Young Demands Trade

Texas Rangers IF/DH Michael Young has demanded a trade.  This is not the first time Young has demanded a trade.  He demanded one after the 2008 season when the Rangers announced that they would be handing the shortstop position to then-top prospect SS Elvis Andrus.  That was also the second time Young had lost his job to a newcomer in Arlington, as he was moved from second to short following the acquisition of 2B Alfonso Soriano following the 2003 season.  They talked Young down by handing him the third base job after Andrus was promoted and he didn't demand a trade after accommodating Soriano. 

What's different now?  He's lost his position twice in one season, and now he has no place else to play.

Earlier this off season the Rangers signed free agent 3B Adrian Beltre (a slugger and superior fielder at third base) and announced that Young would be moved to the DH spot in the lineup.  Recently, though, the Rangers picked up DH/1B/C Mike Napoli in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays (Napoli was part of the CF Vernon Wells deal and didn't play a game with the Jays) and announced that Young would be used as a super utility player.

GM Jon Daniels even went so far as to say that Young would get time at first but would play behind 1B Mitch Moreland, a young and unproven player.  Daniels said that Young would be in the lineup almost everyday, seeing time at all four infield positions and DH and perhaps a bit of time in the corner outfield positions.  Daniels also boasted that manager Ron Washington could get Young into 155 to 160 games and could also get him over 650 at-bats as a super utility player.  Young being utilized like Tampa Bay Rays IF/OF Ben Zobrist in 2009 wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility, but 650 at-bats?  That's pretty ridiculous.  To begin, its' nearly impossible for a utility player to get that much time and accommodating Young would take time away from several other worthy players.

Some still are convinced that Napoli, a bad defensive catcher who was converted into a first baseman last season by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, will win the catcher's job and that Young will indeed emerge as the team's DH.  The smart money says that the Rangers will not reward playing time to a questionable defensive player like Napoli the catching job and would rather hand it to defensive standout C Yorvit Torrealba or top prospect C Taylor Teagarden.

Here's how things are shaping up on paper right now in Texas.  Young will be the team's DH and will split time with Napoli who will will split time behind the plate with Torrealba.  When Young doesn't DH he'll play somewhere on the infield.  For the record, Young is listed behind both Moreland and Napoli at first base, behind 2B Ian Kinsler at second base, behind Beltre at third, and behind Andrus at short.  So if he loses his DH job to Napoli then he really has no place to play.

Young won't be easy to trade.  The Rangers would need to get a lot back and he has $48 million left on his contract.  Texas would likely have to pick up most of that $48 million as well, making a trade even less likely.  But the bottom line here is that Young has demanded a trade, and he won't back down this time, and the Rangers had better accommodate him.