1) Say what you will about the guy - and I will as I am not his biggest fan - but $3M a year for what he brings to the table is an absolute steal. Sure I'd like my first baseman to be a bit more of middle of the order force, but there is always room for a .280/.400/18/85/100 (avg./obp./HR/RBI/RS) guy on a contending team. Especially when the price is right
2) I really wish the Sox gave him a multi-year contract simply because that would enhance his trade value dramatically. Quality major league players from winning teams locked into team-friendly contracts are commodities on par with young pitching these days in MLB.
3) What this contract really says to me is that while the Sox appreciate what Youkilis has done for the team and think he is a nice enough player, they do not see him as their long term first baseman. In other words, "Kevin, you'll do the trick for 2008 but after next season we are breaking the bank for Mark Texiera when he hits the market. Thanks for the memories." What do I think of that strategy? I like it. If the Sox had more potent hitters at some other positions then I'd be okay sacrificing some offense from the 1B slot, but the bottom line is that they don't and Mark Texiera will be the best quick fix to that need and he hits the market after this season. I would not even rule out a Youkilis and Coco for Texiera in-season trade. Makes a lot of sense for both sides although I only think the Sox would make that deal if they were given a window to negotiate an extension for Tex and given that he is a Boras guy, the chances of him bypassing free agency in favor of an in-season extension are about as good as Heidi Montag sweeping next year's Grammy Awards.
Monday, February 11, 2008
The Kevin Youkilis Contract: Three Thoughts
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3 comments:
Hey Dummy....Youk is the third baseman of the future. First base is just a stop over to utilize Lowell.Wassa madda wit you????
How can you call Youk the 3B of the future when he is locked up for just one more year, but Lowell is locked up for 3 more? If they really wanted to invest in him for the long run wouldn't they have given him more than a 1 year contract? He's not going to ask for a pay cut next year so if they were going to do that, now would have been the time and they passed.
i'd like my 1st baseman to have more than 25 hrs and 100 rbis. oh wait, we are gonna get that. im awaiting your apology blog to youk
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