Potential suitors for Kevin Youkilis are waiting to see if the Youkilis of old returns, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports. So far this year, the 33-year-old has a .225/.311/.359 batting line, which means he's on track for the lowest batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage of his nine-year career. Here are the latest Youkilis rumors from Boston:
- The Red Sox have stepped up their efforts to trade the infielder, and will have to absorb most of his $12MM salary to facilitate a deal, Cafardo writes. However, they want something more than salary relief for Youkilis, a homegrown player who developed into an All-Star.
- The Indians are very much involved in talks and talks with the Diamondbacks don’t appear to be dead, Cafardo reports. The Phillies have scouted Youkilis, and the Dodgers could have interest, but the White Sox are more likely to pursue pitching help.
pirates out of talks ?
Best fit in my opinion, they need him bad!
As someone who closely follows both teams, I’d like to throw out the idea of Kevin Youkilis plus cash for Jeff Locke. Karstens and McCutchen are close to returning from the DL, so losing Locke wouldn’t hurt too badly. It’d upgrade the Bucs’ McGehee/Jones/Hague troika of incompetence while giving the Sox a 24-year-old majors-ready lefty who happens to hail from the great state of New Hampshire.
Jeff Locke…you’re crazy. No chance I would part with him for Youk. Evan Meek maybe..but all the control we have for a 2-3 month rental of Youk….you are nuts.
Not commenting on the rest of the discussion because I don’t care enough to look into it and form an actual opinion, but Youkilis wouldn’t be a 2-3 month rental – he’s under team control for next year as well.
2013 is a team option year for $13MM witha $1MM buyout. There is no scenario where Youk comes close to being worth even half that the way he is playing now. Even if he gets things turned around, it is unlikely his option is picked up. That makes him a 3 month rental at this point.
He’s only a rental if they want him to be. That’s a good thing. If he goes over there and rakes for the rest of the year they can keep him around with the option; if he doesn’t hit the rest of the year they don’t have to pay him $13M next year.
Thanks for the defense….just assumed everyone knew the Pirates wouldn’t pick up the option.
As MaineSox mentions, Youkilis is under club control for next year. If the Sox pick up half of next year’s salary and all of this year’s, Locke isn’t a bad option. Locke is the ninth best overall and fifth best pitcher in the Pirates’ system, according to FanGraphs. If you give that up for a guy who could be worth 4.5 WAR or so over the next two seasons–particularly if he shifts to first–then it’s a good deal.
Just no chance the Pirates pick up his option. Too much money that if Pitt spends, it needs to get deals done or save for the arbitration of Hanrahan, McDonald and Walker
That would be a fair deal but I just don’t know if Youkilis is the answer. Garrett Jones gets hot for a week and catches everyone’s attention then reverts back to his normal self, but I’m not sure if Youk is much better than McGahee right now. He had a pathetic May, but has been the only disciplined hitter in the lineup and is now tearing the cover off the ball.
There’s a chance that Youk is another change of scenery guy like Burnett who can get back to his old self, but there’s also the risk that he’s rapidly declining with all the injuries that are adding up, and his un-Youk like season this year.
I would prefer Willingham or Quentin, and would trade quality prospects for either, and Youk would be plan C.
Chisenhall finally is playing well and so far so kotchmann is at least playing better than youkilis. The damon experiment has failed miserably, we dont need another aging veteran past his prime.
I’d rather see the Tribe go after one of the cubs trio of Soriano Dempster or Garza. Wish there was a way they could snatch Mccutchen from the Pirates
Soriano and Dempster would be good for Cleveland, would they take on the salary? Do they have a strong enough system to trade guys for aging veterns having decents years? The guys they gave up for Ubaldo have stunk it up in Colorado so far
and ubaldo has stunk it up in Cleveland so far.
Good old fashioned double swindle
McCutchen? Really? While we’re discussing impossible trades here, why not go after Harper or Trout too?
That would make one crazy duo.
Yeah, I’m sure they can get Cutch in the right deal…
Maybe if they trade Hafner and Damon for him.
You’re dreaming about McCutchen
I’d do Jurrjens+Fransisco for Youk+the salary difference.
Each time gets rid of a spare part, Sox get 1.5 years of JJ (maybe 2.5) so they could try turning him around, JJ is not part of Atlanta’s future, and Youk might be a decent rental/insurance policy
You’d also get Fransisco, who can hit home runs and might benefit from the Sox clubhouse.
I bet the Sox would do that for sure.
Still can’t find out why the Braves would do this…
Gotta do something for next year, maybe they could get 2-3 good years out of him on 3b. Keep Prado in LF or finally find a REAL LF’er.
The Braves just lost Brandon Beachy to Tommy John surgery, so I highly doubt that they would move Jurrjens or any pitcher in their system.
