The Story That Just Won't Die
More drama, suspense and intrigue courtesy of FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal, who writes this evening that (a) the Rangers have reached an "advanced" stage in reinvigorated talks with the Rockies on a trade that would send Michael Young to Colorado (per one source), but also writes that (b) other sources are indicating that things aren't quite so far along because of the confusing mixed messages the Rangers are throwing Colorado's way, and suggests that (c) Texas may be reaching a point of no return with Young, who reportedly expressed his displeasure with his reduced role in private to club officials.
A couple of things stand out to me about this story. First, we have Rosenthal backing up Tracy Ringolsby's account of the abortive Young-for-Eric Young Jr. trade, which seemed to suffer something of a credibility hit after Young Jr. himself clarified that the supposed trade-indicating physical had nothing to do with him possibly being traded and everything to do with coincidental timing -- but that in and of itself didn't explain the details of the Rangers viewing the results of his physical, voicing their concerns over his formerly stress-fractured tibia, and then backing out of a deal. I do wonder if this is a matter of one colleague blindly supporting another's narrative, but I also think Rosenthal is too good at what he does to not do his due diligence on something like this.
Second, this latest story lends more credence to the theory that Young still isn't happy with how all of this has gone down, in spite of his facade of acceptance of his new role; his recent adamance about being only a "temporary" designated hitter particularly stood out to me, because if the Rangers are truly as committed to Mitch Moreland as their beat writers have indicated, then I don't know where else the bulk of his playing time is going to originate from. Seriously. Every single infield position in Texas is currently committed to a player who is under club control through at least the 2013 season. It would be very easy to say that he should suck it up and be happy with his $13-14 million annual salaries, but he clearly assigns a good amount of importance to being able to play defense on a regular basis, and if he's unhappy about that to the point that it creates an on-going distraction (or, in the event that things get nastier, demands another trade), then that's a problem you can't simply brush aside.
The question remains about the exact point on the value/salary spectrums where it makes sense for Texas to deal Young -- that is, whether it's sensible or realistic to eat $10-15 million while receiving minimal value in return, or eating slightly less money than that while taking back injury-prone but otherwise solid right-hander Aaron Cook (and the entirety of his healthy $9.25 million salary in 2011) as Rosenthal suggests. Because we don't know the exact monetary value the Rangers assign to the enhanced lineup flexibility that would stem from a Young trade, and because we don't know how much weight Texas assigns to those more intangible aspects of the total package, this is virtually impossible to examine with any kind of precision. Too many moving targets to hit. About the best we can do is throw out proposals and see if they at least pass the smell test.
I will, however, echo something I casually mentioned last week -- if there will ever be a right time to deal Young, right now is the time, because they're in the advantageous position of still being a divisional favorite even if Young is dealt, and the one thing that can effectively minimize the P.R. blow and the infuriation of Young loyalists is continued winning. Winning is the panacea. It fills seats, makes money, builds stadiums, and mends damaged fan relations. They could survive this. They may not elect to try, but they could, and as beaten down as I may be by this story, there's no sense in ignoring it, because I can't shake the feeling that there's a very good reason why it hasn't gone away.
Analysis, Rumors, The Off-Season
Reader Comments (34)
Great points you made above Joey, assuming that a deal gets done, is Nap the DH? Because his numbers against RH pitchers last year weren't too great, but you would have the flexibility to shift Hamilton, Cruz, Beltre and Murphy to DH
Not so sure Eric Young is just scraps to make this not look like a salary dump. Young has plus plus speed and his minor league #s are good, but he's struggled so far in the majors, but 229 at bats don't make or break a career at his age. If he can get his obp up, he's a solid infield/outfield utility switch hitter with serious serious speed. He sinks or swims on whether he can get his obp to a decent level, because with his base-stealing speed, a walk is almost like a double, because he's likely to take 2nd, or at the least, be a major distraction to the pitcher.
