December 25, 2008
One Year for Youk
Kevin Youkilis's agent says Kevin will reach a one-year agreement with the Red Sox.
Youkilis now will decide between arbitration and signing a one-year contract. He has slightly more than four years of major league service, meaning he will be under the Red Sox' control and not eligible for free agency until after the 2010 season. He is eligible for arbitration until then, and he and the Red Sox can try again next season to strike a long-term deal.
Last offseason, Youkilis avoided arbitration by signing a one-year, $3 million contract. It seemed possible the Red Sox would sign him to a longer deal this offseason, especially after second baseman Dustin Pedroia, the 2008 American League Most Valuable Player, signed a six-year contract worth $40.5 million last month.
Kevin's seasonal age will be 30 in 2009, meaning he's entering the decline phase of his career. On top of that:
The Red Sox have another long-term option at first base in highly regarded minor league first baseman Lars Anderson. Though Anderson likely will not be ready for the majors for at least two seasons, the Sox feel he eventually may be an elite player.
I think the article may be underestimating Anderson's readiness. He tore up high A ball last season and did even better in a short stay at AA. If he rises fast this year and hitting well at AAA in August, I suspect he'll be a major leaguer by the end of the year.
Anderson played A ball at Lancaster so I'd hold off on that prediction. The thing about Youkilis is that he is improving a lot at this phase of his career. It's hard to say whether he just had a career year or this is going to be his level for a few years.
Thanks, a very informative site here, i will definately be back.
cheers
in 2008, anderson played approximately two thirds of the games in Lancaster and third of them in portland and recorded similar batting stats. actually portland one is little better (ops 962 vs. ops 921).
