Looking around most fantasy baseball leagues, Kevin Youkilis’ ownership seems to be as low as I’ve ever seen it with him not on the DL, and rightfully so. Youk isn’t raking by any means, and he is not even at a decent level for what he once was. This could be a lot of things: age or perhaps his body is worn down from injuries.
Youk was once a VERY special player for leagues that counted BBs or OBP. PLaying 3B he was a guy that was a great OBP player with power upside. Long gone are those days, unless maybe a trade could snap some life back into Youk’s weirdly held bat.
The Boston Red sox have said they would be willing to eat a large portion of Youk’s remaining money and with that a bevy of trade partners have arisen!
The Dodgers, Braves, D’backs and Indians have all been mentioned as very interested, but recently the frontrunner has been reported to be the Chicago White sox.
As a guy who has held onto Youk all season in several fantasy baseball leagues, I am very interested in this trade getting done and especially curious to see where he goes. I’d love him to go to a launching pad like AZ, but just for him to go to a contender would be nice. Youk is a gamer and I think a trade would help him be “recommitted” to the game again and increase his fantasy value.
Perhaps Youkilis was doomed from this early on spat with manager Bobby Valentine, and the emergence of Will Middlebrooks didn’t help his playing time a whole lot either. All in all it may work out for the best for Youk, as a change in scenery may be just what the fantasy baseball doctor ordered.
UPDATE: Youk to the Chicago White Sox less than 24 hours after this post.
