Michael Young Comes Off The Yankees Board, Retires

Michael Young has officially come off the New York Yankees board this offseason as a possibility for third base after he retired this afternoon. Young was awfully youthful as he was only 37 years old when he retired and still had a few reported offers out there for his services this season.

Young was a seven time All Star, will finish with a .300 career batting average, .346 OBP, and .441 slugging percentage. Young hit 185 home runs, knocked in 1,030 RBI's, scored 1,137 runs, and stole 90 bases in his 14 year career with the Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Michael Young Says Dodgers, Retirement, or Bust

Another third base option may potentially be off the board in Michael Young, not that we showed much interest anyway. Young is contemplating retirement at age 37 but said if he did play in 2014 it would be with the Los Angeles Dodgers or bust. Young has said this before as recent as last year as he would only accept a trade back to Texas, and then New York, and ended up being traded to LA. He may just call it a career or he may change his mind, honestly who knows?

Do The Yankees Need To Replace Alex Rodriguez Now?

Right after arbiter Fredric Horotiz decided to suspend Alex Rodriguez or the entire 2014 season, Yankee fans turned their attention to what the team should do at third base. Do they change their stance on Mark Reynolds and offer him a major league contract, as opposed to the minor league deal Reynolds turned down? Do they sign Michael Young, who they tried to trade for last season? Do they really turn over regular third base duty to a guy that's hit .226/.307/.395 in the previous three seasons?

"Ronery... I'm so ronery." *

Say what you will about Alex Rodriguez. Call him a lair, a cheat, misunderstood, or a victim of a witch hunt, but one thing you can't say about ARod is that he sucks. Even last year, his worst offensive season since he became a regular player in MLB in 1996, he was still better than average (111 OPS+). Going from ARod to somebody like Kelly Johnson, whose OPS+ between 2011 and 2013 was 91, is certainly a downgrade. But can the current Yankees offense take the hit?

If you go by the regular starters at each position last season, you'll find that their average OPS+ was a pathetic 87. Four, yes four, of their regulars had an OPS+ at or under 75 (Chris Stewart - 57, Jayson Nix - 71, Vernon Wells - 72, and Ichiro Suzuki - 75).

So what would the Yankees offense have looked like in 2013 had they gone into the season with their current lineup? Well let's see each man's OPS+ last season (or their last healthy season)...

Catcher - Brian McCann 115
First Base - Mark Teixeira 115 (going by 2012, as he missed 147 games in 2013)
Second Base - Brian Roberts 89
Third Base - Kelly Johnson 99
Shortstop - Derek Jeter 114 (going by 2012, as he missed 145 games in 2013)
Left Field - Carlos Beltran 128
Center Field - Jacoby Ellsbury 114
Right Field - Brett Gardner 108
Designated Hitter - Alfonso Soriano 112

Unlike in 2013, when they had four players at or under a 75 OPS+, not one of the current projected starters hit under 89. That lowest OPS+ was actually two points higher than the 2013 Yankee regulars averaged. And to be totally fair, that "89" comes from Brian Roberts, who was far from healthy last year, and hasn't been healthy since the 2009 season.

By the way, the average OPS+ by those nine players is 110. Just a tad bit better than last year's regulars.

Just a bit.

To say that the offense has gotten worse, or isn't significantly better, is plain ignorant. It's not even close. Which is why I shake my head every time I read or hear someone say the Yankees need to get Mark Reynolds, or need to get Michael Young, or need any other hitter. The only thing the Yankees need to do is add a starting pitcher or two. Going into the season with a starting rotation of CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova, and two of David Phelps, Michael Pineda, Adam Warren, or Vidal Nuno would not be good.

The only thing I can figure is that people are blinded by the team going from Robinson Cano, the best second baseman in the game, to Brian Roberts, a guy that shouldn't be counted on to play more than 50 games. While that's a legit concern in and of itself, that alone is not a reason to be concerned about the team's ability to score runs next season. It takes a heck of a lot more than one man to carry the offense, and in this blogger's opinion the Yankees have addressed that fact quite well.

*if you don't understand this quote, you sir... are beneath me.

Mark Reynolds Unlikely To Return To Yankees

Doesn't look like Mark Reynolds will be back with Yankees. NYY only offered him minor-league deal according to source. He won't take that.
— Mark Feinsand (@FeinsandNYDN) January 12, 2014

It has been reported this morning by our very own Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News that Mark Reynolds is unlikely to return to the New York Yankees. Citing the good ole unnamed source Feinsand claims that the Yankees only offered Reynolds a minor league deal and I am in agreement with Mark when I say "he won't take that."