At first i wanted to trade MY and i kinda still do but im just so tired of hearing about it, and id feel sorry for this guy being the Face for the decade and go to the playoffs once. I understand he wants to be on the field and a leader and stuff but come on just do whats asked and cash those paychecks. If he really cared so much about winning why would he want to leave now?
If were really going to trade him to the rockies can we get someone other then Young jr.?? thats a waist what would it take to get dexter fowler to platoon in CF with Borbon instead?
I agree that this is the time to trade him. Too many infielders and like the beat writers I want Mitch to stay put for many years.
Really like Young - and the tragic thing is that Texas is to blame for this by giving him that ridiculous, obsolete contract. If his salary were a bit more reasonable - even if it were like 8 mil a year - you could stomach the bad defense, or you could also get something back in return without having to chip in a bunch of millions of dollars in cash when it's time to move the guy. He had a back-loaded contract, too, right? I read something last week about how Texas wasn't keen on doing back-loaded deals any more - don't blame them!
Bottom line - he is grossly overpaid for his skill set and position. Granted, it happened before the economy went down in flames - and that certainly doesn't help. But still, not good business back then. Hopefully they learned and will be more shrewd with how they dole their money out in the future.
Heat & Smoke in Rangerland~
Joey~ A deal for Young has always had legs. Especially in JD's mind deals.
Mike's going to be unhappy. One can't get around the now or the inevitable,
later down the road. Oh, but we have an even smaller window, for this trade
to happen. May 2nd; it's either dead or we have a very unhappy Face in clubhouse.
Pull the string.
Rangers need to think about ten nanoseconds and decide whom they'll acquire in return.
Sure, they'll take a pizzed fan hit, but sooner rather than later is best. They've painted
themselves in the corner already, with Beltre-Napoli adds. Winning certainly is the cure all.
Get the deal done. Move forward, with a better team. Position the Clubs availability for
the big hunt and score~ Albert Pujols. OMG! No, it may never happen, but big talks of
"maybe and what if'" might quell and soften up the fans overall negative thinking. There's
plenty of time to work and worry about Hamilton's payday. He's playing coy anyway.
Do the Young Deal. Prepair, position and talk a big show on Pujols and Hamilton...
a much calmer storm a head. Possible contracts in Pujols & Hamilton? Smoke fills gaps too.
Who knows? Stranger things have happened in Rangerland... proactive~ think big.
I've been inclined to be skeptical to these rumors for the most part, but there seems to be some pretty persistent smoke, so maybe something is smoldering.
Being so late in the offseason adds more skepticism for me. I;ve thought the whole time that unless you can find a moron to take a ton of salary (hello LAA), then you just aren't getting enough benefit to dump the guy.
Hey Joey you're a good guy.
I don't see a trade happening until late Spring Training. It gives the Rangers time to see all of their moving parts in action and prevents a collossal problem if a season ending injury claims a major part like Beltre breaking a leg or Kinsler developing a problem. I can still see JD and Nolan being opposing forces in this deal. The Nolan rumors after C Lee talks that he doesn't grasp business details came from somewhere. I'm betting on JD or close by associates. This could be a way for Chucky G to dislodge Nolan and MY. Nolan is not going to last forever. But, I reiterate, my post on another subject that Nolan has proven golden and I think he has some powerful allies with Wampum who might frown on him being treated shabbily unless his Sumpreme Knowledge can be discounted. If MY goes and the Ranger don't improve or worse then JD loses. If MY goes and the Rangers do progress then JD has the Rocks. I see it as high drama but not before the season nears and I'm still looking Left Coast.
Now that we have a good ownership group who can eat that massive salary, and Wash has plenty of other defenders to take MY's place on the field, the only thing I, as a MY-critic, have left to lament is his placement in the batting order. It would be WONDERFUL to think what we could have with Andrus and Kinsler at the top of the batting order. I, for one, welcome anything that makes that happen, especially if Young truly wants to go so he can get more playing time.
