What To Do About Kevin Youkilis

The most rampant trade rumor flying around the MLB circles right now is that the Red Sox are shopping Kevin Youkilis to anyone who will listen. While it isn't surprising that Youkilis is at the center of all these rumors, I'm really not so sure trading him is the right thing to do, or that the Sox will be successful in doing so.

I know Youkilis rubs a lot of people the wrong way. Some see him as having an attitude problem and not the greatest of teammates. I'll be the first to admit that sometimes I could do without his attitude. But overall, I think it's just a matter of him caring so much about his performance and how it effects the team. He knows he's struggling, he knows the team is struggling. So yeah, he should be upset with himself, and as an emotional person, it shows. Personally, I think every team would benefit from having a player that wears his emotions on his sleeve. Granted he didn't get along with Manny, but other than that, I've never heard of a player having a problem with him.

I don't there are going to be many teams interested in Youkilis right now. He isn't producing at the plate, and hasn't been since the All-Star break last year. He ended up hitting .258 last season, by far the lowest of his MLB career, and this year he's hitting a paltry .216. This just isn't what teams are going to be looking to trade for. Not only that, but what kind of offers are the Sox going to get for him? I can't imagine it would be anything more than a reliever and some low A-ball players or some draft picks.

All in all, I don't think trading Youkilis is the answer to the Sox problems, especially with the way outfielders have been getting hurt. I heard during the game on Tuesday that the Red Sox have started 13 different outfielders this year. So while having Adrian Gonzalez play right field isn't the ideal situation, it does seem necessary at times. So with Gonzo in right, Youkilis starts at 1st, and Middlebrooks is at 3rd. Like I said, this isn't ideal, but I don't think it's all that bad either. I think holding on to Youkilis at least until Carl Crawford and Jacoby Ellsbury come back, is important. After that, then let's evaluate the situation, and if Youkilis still isn't producing, and Middlebrooks is, then trading Youkilis for some prospects would seem more logical.

But until that happens, everyone should just relax. The Sox have a tiny 3-game winning streak right now, and the uproar of trade rumors isn't going to have a positive effect. Youkilis is an emotional player, and screwing with his psyche isn't going to help him pull out of this slump.

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