to make room. In the end they have a few more weeks before the logjam gets bad on position players, and I think someone will bite. Although I would imagine that if Youk is gone, then they will need to make a move for some IF’er, whether it be bringing Iglesias up or something else.
Guthrie and a mid-low prospect for Youk?
I’d take that in a heartbeat.
Too much in my opinion
Why would the Rockies want Youk? It may be early, but they’re 16 games out of first. They need prospects not veterans.
If this trade is done now they could rebuild his value with him playing at Coors and trade him for more.
That’s a possibility, but I’m not sure how moving to Coors Field is going to fix his BB/K ratio. Also, teams know about the Coors Field effect. If he does improve, they’ll just chalk it up to that.
That would be Highway robbery by the Red Sox.
I think Youk should demand a trade to intensify this whole situation even further.
In fact, maybe he could interview with Dennis Eckersely to make this known and get advice from Dennis as well. I am sure the ratings would be quite high on NESN!
Youk has roughly $6M left on this salary for the year coming to him. If the Sox eat $4M, that should get the ball rolling, yes?
Listen here Danny boy! (That is all)
I don’t care who we get for Youk. I’ve wanted him gone since last season. He has no respect for his teammates, he acts like a 2 year old throwing a tantrum every time he strikes out and he can’t control his temper. He starts trouble. Goodbye Youk we won’t miss you. And we got Middlebrooks who is far younger, has a infinitely better attitude and has so much more potential.
It’s highly unlikely that Middlebrooks ever comes close to putting up the numbers Youkilis did from ’08-’10, and everyone loved Youkilis attitude when he was playing well and Boston was winning. Boston fans are the most ridiculously fickle, self entitled, group of people on the planet.
He’s 23 years old. He’s barely had time to develop yet. Youk is what? 35? And it’s 2012. We haven’t seen the player Youk used to be in about two years. Perhaps there were glimmers last year but this year there have been none. And honestly putting up big numbers isn’t the only thing it takes to be a good player. I respect what he’s done but he wants to sit there and talk shit about players like Ellsburry and he wants to start trouble amongst members of the team? No room for that. And he isn’t even TRYING anymore. I’m not saying he doesn’t have the talent but a lot of guys have talent. I’m not trying to disrespect what he’s done, although I see how it comes off that way, I suppose I should say I have no respect for him as a teammate if we’re talking strictly baseball, you can’t deny the contributions he’s made. He’s had some fantastic plays and gotten us out of some tight games, a lot like Manny but honestly can you be a truly respectable player if you’re bad mouthing your manager, your team mates and the Red Sox Organization? There’s a reason they’er having a difficult time trading him because despite his talents, he has a pretty serious attitude problem and he hasn’t been producing this year.. Having heart and getting frustrated with yourself is one thing but things like charging the mound, and bad mouthing a player who could have been the MVP, are not. It just makes me really angry, because a lot of the articles I’ve read have pinpointed Youk as one of the main problems with the team chemistry last year when we had the collapse. He is paid a lot of money and I don’t feel he acts professional.
He doesn’t act any different than he ever has, and while I can’t speak to your personal feelings about his attitude, it was generally loved around Boston when he was playing well, and now it’s hated since he’s started to struggle.
And it’s comments like the one about him “not trying” that really get me going; you certainly don’t scream and yell and throw things when you strike out if you’re not even trying.
The articles you’ve read are what’s really the problem. When they went on a little winning streak earlier this year there were articles about how everyone was starting to mesh well, and really starting to get to know each other and get along; now they are losing again and the complete opposite is getting reported. When the truth is they are all professionals and they are all going to play their hardest no matter what they think of people on their team, and anything written about it is just hype that those hacks write to get people to read their dribble.
he was mean to the handsomest player on the team. i know because i read it in the newspaper. i want him gone
NVM last comment posted, it wasn’t there before.
You wish…!!!
Okay, maybe Yankee fans have Red Sox fans beat…
The ZIPS rest-of-season projections have Will Middlebrooks with a .253/.291/.420/.711 line in 306 plate appearances and Kevin Youkilis with a .257/.362/.451/.813 line in 279 plate appearances.
Baseball America had never ranked the 23-year-old Middlebrooks among the Top 10 Red Sox prospects until a .285/.328/.506/.834 minor league line in 2011 catapulted Middlebrooks to the top of the Red Sox prospect list. A .328 on-base percentage — in a minor league breakout season — will be hard to translate into an MLB on-base percentage above the Mendoza-equivalent line of .300.
