Sunday, December 6, 2015

Chris Young, Two Years $13 Million and Brian Cashman is a Genius


Imagine that, another unpopular article here on The Greedy Pinstripes. I can’t help it though. I like to go against the grain and I like to put my true thoughts, not the popular thoughts, into my articles. This brings me to Chris Young and his new contract with the all of a sudden extremely generous Boston Red Sox organization. Chris Young, the Yankees fourth outfielder and bench player, received $13 million from Boston over the next two years to fill the same role. Young is getting paid $6.5 million annually to play occasionally off the bench. Aaron Hicks, the man Brian Cashman deems as Young’s replacement, is making $525K. Let that sink in a minute. Brian Cashman is a genius.

Young enters the 2016 season at 32-years old. In a partial 2014 season and a full 2015 season Young batted .252 with 14 home runs and 42 RBI in 318 at bats with the Pinstripes. Young hit .327 against left-handed pitching and will presumably fill that platoon role in Boston. Imagine Young facing off against CC Sabathia inside Fenway Park with the Green Monster just 310 feet away. He’s going to pop it up and it still go over the wall. This is going to get annoying fast but I digress.

Hicks on the other hand is just 26 years old and is a former first round pick from the Minnesota Twins. Hicks, like Young, can play center field but Hicks is the better and faster base runner, base stealer and defensive wizard. Hicks is an obvious upgrade for the Yankees on the defensive side and the sky is the limit on the offensive side. Hicks is a much better hitter than his career .225 batting average would suggest and his career .272 average against left-handed pitching as a right-handed batter should also improve. All that and Hicks is a switch-hitter, just in case you forgot.

The Yankees got depth, versatility, speed, base stealing and youth with four years of team control left while the Red Sox got a 32-year old veteran for two years and $13 million. Enjoy that now, the Yankees will enjoy it later though.


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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)