Monday, February 7, 2011

February 7...More drama in Texas

Well the super bowl is over and it looks like Mike Young's time in Texas could be too.  He is now publicly demanding to be traded.  He has said that he was "misled and manipulated" and that is pathetic.  If you are not better than the position player on your team and your offensive numbers continue to decline than I don't understand why you would complain if the team wants to add some security to the lineup.  I understand that Young has done so much for the Rangers, he and the team have benefitted from each other over the years.  Now when you are approaching 36 years old, you have to understand that your prime has past you by.  Being a role player on a competitve team (contender) or being a position player on a weaker team is what you have to decide as a professional.  The Rangers went to the WS this past year with Young as the starting 3rd baseman but they did not win.  Obviously the Rangers front office knows their team and what they can do better than any sports writer.  The Rangers made the necessary moves for their lineup and fielders that they believe will benefit them to potentially win a WS.  If Young cannot swallow that, then he has decided to play everyday for a weak team.

Now being a Ranger fan, I would rather have Mike Young on the team as an infielder/DH than for him to not be on the team.  At the same time I do not want him on the team causing rifts or not being the positive player he has been he whole career.  From the rumors and talks around the league it looks like he will be dealt to another team.  Young has name the teams he would accept playing for: Cardinals, Yankees, Twins, Astros, Rockies, Dodgers, Angels and the Padres.  Of course it is not a surprise he would like to ultimately go back to a southern California team (native southern CA boy), but for him to mention going to the Yankees is a bit much since he would have the same role as he has here there.  I don't know what he is thinking but it seems that he has been embarrassed by the writers saying he is getting screwed or something because those teams will not increase his playing time, with the exception of the Rockies and Angels.  In my opinion, Young is "butt hurt" and he needs to get over it and be ready to contribute to the Rangers and prepare to win the West again.

Hot Stove mentioned some things today that are thought provoking.  The Angels are really needing a leadoff guy and they mentioned that Scott Podsednik is the only option out there.  If Young was dealt to them then he could possibly be the leadoff or number 2 guy in their lineup.  I think he'd be happy there because he would be back at home, playing everyday in the field, and he'd be with his best friend, Vernon Wells.  The only thing with this is the Angels would pack on more salary.  Looking at it as an Angel, Young is needed in their infield more than Podsednik in their outfield.  Young's bat is much better than Podsednik, even though Pods has more speed.  The kicker: whether they care about spending more money on an older player that could be progressively getting worse.  My answer: trade for Young and better your infield and offense now.

The Twins look like a dangerous team again.  They did loose alot of their bullpen, but they were able to acquire 3 arms for the bullpen and Joe Nathan should be ready to pitch.  They brought back virtually every position player and Justin Morneau will be ready to play again.  Their rotation is as strong as last year's but what will be the x factor is how Nathan pitches.  Nathan missed the entire season and he is just coming off an injury.  I think the Twins will win the Central again but will have to battle the Tigers rigorously.  I would also not be suprised if the Tigers won the wild card with how competitive the East will be this year.  Maybe the Twins can finally show up in the post season instead of getting lit up and rung in 3 games.

Exciting stuff ahead, pitchers and catchers report officially next week.  Add your comments.

No comments:

Post a Comment