Today, the least well kept secret of the Red Sox putting Kevin Youkilis on the trading block became public (sorta). The Kevin Youkilis trade rumors have been swirling since the end of last season, and now that Will Middlebrooks has had great success during his time with the big club, Youk has become expendable. Ben Cherington seems to be on the same page as Red Sox fans when it comes to judging Middlebrooks’ talent. Now many fans are calling for Middlebrooks to be the stater at the hot corner. Look no further than these words from the sponser of his Baseball Reference page, “How good is this kid? Thanks for all the memories Youk!.” So, what could the Red Sox get for Youk?
Kevin Youkilis is 33 years old and should be at the peak of his career. However, since 2009 Youk’s numbers have declined. That being said, he is still a very good hitter and a solid infielder who can play multiple positions. The recent injuries and $12 million salary really limit Youk’s trade value. The Red Sox need outfield help at the moment but Cody Ross could be back next week and Crawford may be available in July. The best the Red Sox could do is get a middle of the road pitcher in exchange for Youkilis, something that does not seem worth it at this point. If the Red Sox really want to trade Youk they will wait until he has been injury free for some time and putting up big numbers. Rushing Youk out the door to make way for Middlebrooks does not have enough upside at this point in time. Don’t throw out your Youk jersey yet, something tells me you will be yelling “Yoooouuuk!” for the foreseeable future.
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