It has been reported that Michael Young has cleared waivers and can now be traded to any team as long as he approves the trade. The problem is that if he made it through waivers, it means that the Yankees, who had prime positioning on the waiver wire over the Red Sox and Rangers, did not claim him. Is Brian Cashman already calling it a season?
New York is currently only one game over .500 and is now behind five different teams in line for the second wild card spot. They have lost seven of their last ten games and now four in a row, three coming against one of the worst teams in baseball, the Chicago White Sox. It's quite possible the front office has shut down for the season in anticipation for non-contention for the rest of August and September.
At this point Young wouldn't really improve the team that much. Alex Rodriguez has returned to third base, so the only upgrade he would provide is as a backup third baseman over Jayson Nix and as the first baseman against left-handed pitching. He's actually hit lefties worse than Vernon Wells this season (230/.325/.380 vs. .300/.345/.423) so if the Yankees are happy with Wells at first then that problem is solved. Young has also been outhit by Alfonso Soriano over the last month (.222/.333/.347 vs. 278/.425/.703) so he wouldn't even be an improvement at DH either.
Given the cost of Young for basically a better Nix, the Yankees are better off staying with what they have and falling off into oblivion. Tom Kahnle wasn't enough last time, but at this point the Yankees are better off keeping Kahnle and seeing what they have than trading him away for no real gain. At least when they traded Corey Black they would have Soriano in 2014 as well.
Maybe Young could be had for only money, though the Phillies already said that wasn't an issue. He's been pulled from today's lineup, so all we can do is wait and see. In the end, it's probably just not worth it because the Yankees will likely sign him as a free agent as they prepare for a year without Alex Rodriguez.
UPDATE:
Charlie Manuel says Michael Young was scratched due to a tight hamstring. (H/T @ToddZolecki)
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) August 8, 2013
Sounds like a perfect fit!