Don't apologize to anyone, JD, for trying to make the team better. MY is no more than the 11th most valuable position player on the roster now. He might be missed if we have multiple injuries, but short of that, his absence probably adds wins to our season.
I say trade Mike Young..
He's been around far too long.
He's done nothing since he hit .406 in 1941.
Send him back to the BoSox, where he started
He's certainly no Ted Williams.
This is turning out as a lose lose for EVERYONE whatever happens. What a miserable headache situation. I'm getting really pissed in general.
If I were MY I would STFU until my 5/10 no trade rights arrived.
Smile and nod Michael so you can put this all to rest for us with a few words in May, I WILL NOT APPROVE A TRADE TO ANY TEAM.
Are you happy Michael? YES, you ARE happy, get over it and move on, if you want a trade in May its on your terms.
Ok, pick up the phone to Rosenwhatever and tell him how freaking happy you are and that the change took some adjustment but that you are now totally committed and do not want to be traded. "I am happy with my new role. It took some time to adjust to but I'm confident I can contribute to the team. I'm committed to Wash and understand that I will have to take more days off than I'm used to. The bottom line is that I want to be a Ranger and I want to win."
You see Michael, work this angle so that they will be less likely to trade your ass by morning. Then you get more time to decide what you want and you go on your terms to where you want.
I say trade Mike Young..
He's been around far too long.
He's done nothing since he hit .406 in 1941.
Send him back to the BoSox, where he started
He's certainly no Ted Williams.
This is the strangest comment I've read on here since somebody flamed one of Jason's pieces with the comment "Geeks write, players play."
Since it isn't a Story that will Just Die, I went back and looked up some facts:
- JD was hired as GM in Oct., 2005
- MY was extended in Mar., 2007
- Nolan Ryan was hired as Team President in Feb., 2008
I'd like to hear a little more discussion about why so many of the commentariat are convinced that Nolan Ryan is blocking JD's attempts to move MY. I can see that there might be an EZ-Jump conclusion that the Old Fart is hamstringing the Young Genius, but literally the only way that makes sense to me is that Ryan, as an owner, is convinced that MY puts more butts in seats. Other than that, Ryan has zero obvious investment in MY being a Texas Ranger.
Side Note: Is it conventional wisdom that Hicks forced Daniels to do the now-hated contract extension? I don't remember that being a point of discussion, but it wouldn't surprise me, either.
Bonus Comment Fodder: it's now 9 days till pitchers and catchers report. Who's going to Spring Training this year?
Scott,
I'll be there. Can't wait. I'm so ready to be in Arizona.
I'll be there a week. It'll be interesting to see if the Ranger crowd is bigger this year. That and get the cookie lady's autograph.
To Michael, it has never been about the money--it's been about playing the game and being a part of a special team! It's gotta hurt to go from being an everyday on-the-field player to DH'ing when you feel that you still can play defense. Michael really wants to finish his career in Texas, and I know that one day down the line he will accept the fact that DH will be his place in the order. But he still wants to play, but he does not want to leave his teammates or the community.
I want MY in Texas, but I understand his strong desire to be an everyday player. If he does get traded, I hope the Rangers send him to a team that will have an everyday place for him in the field.
But we can pretty much bet that Kinsler will go down for an extended period this season, and MY would be the best replacement for him. But why would the Rangers trade him if Texas still has to pick up a big part of his contract and not get much in return?
If we trade Michael Young, maybe he'll get a championship like when we traded Pudge prematurely. I'm skeptical that he'll win one here. I hate to say that, but have you seen our pitching staff? No way we win a world series with them. Maybe he can win one with the other expansion team.
I'm going to assume that this is driven my MY's unhappiness. If MY is being the good solider and the Rangers are doing this, then...well, that makes no sense to me. Which is why I'm assuming this is on MY.
Its too bad that MY can't see that his defense at any position is a liability to the team. Its understandable for a proud athlete, but if he feels the need to prove that he can play in the field, he's earned the chance do it with somebody who believes he can. That somebody isn't the Rangers.