The Red Sox will be fortunate if Middlebrooks provides the production of Mark Reynolds, who struck out less often and walked more often than Middlebrooks in posting better minor league statistics. Here are the 35-game numbers for the righthand-hitting sluggers who made their MLB debuts as 23-year-old thirdbasemen called up in May:
2012 WM 35 G, 137 PA, .289/.328/.484/.813, 7 BB (5.1%), 36 K (26.3%)
2007 MR 35 G, 134 PA, .288/.353/.542/.896, 13 BB (9.7%), 32 K (23.9%)
That’s crazy talk! Middlebrooks is HOF material!
1st ballot!
I agree that WMB’s potential is being overblown, but I don’t put a lot of faith in ZIPs for these two, considering from what I understand it doesn’t adequately take into account injuries or player development. They haven’t exactly been accurate for Youk this year either.
What is the Red Sox club house like, since you know he has no respect for his teamates? Oh you mean he get’s made when strikes out because he wants to produce? Pretty sure quite a few fans will miss him. Middlebrooks has so much more potential? Right lol!
Do you really want to ride out Youkilis defensively at 3rd? And hope he doesn’t end the year on the DL again, give me a break. Nobody knows what Middlebrooks is fully capable of yet as well
I’ll give you Figgins and Brendan Ryan.
how about Fig Newtons?
Shawn Figgins would only net Soriano and only then because the Cubs are desperate to unload his 40m..
Figgins has no net worth..period..
Chone
Despite a .225 batting average, Brendan Ryan has accumulated more Wins Above Replacement* than Kevin Youkilis since the start of the 2011 season.
* Baseball Reference and FanGraphs
Which I think says more about WAR statistic than it does about the actual value of players.
Which says more about your narrow fantasy-baseball vision of a player’s worth than about modern operations of an MLB club.
That’s misleading though because that is 100% because of this season. Youkilis was worth more than a full Win more than Ryan last year, so the entire difference is because Youkilis has been worth negative WAR this year. So even adding in last year, with the way you used it, you’re still really only using a ~40 game sample to draw your conclusion.
Since the start of the 2011 season, Brendan Ryan has played in 183 games while Kevin Youkilis has played in 169 games.
Over that period, Baseball Reference has Ryan valued at 5.8 WAR and Youkilis 3.6 WAR while FanGraphs has Ryan at 3.9 WAR and Youkilis 3.5 WAR.
Brendan Ryan being more valuable over that time is still 100% based on this season – both BR and FG have Youkilis being more valuable last season.
I concede that this year’s small sample has Kevin Youkilis trending downward.
No, it must be my “fantasy-baseball vision.” WAR is truly the most accurate, and reliable, statistic to reference when trying to demonstrate the value of a player to his team.
Amateur hour in here.
How about Youkilis for Javy Guerra? Guerra has struggled a bit this year, but I think his knee injury was part of the problem.
Red Sox could use a bullpen arm and the Dodgers can take a chance on Youkilis bouncing back to help them down the stretch.
Seems fair to me.
I don’t know the pitcher but the Sox have too many arms in the pen with Bard and Bailey probably back in a few weeks. Famous last words.
yeah. Boston has to move BP pieces as it is.. They have way too many and have a huge surplus that isn’t going to diminish anytime soon, even if 2-3 should regress. Tazawa is still at pawtucket, Mortenson will probably head back there when someone comes off of the DL. They need to move at least a couple as it is and Bailey will be back in about a month, further complicating the BP situation.
The BP has been a rock so far and it’s been a total team effort. They all have done a great job.
Too much
They don’t need a bullpen arm at all. Whatsoever. They probably have 3-4 either at AAA or will be coming off the DL to come up.
Blanton for Youk haha
Floyd, Humber, and Stewart for Youkillis?
even that is an overpay
Try just Floyd and it’s a deal.
I would do the Mariner deal for Figgins.
A change of scenery might rejuvenate both. They each have had pretty good careers.
His days in Boston are clearly numbered. His value is certainly nowhere near his 2008-10 range and no GM will overpay for him. Maybe Sox can move him for another supposed malcontent with a bad contract?
Still Thinks He Ends Up A Cincinnati Red. He’s From Cincinnati And Has Stated That He’d Like To End His Career As A Red.
The ONLY way Youkilis becomes a Red is if Scot Rolen retires and thus the Reds don’t have to pay him.
Then, the Reds will have gotten rid of one overpaid, injury-prone, over the hill player and replaced him with another overpaid, injury-prone, over the hill player…..
