What does the future hold for Michael Young in Texas?

Via Doug Mittler of ESPN...

If the Texas Rangers are indeed in serious pursuit of third baseman Adrian Beltre, that calls into question what the team will do with Michael Young, a six-time All-Star and the franchise's all-time hits leader.

There was plenty of speculation at the winter meetings that the Rangers were willing to shop Young at the right price. Colorado has been mentioned as a possible destination, but Jon Morosi of FoxSports.com tweeted Sunday that the Rangers and Rockies have not had serious talks about Young in the past week.

Young has three years and $48 million left on his contract, a figure that could prove to be too expensive if Beltre lands in Arlington. Jeff Wilson of the Star Telegram says the Rangers could use Young as the designated hitter if Vladimir Guerrero signs elsewhere or try him at first base.

With reports coming out today that Beltre is closing to agreeing to a multi-year deal with the Rangers (http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/news/story?id=5984163) it would appear that Michael Young's time with the Rangers is up. It is tough to see a guy who last year hit .284 with 21 HRs and 91 RBIs accepting a utility role, even one where he would be in the lineup most times. Young has already been asked twice during his Rangers career to move to a different position to accommodate a new Ranger (2004 moved from 2B to SS for Alfonso Soriano, 2009 moved from SS to 3B for Elvis Andrus) and in neither occasion was Young happy about it. Also, how can you justify paying a guy an average of $16 million per year for the next 3 seasons and have him as a utility player? While it would be odd to see the Rangers career leader in hits in another uniform, don't be surprised if it happens soon.

UPDATE Via Richard Durrett of ESPN...

Michael Young said Monday night that he's willing to move to DH and play the other infield positions if it means the Rangers can get a player like Adrian Beltre.

"I want to do what's best for a winning team," Young said. "That's always been the case and it always will be. I'm willing to do what I need to do to help this team."

Young said the Rangers talked to him about the possibility of moving several times starting at the Winter Meetings. General manager Jon Daniels has discussed the move with Young recently as well and said it would include playing the various infield positions, but most of his at-bats would be at DH. Of course, this is dependent on whether the club even needs to move Young, which it would should they sign Beltre. Young said he has no idea if the team is close to signing Beltre, but he said he's willing to do whatever he has to do for the team to succeed.

"I'm very motivated to have a good year in 2011 and that hasn't changed at all over the last couple of weeks and I'll take that attitude into 2011 no matter where we're playing," Young said.




So there goes the theory of Young not wanting to switch positions. I guess that's what finally tasting a World Series can do for a player. It will be interesting to see what this means for Vladimir Guerrero, now that the Rangers have some sort of leverage knowing they can pencil Young in as a DH. In the event they do sign Guerrero, it will then be interesting to see what happens with Mitch Moreland, who after a strong performance in last year's ALCS and World Series (.420 1 HR, 6 RBIs in 31 ABs), was thought to be in line to take over at 1st base. Could Young become the everyday 1st baseman if Moreland flounders in Spring Training?

UPDATE Via Jason A. Churchill of ESPN...

Michael Young told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News "I'm willing to move to DH," so the club can sign and play Adrian Beltre at third base, a change from the veteran's original approach to switching positions for the second time in three years.

There was talk last month that if the Rangers acquired Beltre Young would be trade bait, but his contract may prohibit such a move.

But if Young moves to DH, Vladimir Guerrero likely slides off the Rangers' radar, as the former MVP is viewed as a bit of a liability in the field, and the club would prefer to play Josh Hamilton in right field, anyway.

If Beltre ends up in Texas, the lineup is likely set with the Gold Glove defender fitting in somewhere in the middle of the batting order, either protecting Hamilton or batting directly in front of the MVP.

As mentioned in the article (and as I mentioned in one of my previous posts) Young has never been gracious to switching positions before in his career. However, after tasting the World Series for the first time in his career, Young has softened that stance on this occasion. There was another report earliar today (http://es.pn/gzh3Cm) in which Young states he is an everyday player. So while he is open to switching positions, he still wants to play everyday. With an outfield of Nelson Cruz, Josh Hamilton and potentially Julio Borbon, there doesn't seem to be any space in the OF for him. The only other options are DH and 1st base. If the Rangers decide to sign Vladimir Guerrero, then most likely Young will take over as the team's 1st baseman, making Mitch Moreland expendable. If they elect to go with Young as the DH, Moreland stays at 1st base and Guerrero will need to keep looking for work.