Reynolds played in 36 games for the Yankees last season hitting six home runs and compiling a slash of .236/.300/.455. Reynolds is entering his age 30 season and still strikes out a ton and that may be turning the Yankees in other directions now that we know Alex Rodriguez will miss the entire 2014 season. Michael Young is still available as is Stephen Drew so stay tuned.

Yankees Now Interested in Young & Reynolds

Now that the Yankees know the Alex Rodriguez decision is for 162 games plus any postseason games we would play New York has turned their attention to Mark Reynolds and Michael Young. Left handed hitting Kelly Johnson is currently penciled in as the starting third basemen along with Eduardo Nunez but the Yankees really need an upgrade, especially since they just saved $25 million by switching their third basemen.

Young hit .279/.335/.395 with the Phillies and the Dodgers last season and has diminishing skills and power. Reynolds hit .220/.306/.393 with the Indians and the Yankees last season and handled first and third base adequately for New York. Neither are very attractive options but they are better than what Alex Rodriguez is going to give us next season, nothing.

There Is Always Michael Young

I feel like I have already done this post before, oh yeah that is probably because I did, when I said the Yankees should target Stephen Drew to play third base now that Omar Infante was signed with the Kansas City Royals. Why not Michael Young? Young is right handed and can play third base, second base, shortstop, and would not be a total loss at first base defensively. The Yankees need right handed power, a second basemen, a third basemen, someone to give Mark Teixeira a day to a day and a half off a week, and the versatility that Michael Young brings to the team.

This is Young's age 37 season and will only see his 38th birthday in uniform if the Yankees went to the World Series as his birthday is late in October so he doesn't exactly make the Yankees any younger. Baseball Reference has him listed as a shortstop, second basemen, and third basemen but like I said I could see him doing well at first base if we needed him there a day a week or so and what the Yankees need right now is his versatility. Young garnered MVP votes, an 8th place finish, just three seasons ago in 2011 and hit a combined .279 in 2013 with eight home runs. While Young has not hit 20 home runs since the 2010 season he may be a better option then all the other options out there, including Mark Reynolds.

My main concern with signing Young is the fact that he made $16 million last season so you are always concerned on how much he would want for next season. Also you have to wonder if Young wants to sign a one year deal and do this whole free agency thing all over again after all the stability he had in Texas for 11+ seasons. Does Young want to get paid and does Michael want to sign the last contract of his career? The problem with this idealistic thinking is nobody but Michael Young knows but if it's close, sign him and worry about next season next season.

Winter Meetings Day Two Mid-Day Quick Hits

It's day two in Orlando at the yearly Winter Meetings and the Yankees are still seemingly interested in everybody. Rather then typing out 100 different posts let's put all the quick hits here.

The Nationals are "balking" at trading Danny Espinosa even though the Yankees are interested.

The Yankees are interested in bringing back Mark Reynolds which makes a ton of sense because he can either start at third base or provide right handed power off the bench. Not to mention he can give Mark Teixeira a day or a day and a half off a week at first base.

The Yankees are "heavily interested" in Michael Young for the same reasons as Mark Reynolds.

Tommy Kahnle and Fred Lewis are likely to be selected in Thurday's Rule 5 Draft after being left unprotected.

Poll: Yankees Starting Third Basemen In 2014

Yankees Starting Third Basemen In 2014?
	Michael Young
	Mark Reynolds
	Kevin Youkilis
	Alex Rodriguez
	Eduardo Nunez
	Stephen Drew
	David Adams
	Derek Jeter
	Other -- Please Specify
pollcode.com free polls

Who should be the starting third basemen for the New York Yankees when Opening Day comes around in 2014? Will Alex Rodriguez beat his suspension handed down from Bud Selig? Will Eduardo Nunez finally step up and get to showcase his skills at one position for a full season? Will the Yankees bring in a free agent like Michael Young or will they bring back one of their own in Mark Reynolds or Kevin Youkilis? Please vote here and the results are to follow. Thank you for your continued support and participation on the blog. 

