There are now only five days remaining until pitchers and catchers are due to report to Surprise, Ariz., for the Texas Rangers Spring Training.
Fans of the defending American League champions should be getting pumped up for another season of Rangers baseball, and players, coaches and management should be prepping for a repeat run toward a title.
Instead, what is everyone doing? Worrying about this troublesome Michael Young situation.
I wrote a column when the Rangers acquired Mike Napoli from Toronto saying that if/when Michael Young wanted out because his at-bats wouldn't be there, the Rangers owed it to him to trade him.
This past week, Michael Young did just that, demanding that Texas try and deal the six-time All Star.
Now that he's gone ahead and made the demand, the Rangers are exploring the options. But, Young has a semi-no trade clause in his contract, specifying that he can be traded to only eight teams without his written consent.
The Rangers don't seem to want to give Young away—as they shouldn't—and the fact that he's a 34-year-old who is slated to make $16 million a year for the next three years doesn't help his trade value, because the Rangers won't want to eat a lot of that contract.
So, what are the options now?
A) Well, the club could trade Young, hoping to get back prospects and maybe a pitcher, but to do so would probably have to eat at least half of the salary.
B) The team could also trade Ian Kinsler, the team's All-Star second baseman, who's trade value is probably higher than Young's, therefore yielding a better return on a trade. Then, the club could play Young at 2B.
C) Or, Young and the team can figure it out, resolve their differences and Mikey can go be the super utility/DH guy that he said he'd be when he OK'd the Adrian Beltre deal.
I vote C. Michael Young is a huge part of the Texas Rangers, both on the field and off of it, and he feels like he wasn't treated with quite enough respect in the way this whole situation has been handled. Maybe he's right, but I don't know. I'm not privy to any of those conversations.
The best option for both parties is for everyone to bury the hatchet and move on. Young has always said he wanted to play for a winner, and now he does. The Rangers would have something most squads don't have in a DH/super-utility guy: someone who can hit.
Most utility players are solid glove guys who hit about .230. Young's not that guy, he's a career .300 hitter and, while his production may be declining, he's still going to get you close to 200 hits every season.
Throw in the fact, as people at ESPN did, that some current Rangers' stars—Kinsler, Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz—aren't always durable for a whole season, and Young's at bats seem to be a little bit easier to compute than first thought.
If Young was willing to pick-up a first baseman's mitt and an outfielder's glove as well, that make him even more versatile, and arguably even more valuable to the squad in 2011 than he was in 2010.
Let's face it, Michael Young wasn't a great third baseman. While he and his new replacement, Beltre, both committed 19 errors in 2010, Beltre's range and first step are much better. He's an upgrade in the field, which will only help the squad this coming season.
But, Michael Young can still hit, and he's not near as valuable for any team that's not the Rangers. He's carved his niche in the squad as the leader and captain, and he—and the Rangers—owe it to each other and the fans to work this out and do what's best for the team.
FOLLOW THE PALESTINE HERALD-PRESS SPORTS DEPT. ON TWITTER @PHPSPORTS
No comments:
Post a Comment