… and I remember when Braves fans thought they could get Matt Kemp for Jurrjens a couple of seasons ago… 😉
If the Dodgers are first in the NL why do I see their name in LITERALLY EVERY SINGLE TRADE RUMOR!!! I MEAN THEY HAVE GOT A CY-YOUNG AND AND POSSIBLY TWO MVP NOMINEES!!!!!!! (If Kemp gets better quickly).
B/c they have a squad full of scrub position players. Sure they are winning but they play in the NL Worst, their squad won’t win in the playoffs. But if you’re ok with just getting there…the Dodgers lead plus their schedule make me think they will make it.
Abreu was cut by the Angels, Loney couldn’t start for any other MLB club, Kennedy (HAHAHAH), Uribe, geez I can see why they would be linked to just about everyone, how come you can’t?
they are winning because of starting pitching. not just because of their division. they actually have winning records against the NL East & the NL Central, and could still have a winning record in interleague if they pick things up.
that being said, they do have a few scrub position players: specifically in Uribe & Loney…either of whom could be replaced by Youkillis.
Which is a great strategy if you think their SP performances are legit. With that said though, there’s plenty of reason to think Capuano, Lilly, Harang, ect are playing over their heads, does anybody think the offense is really going to pick up the slack right now if/when those pitching performances go south?
Capuano has looked solid since spring, so not worried about him dropping off. Lilly and Harang definitely aren’t my first choice for a back end, but they’re good enough to get the job done, especialyl Lilly when he comes back. Plus thats assuming the Dodgers don’t swing something for Garza or dempster or go after Hammels a couple months early
Playoffs come down to pitching and timely hitting. If you can get there and you have a rotation anchored by Kershaw and Billingsley and a lineup with Kemp or Ethier you have a shot. Giants did it a few years ago with a poor lineup and good pitching in a weak division, why not the Dodgers.
not sure if serious.
Josh Beckett was in conversations for the Cy Young until September last year, and the Sox had three guys who actually got MVP votes, yet they ended up missing the playoffs all together. Adding more good players is never a bad thing.
dodgers can get him, dempster and maybe lahair…. it could happen…
I’m a Jay fan so by default I can’t stand all Red Sox players but this is kind of sad to see him peddled around for pennies on the dollar. This guy was a beast at the plate not that long ago. He’s not that old either, might still be something left in the tank.
he would make a good dh.
The Dodgers are in desperate need of a shot in the arm offensively. The addition of a guy like Youk, along with the return of Kemp could do just that…especially for Ethier who has traditionally hit much better when he’s not the best hitter in the lineup.
a lineup of:
Herrera: 2B
Ethier: RF
Kemp: CF
Youk: 1B
Ellis: C
Abreu: LF
Uribe: 3B
Gordon: SS
Pitcher
Isn’t awful. Especially when you consider the return of Mark Ellis, and the possibility to have guys like Loney, Rivera, Gwynn etc. off the bench.
I hate the Red Sox , however I respect Youkilis a great deal as a player and he has a chance to have a fresh start somewhere and put this behind him. Red Sox do not appreciate how great a player they have.
The Rays sure as hell could use his Right Handed Bat!
Acually, for the most part we do. I seem to read more post from red sox fans about how valuable and consistent he has been, it is usually non red sox fans that talk of how bad he is.
Baseball is all about giving guys a second chance. This is something George Steinbrenner always advocated. A guy like Kevin Youkilis is a guy who needs to be given a second chance. When you have a job, someone younger and better will eventually come up and offer more than you can. Middlebrooks is the Red Sox third baseman of the future. Kevin Youkilis is a fan favorite and should be thanked for all that he has done for the Red Sox organization. He was always such a clutch hitter with them and very imposing at the dish. It’s sad to see them willing to deal him, but hey that happens.
My hope for Youk as a Yankees fan is that he can go to an organization where he gets a clean start but is still in the thick of a playoff push. With a couple of breaks here and there, he could benefit knowing that the Third base job is his. Putting him around a new bunch of guys and getting him acclimated to a whole new fan base could do wonders as he is still 33 and in my opinion still has something left in the tank.
Whoever acquires him will be getting a hard nosed ball player who gives it 110% night in, night out and will grind out each AB like it’s his last. If all things break right, he could be a steal for someone. But it is time for the Red Sox to move on with Middlebrooks as the new 3b.
A change of scenery would certainly get this guy going I just don’t see how he went from being one of the most prolific hitters in the game to a subpar hitter in a matter of months. Should get it going rather soon.
Actually, it is more like years, two to be precise…
Classy and thoughtful input. Thank You.
They should just keep him, players go through slumps….