Mark Reynolds Wants To Stay A New York Yankee

Mark Reynolds was picked up mid season by the New York Yankees after being designated for assignment and released by the Cleveland Indians and expressed a wish to stay in New York for 2014. Reynolds told both GM Brian Cashman and his agent after hitting .236/.300/.455 with six home runs in 26 games for the Yanks. The market on third basemen is pretty thin this off season with Reynolds, Michael Young, and Eric Chavez headlining so the Yankees may be interested in bringing back Reynolds as an insurance plan. The Yankees first need to find out what is going to happen with Alex Rodriguez and his potential 211 game suspension before making any rash decisions, see Kevin Youkilis in 2013. There is always the option, my option if I am the GM, to let Eduardo Nunez be the third basemen and let Brendan Ryan be the back up short stop but that is another post for another day.

Should We Hope ARod Is Not Suspended?

In 33 games, since he returned from the Disabled List, Alex Rodriguez has been a big reason why the Yankees' offense has seen a resurgence. Since ARod came back to the Yankees on August 5th, the team's triple-slash is .268/.338/.433, numbers good for 3rd, 3rd, and 4th in the American League. And I don't think that's a coincidence, seeing as how ARod's own triple-slash is at .294/.391/.504. On top of that, the Yankees have scored 5.2 runs per game, as opposed to the 3.8 runs a game they averaged in the previous 110 games.

"You may not like me, but this year's team needs me."

The easy conclusion to make from all of that is that Alex Rodriguez, no matter what you think of him, has been good for the Yankees. And for that reason, many Yankees fans may be hoping he's not suspended for the 2014 season. But the question we need to ask is whether or not ARod would be worth $27.5 million to the team next season. "$27.5 million" being how much Rodriguez would cost the Yankees towards the Luxury Tax.

Using Fangraphs' Dollar Value, Alex has been worth $4.8 million in his 33 games. If you extrapolate that over 135 games, which is actually a bit higher than the number of games he averaged per season between 2008 and 2010, then you come to $19.6 million. That brings us to our next question... is having ARod around worth paying him $7.9 million more than he's actually worth?

To answer that you have to look at the alternatives.

You may need one of these to see the positives in this year's free agent class at third base.

Michael Young is a free agent after this season, and my guess for his next contract is 2 years and $26 million ($13 million a season). Young turns 37 on October 19th (the same day that yours truly will turn 36), and I don't see any team giving him more than that. In the previous 2+ years, he's hit below .280, his slugging percentage has been below .400, and his on-base percentage has been at least 10 points lower than his career average. That's not to say Young is worthless, but he's certainly not worth another 5 year/$80 million contract. And, to be honest, $13 million a season is probably a bit high, considering the fact Michael has only been worth $18.4 million between 2010 and 2012.

I could see the Yankees possibly wanting to bring back Mark Reynolds, who has hit .279/.355/.544 in 22 games since joining the team. The main problem with Mark is that he hasn't played much at the hot corner over the last two years, and when he has his defense has been pretty bad. I suppose somebody like Jayson Nix or Eduardo Nunez could start at third when a ground-ball pitcher is starting for the team, but I'm still not sure it would be a good idea to re-sign Reynolds as the regular third baseman for 2014. Even if it only cost a one-year deal, worth around $8 million (a $2 million raise over what he's making this season).

Eric Chavez has batted .290/.342/.498 in 73 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and spent the vast majority of his playing time at third base. While he's not the best defender out there, he's certainly not at the Reynolds/Nunez level. Seeing as how he'll turn 36 in December, he could likely be had for no more than a two-year contract like Michael Young. And at around $6 million, which would be twice as much as he's making in Arizona in 2013, that could be a nice option.

Who wants to see part two of this?

So not only could the team acquire a replacement third baseman, that would be at least a league average hitter, they could do so while spending quite a bit less. And even though that player's production may be a bit below ARod's, you have to take into account that the Yankees could very likely get a gigantic upgrade behind the plate. Like if they sign Brian McCann to replace the duo of Chris Stewart and Austin Romine.

To wrap this up, even though Alex Rodriguez has provided the Yankee offense with a very nice boost since returning to the team in early August, it's still in the Yankees best interest that he be suspended for the entire 2014 season, while they acquire somebody else to play third base. Because that $7.9 million extra they'd be spending on Alex could cover the entire salary of his replacement.

"Yet again, nobody wants me."

