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According to Ken Rosenthal, The New York Yankees will, pending a physical, sign Kevin Youkilis to a one-year, $12 million deal according.
It's jarring news, but more emotionally than logically. For all that Kevin Youkilis was once a great player for the Red Sox, he has declined noticeably over the past two seasons, eventually leading Boston to deal him to the Chicago White Sox after a .233/.315/.377 start to the season. For all that Youkilis improved after the move, he still didn't break a .800 OPS with the team.
At $12 million, Youkilis is pretty expensive for a first baseman who has seen his best days pass him by. He can't really man third anymore, and it's been long enough since we've seen him get significant time at first base that it wouldn't be surprising if his once-superlative defense there had taken a hit as well.
That being said, the Yankees do get a chance to maybe hit it rich and find a player who was pronounced dead all-too-soon. If Youkilis comes back swinging half as well as he used to, this will be a bargain for New York.
Either way, it's sure to be an interesting dynamic, both when Kevin Youkilis finds his way back to Fenway and when Joba Chamberlain runs into him in the clubhouse. Or outside the clubhouse with his car, which seems just as likely.