It seemed a forgone conclusion coming into this weekend, but it finally happened. The Red Sox have traded Kevin Youkilis. Although it's not surprising in the least, I for one am I bit saddened by this.
Youk tripled late in Sunday's game and was lifted for a pinch runner, and we all knew why. He got a huge reception by everyone in the dugout, a standing ovation from the Fenway faithful, and came out for a curtain call. His production may has been lacking recently, although it did look like he's starting to turn things around, but real Red Sox fans will never forget him.
Sure he clashed with Manny, and he has one of, if not the ugliest batting stance in history, but hearing that YOOOUUUUK chant throughout the ballpark has become a staple of baseball. The Red Sox always travel well, and every stadium I've ever seen him play in erupted in the cheer when he stepped into the batter's box.
Will Middlebrooks will take over at 3rd base in Youk's place, and if he keeps playing the way he has, it will be a dead heat between him and Angels outfielder Mike Trout for AL Rookie Of The Year. It will be very interesting to hear Fenway's reception of Youkilis on July 16th when the White Sox visit Fenway.
UPDATE- It was reported that Youkilis was traded for a pitcher and a utility player. The pitcher is Zach Stewart and the utility player is Brent Lillibridge. The White Sox are also getting a significant amount of cash in the deal according to Ken Rosenthal, in the neighborhood of $5 million. Also of note, with this trade, David Ortiz is the only member of the Red Sox who was on the roster for the 2004 World Series.
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