2014 Free Agents – Extreme makeover Yankees edition

Being posted as a part of Syndicated Sunday from Bronx Baseball Daily

This season is far from over. Despite the loss last night the Yankees are 2.5 games out of the wildcard with some time to catch up. That said, it’s never to early to look at the free agent market and fantasize about different players in pinstripes. This year there are actually some formidable free agents who could certainly make the Yankees better. Consider the fact that A-Rod could accept a one season suspension next year, saving the Yankees mounds of money which won’t even count towards the cap. There’s every reason to think that the Yankees will make a splash in the free agent market this year.

The question, however, is who can they go after with the A-Rod money (and the money from not resigning Granderson). The obvious answer is that a good portion of that money has to go toRobinson Cano. He has to be resigned and he’s going to have to take up a chunk of the money saved by the suspension. From there, many scenarios could play out.

One of the major positions the Yankees will look to address this offseason will be catcher. There are several catchers the Yankees could go after. Brian McCann, A.J. Pierzynski, Carlos Ruiz, andJarrod Saltalamacchia would all provide considerably more offense than the current lot of catchers. On the other hand, all but one (Carlos Ruiz) would bring defensive question marks to the table. Personally, I would love to see Brian McCann in the Bronx depending on the cost. He hit .270/.344/.489/.833 this season, with 19 homeruns in an injury shortened season. If healthy, he’s a huge upgrade offensively at the position.

I doubt if the Yankees pursue a first or second baseman outside of the organization given that Mark Teixeira will be healthy and they will likely resign Robinson Cano. If they do choose to go that route, there are some decent options though. James Loney, Kendrys Morales, and Mike Morse are all free agents this year. I’m not sure if any of them would be willing to sign on as a DH, but they could be helpful to the team in that role as well.

There will be a rather large PED induced hole in the Yankees infield next year at third base. There’s really not much out there in terms of an A-Rod replacement though. Michael Young is an option, and so is Placido Polanco or Kevin Youkilis. It’s scary to think about what the Yankees will do at this position in 2014, because they don’t have any prospects that are close to filling that slot either. If I were Steinbrenner, I’d go pretty hard after Michael Young and hope that he can pick up where he left off in the second half this season. It’s slim pickings at third, and the Yankees have an obvious need.

The Bombers already have a full outfield next season, as Soriano, Gardner, and Ichiro will be in the mix. Knowing the Yankees though they will add another two guys to serve as lefty or righty specialists.Nelson Cruz would be a fun guy to target, but I doubt if the Yankees needs will match up with his contract demands. In other words, the Yankees aren’t desperate enough for an outfielder to dish out the type of contract Cruz will command.  Corey Hart would be another interesting player to look at. He missed all of 2013 but if he can get back to his old self he is a shoe-in for 25+ home runs and an .800+ OPS. Carlos Beltran is another who would be a good choice if they were able to get him on a short term contract. Also, would it really be so bad to bring Curtis Granderson back? They could use the power output for sure.

Finally you look at starting pitchers, and there really are quite a few options. Solid pitchers like Matt Garza, Hiroki Kuroda, Ricky Nolasco, Andy Pettitte, Jonathan Sanchez, Tim Lincecum, and dare I say? Josh Johnson will all be available this offseason to fill out the three available rotation spots that will be left behind by Phil Hughes, Hiroki Kuroda, and Andy Pettitte. The last question is who will replace Mariano. I don’t think the answer lies with free agents. David Robertson has earned his shot and should be given the first crack at it.

Looking at all of this it becomes pretty clear that the Yankees have an opportunity to perform an extreme makeover Yankees edition this offseason. If they play their cards right there’s no reason they can’t put a better team on the field than the 2013 version. Steinbrenner should dub 2014 “Cashman’s last chance” and if he can’t make it happen it’s time to find a new GM, or more politely promote cashman and allow someone else to make the GM decisions.

Minor League Deal Options For 2014: Corey Hart

Corey Hart started off the 2013 year with a left knee surgery that would have originally kept him out of the Milwaukee Brewers lineup until around the All Star Game. On June 28th of the same year the Brewers learned that they would be without their third basemen for the rest of the 2013 season with a surgery to his right knee. What major league team is going to want to shell out a guaranteed major league contract to a guy coming off of a missed season and two knee surgeries? I am hoping nobody and that Corey Hart decided to sign a minor league deal with us to rebuild some value. I'm dreaming and I know it because some team will give Corey the low value one year deal with performance bonuses but call me optimistic anyway. 

