Phillies

Report: Phillies Close to Acquiring Michael Young

By Kyle Scott

Published: Dec 6th, 2012 · 8:35 AM EST

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So, Rube’s awake, and apparently he’s trying to acquire 36-year-old Michael Young.

According to several reports, the Phillies are in advanced stages of talks that would send Young to Philadelphia: [CSN Philly]

The Phillies entered the final morning of the winter meetings Thursday with a legitimate trade possibility. Multiple baseball sources tell CSNPhilly.com that the Phils are in serious discussions with the Texas Rangers about a deal for veteran infielder Michael Young. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning Newsreported that the two teams were in "advanced talks" about Young.

 

Young has a no-trade clause, but indications are that he would waive it to come to Philly. He has one year and $16 million left on his deal.

Evan Grant of the Dallas News reported the following late last night:

At the meetings’ outset Monday, sources indicated the Rangers, who have explored trading Young after both the 2008 and 2010 seasons, had approached the Phillies and another team about a Young deal even before clubs descended upon the Gaylord Opryland. 

 

It seems like the Phillies have been trying to acquire Young for four years. He’s an upgrade of the huge hole they have at third base, but he’s not young.

No longer an All-Star, Young batted .277 with eight home runs and 67 RBIs last season. He had a low on-base percentage of .312 and an OPS of .682, the lowest of his career and an almost 100-point drop from the previous decade.

Rube loves him some old white guys this time of year, and I’m not talking about Santa. The Phillies need to get younger, or add a superstar (Hamilton), or address their needs in the outfield, before we should get excited about Michael Young. That said, he’s better than what they got and he’s durable.

This post also appears in our Winter Meetings Running Commentary.