Yankees Free Agent Keep Or Dump: Chris Young

In an off season where Mets fans had hope (Or perhaps delusions) of seeing stars like Jacoby Ellsbury, Nelson Cruz, Jhonny Peralta, Stephen Drew and even Masahiro Tanaka or Robinson Cano end up playing in Queens they were forced to settle with Chris Young. General Manager Sandy Alderson signed the former Arizona Diamondbacks star to a one year deal worth $7.25 million dollars much do the groan of fans.

It was a gamble and I would sure love to play against Alderson at a table in Vegas because I’d probably clean up. Young batted just .205 with with 8 home runs and 28 RBI in 88 games before being released by the Mets. Across town, in the Bronx, the Yankees General Manager made a slightly less risky gamble and was rewarded for doing so.

The Yankees signed Young to a minor league contract after the Mets cut ties with him. When the rosters expanded at the start of September the team called up the 30-year old and fans were treated to one of the most beautiful things in baseball… the unpredictability. Young played great defense while with the Yankees, batted .282 with 3 home runs and 10 RBI in 23 games and posting a .354 OBP. He was playing well while endearing himself to Yankees fans and etching his name firmly into the pained brains of Mets fans.

On September 11, Young forever placed himself into Yankee lore. Alex Cobb of the Tampa Bay Rays was dealing and with one out in the eighth he was throwing a no-hitter at Yankee Stadium. Young stepped to the plate and lined a double into the gap in right to break up the no-no.

In the ninth inning the Yankees were mounting a rally. What was a 4-0 nothing Tampa Bay lead had dwindled to a 4- 2 lead and Yankees stood on second and third. Young came to bat with one out against the closer Jake McGee who hadn’t allowed a home run all season. McGee threw a 97 mile per hour fastball and Young didn’t miss it. He launched a three-run home run into the seats in left field sending the fans into jubilation over the impossible win.

Young obviously performed well and Yankee Stadium defiantly contributed to that. So with the 41-year old Ichiro Suzuki likely moving on the Yankees will be in need of a fourth or fifth outfielder. Could Young find himself back in pinstripes?

He wouldn’t cost much at all, probably somewhere around the $2 million dollars the Yankees payed Brian Roberts this past season.  He’s relatively young at just 31 and he has the ability to play all three outfield spots and play them well. He has good speed and has displayed huge power in his career. Between 2007 and 2011 he hit a total 116 home runs while driving in 357 runs and stealing 102 bases. He was a superstar for a long time in Arizona but his last few years of hardships have dwindled away that memory.

Having someone like Young on the bench would be a solid weapon for the Yankees. Although nobody knows what Young can provide it may be worth taking a flier on. He strikes out a lot and has had some injury troubles in the past. He’s also known for having the occasional mental lapse while on the field but is not a liability in the outfield.

In the end, signing Young would be a low risk/high reward type of deal that the Yankees should probably consider strongly.