Philadelphia Phillies explored deal for Michael Young with Texas Rangers
The Philadelphia Phillies recently contacted the Texas Rangers for the purchase of Michael Young according to some reliable sources; but these talks were very brief and broke off with no results.
Young has demanded a transfer from the Rangers, and openly admitted last Monday that he was unhappy with his dealings with the club.
“The suggestion that I've had a change of heart and asked for a trade a manipulation of the truth,” Young said, “I want to be traded because I have been manipulated and mislead in this process and I'm not going to take it anymore.”
The slugger has three years left of his five-year contract with Rangers that he agreed to in 2007. He will earn $48 million for the next three years but has a limited no-trade clause that will allow Rangers to trade him out to any of these eight teams: the
Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels , Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals.
Young has said that he can consider a deal from any other team that is not on the list.
“As of right now, no. But I think those things are handled on a case-by-case basis,” Young said. “Those are things my family and I would talk about and see what's ultimately the best fit for us.”
With the spring training just around the corner the Rangers are running out of time to deal Young out. The Rangers are seeking a team that can afford his full or considerable partial salary. They can also pick an option of getting any youngster in return.
However, it is likely that the disgruntled veteran will be retained in the team, whether he likes it or not.
Young started his major league career in 2000 with the Rangers and became second baseman in 2001. At the end of the 2003 season, he was moved to shortstop after Alex Rodriguez was traded out, to make room for Alfonso Soriano. Young was made Designated Hitter
a month ago after the club signed on Adrian Beltre. The signing of potential DH Mike Napoli was the last straw for Young, who felt unhappy about his changing role.
The 34-year old has been the face of the franchise. The .300career hitter, with 158 home runs and 811 RBI is the team’s longest tenured player. He is a six-time All Star, winner of 2008 Gold Glove award, American League Batting Champion of 2005 and MLB
All-Star Game Most Valuable Player of 2006.
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