The third base market this off season is especially thin with guys like Mark Reynolds, a 37 year old Michael Young, and Kevin Youkilis coming off of another back injury and subsequent surgery on the back leading the pack. With the Yankees being without Alex Rodriguez for the entire 2014 season the Yankees are really going to need a man at the hot corner so could Corey Hart be that man?

Corey Hart has a 162 game average in his career with the Brewers of .276/.334/.491 with 26 home runs and 87 RBI's from the right side of the plate. Hart can also play first base and has dabbled in right field as well adding some much needed versatility to an aging Yankees squad. Hart is a first basemen by trade but I think the transition to third base would come easily to Hart as he has shown good feet and mechanics at first base and an athleticism that cannot be taught. He would obviously not be the ideal third basemen but him learning a new position may be better than all the options on the market and David Adams at this point.

Do I think Corey Hart will agree to be a third basemen? Probably not. Will he then decide to sign a minor league deal with a legit shot at the majors and a World Series? Maybe. Do I care? Absolutely not! That's what makes the off season and free agency the best part of the baseball season for some people. It's fun, hopes are never higher, and sometimes your dreams fly off the paper or your computer screen and they sometimes come true. 

Michael Young Clears Waivers

Michael Young is once again available again after recently clearing waivers with the Philadelphia Phillies. If this were two weeks ago I think the Yankees are interested but not now because there really is not a place for Young. Alex Rodriguez is back and the Yankees have been working Vernon Wells and David Adams, both right handed bats, at first base. Not to mention that whole thing where we are behind too many teams, including the Kansas City Royals, for a playoff spot. Pass!

Michael Young Will Only Approve Trade Back To Texas

Well so much for that, huh?

Michael Young has announced today the he would only waive his no trade clause in a deal that sent him back to the Texas Rangers. With prospect Cody Asche being called up to man third base a deal for Young seemed imminent until this announcement was made late this afternoon. I cannot see Michael Young getting traded now but maybe this is all posturing.

Michael Young Made Officially Available

The Philadelphia Phillies have decided to go into full sell mode and have contacted teams letting them know that Michael Young is available, finally. Young is hitting .277/.342/.402 and is in his age 36 season playing mostly third base for the Phillies this season, although he can play all over the diamond. The Yankees were surely one of those teams contacted especially after we learned that A Rod could be suspended for the rest of this season and all of next season as soon as next week. Make the deal Cash and make it now.

Sherman Says Young Not Available

I talked about the pros and cons of acquiring Michael Young, while mentioning a tweet from Peter Gammons saying the Phillies are not making Young available. Well, here we are a couple hours later, and Joel Sherman tweets the same things Gammons did a couple of weeks ago... Young is not available.

I still say this is posturing by the Phillies, who at 9.5 games out of a Wild Card berth have pretty much no chance at making the postseason. With Young in the final year of his contract, it would be stupid for Philadelphia NOT to deal him away.

Should The Yankees Even Bother With Michael Young?

There is more talk about the Yankees trading for Michael Young, regardless of what the Phillies have said about their third baseman's availability. At the same time there has been a lot of chatter over whether the Yankees are that much better with Alfonso Soriano than they were before. On that note, I think they are better (especially in the power department), but that trade has not pushed them into the "true contender" category. So would dealing for Young get them there?

Can adding Young get us here?

Well, I decided to look over some pros and cons of acquiring Young...

Pros

• He'll be a free agent after this season, so this wouldn't be like trading for Soriano or Wells... who both are signed through next season (although the Yankees won't be paying Wells much of anything in 2014, so he could be released without a second thought). 
• Young is getting on base a little over 34% of the time, which is right in line with his career on-base percentage (.347). 
• With 147 plate appearances in the postseason, all with Texas between 2010 and 2012, he does have enough experience there that we shouldn't need to worry about him feeling that pressure.
• Seeing as how it's much higher than his career average, it may not continue, but as of right now Michael's walking quite a bit more than he ever has. His career walk rate is 6.7%, while he's walking 8.9% of the time in 2013.
• Mike's hitting .278/.391/.417 with runners in scoring position... all three stats being much better than the .254/.338/.375 slash the Yankees have put up with RISP this season. 
• Being a right-handed batter, and coming from hitter-friendly Citizen's Bank Park, you'd think that Young would hit for less power at Yankee Stadium. But his career slugging percentage of .441 at Yankee Stadium (average between Yankee Stadium 2 and Yankee Stadium 3), which is right in line with his career mark in that area (.441), says otherwise. 
• Being a right-handed batter, you may think his numbers against right-handed pitchers may not be that good. However, Young is hitting .299 with a .767 OPS against them this season, and has hit .297 with a .775 OPS against same-sided pitching in his career.

