How Bad Do Youk Think This Is?

Let me make something clear: signing Kevin Youkilis to a one-year, $12 million contract was not a bad signing by the New York Yankees. Yankees fans, though, have reacted with outrage at the fact that a former, and specifically despised, member of the Boston Red Sox would even be offered a deal. The problem with this deal, and the real reason that Bombers fans should be upset, is the series of circumstances that led to Youkilis becoming the newest member of the Sox-to-Yanks club.

Youk can do it.

In 2012, Youkilis had what was probably the worst season of his career at age 33. In a league that does not boast many threats at the hot corner, he does not project to do well, or any better than his .235/.336/.409 line. He's entering his mid-thirties, and, yes, old players generally decline. However, Youkilis is by no means a bad player, and specifically not a bad third baseman. There are actually multiple factors that show that Youkilis will probably improve in 2013. Youkilis split his time between the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox in 2012. A huge part of the reason the longtime Red Sox was shipped out of town was his conflict with manager Bobby Valentine, who was fired shortly after the season ended. Valentine questioned Youkilis' physical and emotional investment in the game, and Youkilis did not respond well, firing back at Valentine with animosity. The trade to Chicago that followed probably did not help Youkilis find his stride at the plate, but with the steady Joe Girardi managing the Yankees, the corner infielder should bump his numbers up. From a statistical standpoint, Youkilis led all third baseman in pitches per plate appearance (P/PA) with 4.36. He also grounded into only 10 double plays and boasted a 0.47 BB/K ratio, good for fifth among third baseman. Reinforcing the "Greek God of Walks" nickname given to him in Michael Lewis' famed Moneyball, Youkilis still walks a ton and does not strike out a whole lot, either.

Now that we've established Youkilis' potential for improvement in what could be his only season in pinstripes, let's examine this deal from the Yankees' standpoint. It would appear that the team handled the impending surgery of incumbent third baseman Alex Rodriguez horribly. The Yankees' system does not have any major-league-ready farmhands to play third in place of Rodriguez, who will miss at least 4-6 months because of his second hip surgery. That forced GM Brian Cashman to look at the free agent market. The ideal situation was to sign 2012 Yankee Eric Chavez and former Tampa Bay Ray Jeff Keppinger to platoon the hot corner until Rodriguez returned. However, they could not sign either, letting them slip through Cashman's fingers for no good reason at all. Hal Steinbrenner's mandate to be under $189 million by 2014 is no excuse for why at least one of these two could not have become Bombers. Keppinger signed with the White Sox for $12 million over three years. Perhaps Cashman wasn't prepared to give the 32-year-old that third year, but that provides no reason as to why the Bombers let Chavez go west and sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks for 1 year and $3 million. With the money the Yankees eventually gave Youkilis, they could have absolutely signed Chavez to fill the same exact role.

Cashman, you kinda screwed this one up

The next-best options were Jack Hannahan, who possesses no skills at the plate whatsoever, and Placido Polanco, who would not do well filling in for an on-the-mend Rodriguez when he has trouble staying on the field himself. Kevin Youkilis as a player is not the problem here. He can actually fill in well even when A-Rod returns, backing up Mark Teixeira at first base and giving either corner infielders a DH day. He could also become the regular DH when not filling in, providing good plate discipline and maybe even some power. No, Yankees fans should not malign Youkilis when he first comes to bat at Yankee Stadium in pinstripes. They should actually be thankful he was still on the market for Cashman to sign.