Rangers sending mixed messages about Michael Young - MLB News | FOX Sports on MSN
The Rockies must apparently REALLY want Michael Young, as FoxSports.com has reported that talks between the two clubs "have reached an advanced stage," a mere few weeks after said discussions were originally pronounced dead.
As Tracy Ringolsby reported earlier in the week, previous negotiations got to the point where the Rockies offered Eric Young Jr., but the Rangers backed out at the last minute due to injury concerns regarding EYJ. Now, the Rox are offering up Jose Lopez - a guy who probably wouldn't get the deal done despite the Rangers supposedly wanting to unload Michael Young's contract.
As the article states, the Rangers' emotions seem far too mixed about Young to actually get a deal done. I wonder what point the Rockies will finally draw the line and give Texas an ultimatum of sorts. After a lot of deliberation, I think that the Rockies are better off hanging on to what they have. Young isn't likely to be a whole heck of a lot more than a 3 WAR-type of player (as he, unlike Lopez, wouldn't see a huge gain solely based on moving to Coors). While the alternatives for the Rox don't project as too much more than about a 2 WAR (on average), they'll probably provide better defensive value, which may be the more important thing to consider given their pitching staff's tendency to produce groundballs.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney weighed in on the topic this morning, saying that the Rockies are logically the best fit for Young, although Oakland would be great, too - if they weren't in the same division as Texas.
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