I just sighed with relief so hard that I passed out.
MaineSox has hit it right on the money with Youk.
He hits = Gamer, Intense, Beloved, 2 WS
He doesn’t hit = Not trying, Whiner, Hated, 0 WS, 1 Collapse
Before WMB = He’s always hit, he’ll come around
After WMB = Washed up, downside of career arc
Bottom line: He’s clutch, he’s intense, he’s a proven winner…
I’ll take him on my team any day.
(BTW, In the annals of Red Sox history, he will go down as a legend on 2 World Series teams)
Kevin Youkilis, Mike Aviles, & Jose Iglesias for Dee Gordon, Kenley Jansen, & Adam Kennedy or Juan Uribe. Sound fair to both teams?
Don’t like that deal for the Dodgers.
not sure if serious
Dodgers are not giving up Dee Gordon or Kenley Jansen in any deal for Youkilis.
Way too much for a deal that is centered around a declining rental like Youk.
Jansen is the closer of the future and Dee Gordon has been making solid improvement at the plate of late (.289 avg & .355 obp over last month). Sure, he’s error prone, but he’s also got the potential to be an above average defensive SS and swipe 60+ bases a year.
Any trade involving Youk would probably be for a lower tier prospect like Javy Guerra, who still has value, but is probably going to get past up by better quality bullpen arms like Lindblom, Tolleson and Ames.
I’d say Jansen is the closer of the present. He’s already dominant, he’s only going to become moreso…
Even Ned Colletti hangs up the phone on that one. Dee Gordon and Kenley Jansen are probably the two most valuable young players the Dodgers have, and are both essential parts of this year’s team. I don’t think the Dodgers would trade them for Garza, let alone Youk.
You’d be exceptionally lucky to get Nathan Eovaldi, and I think that’s too much. More likely you need to look at guys like John Ely, Javy Guerra, Ivan DeJesus Jr., Justin Sellers, Jerry Sands…
ahaha @John Stefan… Um no that doesn’t sound fair. Gordon is a 3-4 tool shortstop. That alone would take more than what you have proposed coming from the sox.
The Orioles would be perfect. They desperately need a third baseman who can field as well as hit, and with their actually being in the pennant race for once, Youklis could be a perfect change-of-scenery guy. GM Dan Duquette is not going to pay much for Youk, but – Earth to Boston – neither will anyone else. RHP Brad Bergeson isn’t all that great, but he’s not all that bad, either. He has his moments, he’s another possible change-of-scenery guy, and the Sox need starters. Still, Youk would probably have to sign a cheap one-year extension. But, again, nobody else is going to pay big for him anymore either.
Youk has a $13 million club option next year I believe (maybe $12?), and even if noone else is paying much, the Red Sox aren’t going to trade him to the team that they are trying to catch in the standings. It’s just not logical.
It’ll be sad in a way to see Youk go, but in the end it is probably best for both sides. I think both he and WMB both need to really play every day in a more consistent environment.(I.E. for Youk it’s not bouncing between 3b and 1b and for WMB it’s playing everyday) IMO, Youk needs to be somewhere where he can stick at 1B (or DH) to reduce the wear and tear on his body.
WMB will have a lot of work to do in order to become anything close to the type of hitter Youk was (when healthy) from 07-10ish…I can see him match the power numbers but not Youk’s stellar OBP numbers. But, now is the time in my opinion to get him everyday experience. More exposure to the ballparks, the pitchers and more work on fielding, pitch recognition, etc.
Marlins?
Rays?
Braves?
Nats?
Cardinals?
Baltimore needs Starting Pitching not give up any.
What about trying to get Wandy Rodriguez
Why does Valetine continue to put him in third in the lineup?
honestly, we should keep Youk if we aren’t gonna get anything for him….why are we harping on Youk for stinking when Gonzo and other players on the Sox are doing the same thing….players go through slumps and Youk has always been consistent through the past years…unfortunately he produces real well then gets hurt but he has been loyal..This still doesn’t mean the Red Sox don’t really need strong starting pitching because they do…it is nice to have the luxury of having Youk and Middlebrook…
I would say he gets harped on because he is blocking a young kid right now, and we know he is more than likely gone after this year. People complain about Gonzo stinking, but they don’t talk about trading him because they are locked in with him long term. People complain about Bard stinking, but most of the ones that do just think he should be in the bullpen where he was good.
Throwing this our there.
Youk(and money, of course) to the Braves for a solid reliever(Medlen or O’Flaherty) and a lesser prospect or PTBN?