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Phillies would be wise to trade for Young

With Chase Utley’s knee seemingly getting worse by the day, Ruben Amaro would be wise to trade for Michael Young, who at the age of 34 is still a very productive player. Last season, Young hit .284 with 21 HR’s and 91 RBI’s. Not only would Young fill the void Utley would leave at 2nd base, he would also help balance out a very left-handed heavy lineup. Young would certainly help make up for the loss of Utley’s production in the lineup.
The main sticking point in a deal for Young is his salary. With three years and $48 million left on his contract, Young can’t really fit into the Phillies financial plans without the Rangers taking back some salary. A trade of Joe Blanton, who makes $16 million over the next two seasons, and Raul Ibanez, who makes $11.5 million in the final year of his deal, would work for both teams. At this point, the Rangers want to get value for Young but know they can’t get top prospects due to his contract and age. Getting a reliable pitcher in Blanton that can throw 200 innings a year would be a nice pick-up for the Rangers, who right now are counting on Brandon Webb to be their 5th starter. Ibanez would also provide an adequate replacement for Young, who is expected to DH for the Rangers this season.
While this idea may seem far-fetched due to the Phillies payroll, it’s not as crazy as it may have seemed just a week ago. The Phillies and Utley both seem frustrated by what doctors are saying about the knee and both don’t know what the best option may be. At this point, it looks like Utley could be heading for surgery, which could place him out of the lineup for an extended period of time. Right now, their starting 2nd baseman would be Wilson Valdez, who is a nice bench player but will never be mistaken for an everyday player. It’s going to be hard enough replacing Jayson Werth’s production, but the loss of both he and Utley would be devastating to an aging Phillies lineup that struggled at times last year. The addition of Young would help the Phillies score runs and hold down the fort until Chase gets back.

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Comments

[Bill Zeltman]

I have some concerns about the length of Young's contract and the fact that he has had down seasons two of the past three years. Couple that with his age and $16 million a year sounds like too much to spend. With that being said, Young would provide a proven right handed bat that would fit nicely in the number 5 spot in the Phillies lineup.

If Texas would eat $6 million a year of his contract, I would make the trade.

[Scott Zlotnick]

I agree with you that I would not make this trade unless the Rangers eat a large portion of the contract. That is why I mentioned Blanton and Ibanez as trade possibilities because Young is not worth surrending a top level prospect for. At this point though, the Phillies may have no choice but to give a solid prospect plus Blanton because it appears Utley's knee may be headed toward surgery