Michael Young

Rosenthal On Athletics, Montero, Utley, Ackley

By Luke Adams 2 | March 13, 2011 at 9:32am CDT

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports shared some Sunday morning notes from Spring Training. Let's check out the highlights….

With Adam Rosales recovering from December foot surgery, the Athletics would like to add an affordable utility infielder. Even someone like the Tigers' Ramon Santiago would be too expensive for the A's though, so they'll probably opt for an in-house option instead.
The Yankees figure to start the year with Jesus Montero as Russell Martin's backup in New York. One scout cautions that the team needs to ease the top prospect into an expanded role, as he adjusts to catching at the big league level.
The Phillies' utility infielder candidates have been playing well this spring, so they may not have to explore a contingency plan even if they expect Chase Utley to miss significant time. According to Rosenthal's sources, the Phils can't take on much salary. If the club were to pursue a player like Michael Young, the Rangers would have to take Joe Blanton and include cash in any deal, which Texas isn't inclined to do.
With Kyle Drabek and Jesse Litsch the favorites to earn the Blue Jays' two open rotations spots, skipper John Farrell told reporters that Jo-Jo Reyes could crack the 25-man roster as a reliever. Earlier this week, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes examined the possibility of Reyes being a trade candidate.
Teammate Chone Figgins likens Mariners prospect Dustin Ackley to "a more athletic Todd Walker," a comparison Rosenthal says is more flattering than you'd initially think.

D’Backs Notes: Kennedy, Miranda, Skaggs, Young

By Mark Polishuk | March 11, 2011 at 10:05pm CDT

With the Cactus League in full swing, let's check out some news about the team that plays in Arizona year-round…

The Diamondbacks renewed the contracts of Ian Kennedy and Juan Miranda for the 2011 season, according to a team press release. This means the club couldn't agree to terms on a one-year contract with either pre-arbitration player. Madison Bumgarner, Tommy Hanson and Jason Berken are a few of the notable pre-arb players who have settled for renewals this spring.
The Snakes were pretty roundly criticized for not getting enough in return for Dan Haren last summer, but Tyler Skaggs (one of the prospects Arizona acquired in the deal with the Angels) tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he wants to "prove people wrong, to show people that I'm worth the trade." Skaggs, 19, was the 40th overall pick in the 2009 amateur draft, and he has a 3.16 ERA, a 4.26 K/BB ratio and a 9.3 K/9 rate in two minor league seasons.
Piecoro also comments on the recent Michael Young talks between the D'Backs and Rangers, saying he is "being told not to expect it to happen." Piecoro thinks even if the Rangers agree to pay most of Young's $48MM salary over the next three years, the D'Backs will still have to pay some of it, and "wouldn’t that money be better spent on the draft or on international signings?" Piecoro also doesn't think the Diamondbacks should deal away young players for Young, except for possibly Brandon Allen, "whom they don’t seem to value anyway."

Phillies Notes: Lee, Young, Utley

By Mark Polishuk | March 11, 2011 at 8:04pm CDT

Here's the latest from the four-time defending National League East champs…

In an interview today on Philadelphia's WIP Radio, Cliff Lee said that his top priority as a free agent was to join the team with the best chance of winning. After the Phillies, his next choices were the Rangers and the Yankees, in that order. New York was the third choice since, Lee says, "I felt like with what the Red Sox had done and it seems like some of the Yankee guys are getting older, but I liked the Rangers.”
It seems unlikely that the Phillies could manage to take on Michael Young's salary, but Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News outlines how the Phils could conceivably acquire the Rangers' infielder. Hagen surmises the club can partially pay for Young if they receive some insurance money back from a lengthy Chase Utley injury, and if the Phillies can move Joe Blanton (owed $17MM over the next two seasons) to the Rangers in the trade.
Both Hagen and MLB.com's Todd Zolecki point out that the Phillies want to avoid having their payroll reach the $178MM threshold that would cost them a luxury tax payment. The Philadelphia payroll currently projects to be in the $165MM-$168MM range. GM Ruben Amaro tells Zolecki that the team believes Utley "will be healthy enough sooner rather than later," but if the team does look outside the organization for help, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes recently looked at some potential second base candidates.