Baseball is a marathon, not a sprint and often times people do forget this. Normally, I would agree with you and say that a player of Youkilis’ caliber should be kept but his presence on the team is forcing guys to play out of position. Adrian Gonzalez was brought in to be the First Baseman and is now being relied upon more so in right field than originally envisioned. Trading Youkilis gets a player with a .670 OPS off of the team and frees up space for Middlebrooks and Agon at the corners for Boston. Essentially, it kills two bird with one stone. Even though he’s a fan favorite, I think its best for him to have a change of scenery.
if youkilis were having another good year, i’d actually be in favor of trading him. the team gets a good return without giving up a lot of production at third base
but in this case, they’re selling low on a great player. they could just as easily send down middlebrooks. if youkilis doesn’t come out of his slump by come crunch time, sit him down and let the kid take over
what have you lost in that worst-case scenario? the middling prospect you could have gotten in a trade. meh
what you lost in the first worst-case scenario? a ton, potentially. youkilis has one of the better bats in baseball when he’s on his game and the middlebrooks bubble could burst any day
Keeping him would limit Middlebrooks’ playing time. That’s not something the organization wants to do.
Middlebrooks is still young and can be developed more…
he can play in AAA. he doesn’t need to work on making quality contact against big league pitchers; he needs to work on his plate discipline. and he doesn’t need to be in the bigs to do that
Sure he does, plate discipline comes with experience. I can’t speak to his triple A numbers, but if he is dominating triple A pitching he is not being challenged, and therefore does not necessarily need to be a more disciplined hitter. However, in the pros, a hitter faces elite talent, and in order to succeed needs to show discipline at the plate. You cannot learn to be a disciplined hitter unless it is necessary to. It is what seperates triple A hitters from the pros, and it can only be shown at the pros.
you’re just wrong, that’s all. it’s already been established that he can hit AAA pitching. it’s already been established that he can hit big league pitching
what hasn’t been established is his discipline. his approach is very raw and that’s very likely to lead to problems down the line: without on-base skills, any stretch of bad luck will turn him into a poor offensive player
so the question is: does he need to be in the bigs to work on his discipline? unless pitchers in AAA don’t walk batters, the answer is no. and lars anderson’s 17% walk-rate in pawtucket suggests that they do
When healthy and when everyone is performing to the best of there ability, the Red Sox are up there as one of the best teams in the MLB…..sadly they are inconsistent
I LOVE all the people who say that Youkilis is just going through a slump and will improve. How do you know this is going to happen?
Go back in history (before the Steroid Era) and look at players who started having injuries in their mid- 30’s and see how many of them improved. Baseball people back then KNEW that once a player in his early to mid – 30’s started to get injured THAT was the time to dump him.
From the late 1980’s until 2004, players in their mid-30’s had a great prescription (sometimes literally) for putting up better offensive numbers, pushing back the eventual decline phase and prolonging their careers; just a little cream, a little clear, some HGH or whatever other PED was available and, voila, injury time was reduced, strength was increased and offensive numbers were as good or better than when they were in their mid to late-20’s.
What some baseball people (and most younger fans don’t see or remember) is the time before steroids and how players NORMALLY age and decline. Now that PED testing has come into being, guys are playing and performing like they did before the Steroid Era.
Scot Rolen is a perfect example. He was injury prone before the Reds traded for him but they THOUGHT he would bounce back and put up great numbers like he did in his late 20’s. He had a good first half of the 2010 season (when he was 35) and then not much since (except for injuries and poor performance).
So, for those who think Youk is going to bounce back and be what he was five years ago, I say think again. Yes, he might show flashes here and there of what he once was but I doubt he can sustain that for long.
So, for those Pirate fans who want Youk, I say let the Dodgers have him and wait for them to dump James Loney. Loney is younger, less expensive and more of what your team needs than what Youk can give you, both now and in the long term.
The Pirates have enough pitching depth right now that trading Locke is not out of the question. The Pirates are also, despite their recent surge, desperately in need of a couple of hitters. Hague is not a ML player, period. Tabata, McGehee, Jones, Barmes, Harrison are not full time players but are being asked to play too much because there isn’t anyone else ready yet. I would absolutely be in favor of giving Youk a shot at 1b. McGehee fills in at first an third, Jones maybe platoons in the OF or comes off the bench. It’s worth a shot, and they might not even have to cough up Locke.
youk, 2 top prospects, & 2 lower prospects for cahill .. make it happen ..
That would be a horrible trade for the Red Sox. I sure hope they do not do that.
they didn’t even give up that much for Adrian Gonzalez
For Cahill? No.
Bottom line Youk on the downhill slide of a nice career will net a mid level prospect at best if Boston picks up about half of the rest of the contract.
I however do not see a match with the Indians Youk at this point is not a major upgrade to the Hated banjo hitting Casey Kotchman. With Chisenhall finally on track I see him staying and splitting time at 3rd with Hanahan and if Chis continues to hit could see Hanahan move to 1st a couple days a week.
He probably has the most exceptional batting stance in the majors. It’d be a shame to see it leave..