I'm just sorry that it has come to this. I'd be much happier if he would embrace the DH role and stay here.
Obviously it all comes down to what the rangers get from a deal, but as a general rule, I am on the pro-trade bandwagon. For me it's simple, I don't feel bad for a guy getting paid 16 million per year for a quality of work production that should pay him half that. He's getting paid to play a game, and if he's not playing it well enough on the field to be a starter compared to others on the team, then the team should not start him. This whole "Michael young is getting screwed" motif from some (not a lot on here) is crazy to me. How many businesses in the world can afford to keep extremely overpaid highly underperforming tenured people while still remaining successful and profitable?
If you pay baseball and make millions, one of the "negatives" is that you have to travel and may have to uproot your family. You don't have to play baseball if that's too much to bear. Then again, you probably will make 1/100th what you make.
Good piece Joey, thanks for keeping us informed.
Did someone suggest Pujols? Holy sh%& what are you smoking?
M Y is a great guy,but...I have indelible visions of his O'le plays vs the Yankees in the playoffs. Plus, he has to lead the world in GIDP...Let Moreland have a chance...and Napoli was a great pick up..
The Rangers made a good PR move while executing a horrible contract with Young. They signed him while he was a top offensive and horrible defensive SS. If he was still capable at SS the deal would still be horrible, but not nearly as bad looking. The move to 3b didn't go well, so they upgraded defensively and possibly offensively with Beltre. Now we have the problem of having a 16 million dollar DH/Utility guy, that we won't likely want to use for an extended period at any IF position because of the damage he could do to the pitching staff while there.
A large part of me really hopes we figure out a way to keep Young around. I think it would be good for him to finish up as a Ranger and only as a Ranger. The numbers side of me say if we can move him for a bag of batting practice balls and move all his salary with him we do it. It would make us slightly worse this year, but likely help us out a lot in the coming years. Just think that 16 million the next few years, and yes I know the real number is closer to 13 a year with the deferred, could easily upgrade another spot for us much better then it could be used to keep a sub 800 OPS DH.
For this year, trading Young at this point, is probably a net loss for the on the field team. I don't think there's a better DH option out there. I would still argue that if Kinsler goes down for an extended stretch the club would really consider putting Blanco out there for the defense as opposed to Young. I bet they wouldn't be that different WAR wise either. But the big issue is that gets rid of a RH bat which is something we still need around and I doubt we find better off the scrap heap at this point.
Transition MY to a coaching and public relations role on this team..........
All MY needs to do is be a DH for 6 years. He would be in the Hall of Fame as a member of the 3,000 hit club plus be the only player to be an All-Star at three and possibly four positions. He and his family would be set for life and he could transition into coaching immediately after retirement.
@david- the problem is as a hitter, he would be one of the worst and highest paid DH's in baseball. if he's not playing the field, which he shouldn't, he's not valuable.
I disagree with the notion that Young shouldn't be playing the field. He SHOULD be playing the field for a team with an organizational philosophy of "Let's outscore the other guys" and a gaping hole at either 2B or 3B. That's the ONLY place where he still has considerable value. At DH, he's a well-below-average hitter ALREADY and he's DECLINING. He shouldn't want to be a DH. The Rangers shouldn't want him at DH.
As for him being set for life, he already is.
As for Hall of Fame- unlikely, but if he wants to make it, ask for a trade to Coors Field.
As for losing him making the team worse this season, I disagree. Yes, the guy we replace him with on the roster will not be as good as Young is. I grant you that. But getting rid of him (and his reputation- and salary-driven need for playing time) allows us to improve both the Starting Lineup (by using the more effective Napoli and Murphy more often), the Batting Order (by using Kinsler in the #2 hole), and the Injury Situation (by using Murphy in the OF and DHing Hamilton a whole bunch).