Quick Hits: Feliz, Bonser, Pavano, Mets, Overbay

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 10, 2011 at 4:42pm CDT

Links for Thursday, as the White Sox announce that Dayan Viciedo will miss 3-4 weeks with a fractured right thumb…

Scott Miller of CBS Sports says it's starting to seem likely that the Rangers will move Neftali Feliz to the rotation.
Yahoo's Jeff Passan argues that the Rangers will keep Feliz in the rotation, where he has pitched this spring, if they know what's best.
Rival teams sense that the Rangers would prefer to move Michael Young before his ten and five rights kick in this May, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). They won't give him away, though.
Boof Bonser has a clause in his contract that allows him to opt out if he doesn't make the Mets, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). The Mets would love to keep Bonser regardless, but he isn't sure what he'll do if he isn't on the team's Opening Day roster.
Richard Sandomir and Ken Belson of the New York Times report that the Mets' owners were in financial trouble before Irving Picard filed a $1 billion lawsuit against them.
One talent evaluator tells Olney that Carl Pavano looks like the best pitcher in Florida this spring (Twitter link).
Lyle Overbay told Ron Musselman of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he signed with the Pirates because "they were going in a better direction" than some of the other interested teams. Overbay, the oldest player on the Pirates roster, says he liked the idea of playing under new manager Clint Hurdle.

Rangers, D’Backs Discussed Michael Young Again

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 10, 2011 at 8:19am CDT

The Diamondbacks made another attempt to acquire Michael Young from the Rangers last week, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Though Young has asked to be traded, there’s no guarantee that he would approve a move to the D’Backs, one of the teams to which he can veto trades. However, one source told Rosenthal that Young would be willing to join the D’Backs and play third base.

Young has a list of ten teams to which he would approve a trade, according to Rosenthal: the eight teams that can acquire him without approval plus the Phillies and the Cubs. Young can’t block trades to the Rockies, Angels, Dodgers, Padres, Cardinals, Twins, Yankees and Astros, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

Young is expensive – he’ll earn $16MM for each of the next three seasons – but the Rangers don’t want to compromise their chances of winning in 2011 by dealing him. Young’s contract makes him unattractive to both the Phillies and the Cubs. The Phillies don’t have much room in their budget, so acquiring a $16MM player is unrealistic. The Cubs wouldn’t find it much easier to make the financial side of the deal work.

Heyman On Phillies, Davis, Molina, Mets

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 9, 2011 at 9:30pm CDT

The Phillies are concerned about Chase Utley's injured right knee but, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com they hadn't called the Rangers about Michael Young as of this morning. Here's the latest on the Phillies and notes from around the league:

Phillies scout Charley Kerfeld had been watching the Rangers and may have been scouting Young.
Chris Davis has an option left, so the Rangers are expected to send him down to start the season in the minors, despite his strong spring performance so far.
22-year-old Dodgers prospect Rubby De La Rosa is impressing with his upper-90s fastball and command.
Though the Padres would like Bengie Molina to return to action at a bargain price, they're under the impression that the backstop is in "retirement mode." The Padres expressed interest in Molina earlier in the week, after Gregg Zaun retired, but they don't have much left in their budget.
It remains unlikely that Oliver Perez or Luis Castillo will break camp with the Mets, even though the team doesn't have tremendous depth from the left side out of the bullpen or at second base.

Rangers Notes: Front Office, Young, Davis

By Mark Polishuk | March 4, 2011 at 8:13pm CDT

Jon Daniels' contract extension isn't the only news out of the Rangers' camp today. Here's the latest on the defending AL champs…

Now that Daniels is under contract through 2015, the club's next step is to lock up other front office members, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. "You put good people in place and then you keep them in place," said team president Nolan Ryan. "It tells people who you are as an organization and it tells new players coming in what you are all about." Ryan said that assistant GM Thad Levine could have a new deal finalized by this weekend.
Daniels has "exchanged hellos" with Michael Young but the two haven't talked about his offseason trade demand, the GM tells the Galloway & Co. podcast (and passed on by ESPNDallas). Young said he had no plans to speak to Daniels upon his arrival at Spring Training two weeks ago, and didn't wish to be a distraction to the team by revisiting the issue.
In a radio interview with 103.3 ESPN's Ian Fitzsimmons (passed on by Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com), Chris Davis says he's playing third base during Spring Training, which he believes will help him find playing time somewhere, if not necessarily with Texas. The Rangers have the hot corner covered by Adrian Beltre and they have another (albeit unproven) lefty-swinging first baseman in Mitch Moreland. Davis drew trade interest last summer — no surprise given his career .311/.370/.569 line in five minor league seasons.