Cons

• Michael's .278 batting average this season is at it's lowest since his second full season in MLB (.262 in 2002). 
• His slugging percentage, while not as bad as it was in 2012, is still much lower than it was from 2009 to 2011 (.404 in 2013, .478 between 2009 and 2011). 
• Those lower numbers could be due to running into some bad luck, but Young's batting average on balls in play (BABIP) of .313 does not support that theory.
• In the "Pro" section I mentioned his postseason experience, but while experience there is great, a batting line of .248/.272/.383 isn't.
• Young is striking out at a much higher rate than he did the previous two years (14.3% in 2013, as opposed to 11% from 2011 to 2012).
• As seen by his triple-slash of .217/.314/.380, Michael hasn't hit left-handers well at all this year. To be fair, though, historically he's hit them very well (.333/.371/.423 last season, and .309/.362/.467 in his career). 
• Although Young has had 60 more at bats on the road this season, he's hit one less home run away from homer-friendly Citizen's Bank Park. If he were a left-handed batter I wouldn't worry about that, thanks to Yankee Stadium's short porch in right field, but he would likely miss out on a few home runs due to batting right-handed.

No, I didn't plan on having an equal number of "Pros" and "Cons".

At 36 years old, Michael Young is certainly declining, so an improvement after a move to the Yankees is unlikely. We did see Ichiro's numbers go way up after being dealt to New York last season, so I suppose the same thing could happen to Young. But what we saw from Suzuki is certainly not the norm. However, it would take a dramatic plunge in productivity from Young for him not to be an improvement over what the Yankees have gotten out of their third basemen so far this season.

Personally, I'm not sold that adding Michael Young would get them to "true contender" status. That doesn't mean I don't want to see it happen, as any improvement on offense would be welcome, but if the price is anything close to too much then I wouldn't bother.

What do you think about this proposed lineup (when, or should I say "if", healthy)?

1. Brett Gardner - CF
2. Derek Jeter - SS
3. Robinson Cano - 2B
4. Alfonso Soriano - DH
5. Michael Young - 3B
6. Curtis Granderson - LF
7. Ichiro Suzuki - RF
8. Lyle Overbay - 1B
9. Austin Romine - C

"Meh."

Soriano Is In The Fold, Now Get Michael Young

Obviously I think the Yankees brass answered the question of whether or not they would be going for it this trading deadline season. With Alfonso Soriano now in the fold for the Yankees is it time for the Yankees to pounce on Michael Young of the Phillies?

The Phillies have lost four in a row and are now eight games behind the Atlanta Braves in the AL East. Even with the two wild cards the Phillies are even farther behind those teams for the Wild Card. The Phillies may be willing to deal now with only six days left until the July trading deadline is up.

Now obviously the Phillies could put Michael Young on waivers and trade him in August but there is no guarantee that a team could not block the Yankees from claiming him. Either way Alfonso Soriano may be our best right handed hitter on the team now but if we acquired Michael Young I think Soriano would immediately drop the second best and we need all the offensive upgrades and versatility that we can get.

Michael Young Said To Not Be Available

The Yankees called the Philadelphia Phillies earlier in the week and they were told that third basemen Michael Young was not as available as we all thought. The Phillies have won six of their last eight games are are climbing in the second wild card standings and look to hold on to their pieces for now. Time for plan B I guess for Brian Cashman and the Yankees.

Michael Young "Not Available"

"No soup Young for you!"

According to Peter Gammons, last week the Yankees asked Philadelphia about Michael Young, and were told Young wasn't available.

This isn't a surprise to me, as I really didn't expect the Phillies to be sellers. We're not talking about a team that is known for wanting to save a couple million dollars, or gives up on a season easily. Not to say there are teams in MLB that are okay with losing, but the Phillies have become one of those teams that not only expects to be in the hunt for the postseason each year, but oftentimes are in the hunt.

Of course, things can change in the next couple of weeks, not to mention that Philly has a couple players in Erik Kratz and Kevin Frandsen who make Young and Carlos Ruiz expendable. So I won't totally give up on a trade happening between the Yankees and Phillis.