Without the straw that stirs the drink what do you have? A bunch of talented guys with no chemistry, that don't mesh together to form a team. You've got the strong stuff sitting on the bottom and the other stuff floating on top. Its difficult for fans to understand just how important clubhouse morale is. Yes, winning begets chemisty but chemistry also begets winning, it is a two way street and without one the other will not have the same effect. If we trade MY we are going NOWHERE. To be perfectly honest I don't see any leaders like him that could step up in his place especially now that Guerrero is gone. Maybe Colby Lewis but he seems unassuming. Maybe Josh to an extent but there are a lot of differences there between him and the other guys. Maybe Nellie Cruz but he seems more fun and less business.
I do not think this team has the same heart without Michael Young regardless of other baseball factors.
@DUDE; please, please, please don't bring up the topic of hitting Kinsler at the top of the order. It is a HORRIBLE idea and we know for a fact he's not a #1 or #2 hitter. He's designed to hit 6th or 7th... period... end of story.
I have 1 question that to me, should be the only question that needs to be answered; will trading MY make this team better or worse (in 2011)? While I'm on-board with trading him for the long term benefit of payroll flexibility... do we have a BETTER option at DH/1B/Utility/IFer? He can still swing the bat.... and in short spurts may provide passable defense. Is there anyone else on this roster... or that we'd get in return... that's going to be better filling that role than MY?
I do believe MY will be traded before the regular season... and I trust JD and the FO... but I don't see how trading him at this point (and now that Vladdy's off the market) makes the 2011 Rangers better.
Joe, i agree with the points made above.. If this trade gets completed, we will see how this affects the Rangers in Spring Training, and the beginning of the season.
Where there is smoke there is fire, except when it comes to the Ranger's front office. JD, Ryan and company have been playing a shell game, distracting the press and the competition from what they are actually doing. If there is a rumor it almost certainly is false. Almost all the moves the Rangers have made no one has seem coming. I for one love it and wouldn't be surprised to find out that we already had a deal with Toronto for Napoli before the Wells trade went down.
JD made a mistake giving MY his contract, wasn't his first, and wont be the last, but he has done a pretty decent job. It's probably a good thing that he made some horrible mistakes early because he seems to have learned from them.
This whole trade MY makes no sense. If we did find a trade partner we would have to eat a huge chunk of his salary and if we ate half then in reality we are paying him 8 mil a year for what he is now. Which isn't a great deal for us but it isn't that bad.
Scooby,
I have always been in your corner about getting Young out of the #2 Hole...he should be 7th if he stays...which now looks unlikely. I guess the Rangers are going to rotate DH spot after all. Murphy in LF and Hamilton at DH, or Murphy in RF with Cruz at DH some and certainly Napoli getting more ABs.
Young's Window of Real Opportunity...
If Young has broadened the spectrum of facilitating a trade,
then the window has narrowed and changed. It's best for him
to be in camp, from day one of spring training, with his new club.
He's not going to be happy here, He expects-wants to be a starter.
So much for the happy clubhouse, if moans and groans continue.
Good players see right through that facade. It's called winning focus.
If any think that Young is going to be happy as a DH and bench jockey,
you're fooling yourself. "as long as I get my 700 AB's..." is delusional.
He's all about hitting. 400AB's don't get him to Cooperstown. When he's
this close to 3,000 hits, he's thinking that's his ticket to the bronze bust.
He's a big time competitor. I can't fault an ego, for his vision of self worth.
I'm thinking there are as much talks or more going between Mike and Rangers,
as there are the Rox and Rangers. Trying to accommodate all involved seems
the task at hand to getting the Young Deal done. I expect the trade to happen.
Cooler heads will prevail. Don't feel sadly for Young. He'll thrive at Coors Field.
He'll be a happy starter and team leader, on a contending team, with the Rockies.
I'd rather watch Mikey romp playing pastures of Colorado, than see a slow demise,
limited play and a disgruntled leader here, as a Texas Ranger. It's Time... move on.