Quick Hits: Hall, Young, Feliz, Burnett, Buck

By Zachary Links | March 2, 2011 at 9:38pm CDT

Links for Wednesday night..

Longtime major leaguer Juan Castro told MLB.com's Ken Gurnick that he never considered retirement at any point this winter. The 38-year-old is trying to hook on with the Dodgers in 2011 for what would be his fourth stint with the club.
Earlier today, Yankees GM Brian Cashman told versatile Astros veteran Bill Hall that the club was "this close" to signing him, tweets Jack Curry of the YES Network.
A source close to the Rockies told Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated that the Rangers sought a "very good player" for Michael Young, but didn't elaborate on who that player might be.
Some in the Rangers front office feel that Neftali Feliz could develop into the type of starter that would otherwise cost a bundle in a trade, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.
Yankees fans have been hard on A.J. Burnett, who is set to earn $16.5MM annually through 2013. However, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that Burnett's career numbers are not all that different from Boston's Josh Beckett.
Outfielder Travis Buck views his arrival in the Indians locker room as a fresh start, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.

Phillies Notes: Utley, Young, Durbin

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 28, 2011 at 8:53am CDT

The latest on the Phillies, before they take on the Blue Jays with former Toronto ace Roy Halladay on the mound…

Chase Utley has tendinitis in his right knee and Michael Young has requested a trade, but Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News says it's a safe bet that the Phillies won't acquire Young to provide depth. The Phillies kicked the tires on Young earlier in the month.
Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer points out that age will eventually prevent the Phillies' top players from playing as well as they have throughout their respective careers.
Former Phillies reliever Chad Durbin agreed to sign with the Indians and some don't think Philadelphia needed the depth the right-hander provides. Bob Brookover of the Inquirer heard from one National League scout who says Durbin is "the 13th pitcher on a 12-man staff."

Quick Hits: Royals, Astros, Lee, Reyes, Young, Prior

By Mike Axisa | February 26, 2011 at 10:22pm CDT

Real live baseball was played in Florida and Arizona today, even though it was nothing more than a handful of exhibition games. That's better than nothing in my book. Here's some links for Saturday…

Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star breaks down the Royals' roster issues, explaining why some of their top prospects won't break camp with the team even though they may be MLB ready.
Examiner.com's Stephen Goff hears that the Astros are looking at UConn RHP Matt Barnes, Kentucky RHP Alex Meyer, Hawaii 2B Kolten Wong, and Indiana OF Alex Dickerson for their first round pick in this summer's draft, #11 overall (all Twitter links).
Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter) spoke to a scout who believes that the three prospects the Phillies received for Cliff Lee may never be heard from again. The club recieved J.C. Ramirez, Phillippe Aumont, and Tyson Gillies in the trade that sent Lee to the M's.
The Athletics' bullpen has improved a great deal this winter, writes Jeff Fletcher of AOL Fanhouse.
More on Dennys Reyes from Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, who writes that Reyes' deal with the Phillies fell through when the two sides could not agree on "two clauses" in the proposed contract.
Dennys Reyes can opt out of his minor league contract with the Red Sox on March 26th, reports WEEI.com's Rob Bradford (on Twitter). Reyes is competing with fellow lefties Andrew Miller, Rich Hill, and Randy Williams for a spot in Boston's bullpen.
In today's blog post at ESPN (Insider req'd), Buster Olney says that Michael Young is no longer talking about his trade demand, "but he seemingly hasn't taken it off the table, either." It appears that Young was bothered by the team's pursuit of Jim Thome and acquisition of Mike Napoli after he agreed to a DH/utility role.
Joel Sherman of The New York Post updates everyone on Mark Prior, who he believes was on the path to becoming baseball's first $150MM pitcher. Prior is in camp with the Yankees on a minor league pact and knows he'll have to prove himself against Triple-A competition before returning to the big leagues. "It is not the career path I envisioned, but it is the career path I am on," said Prior. "So be it. No regrets."
Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times looks at the Dodgers' economical approach to left-field. Marcus Thames and Jay Gibbons are expected to platoon at the position, and are guaranteed just $1.4MM combined in 2011. Tony Gwynn Jr., Gabe Kapler, and the out-of-options Xavier Paul also figure into that mix.

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