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The other day, I wrote about why the Yankees' offer of a one-year, $12 million deal to free agent Kevin Youkilis was a pretty fair contract for both sides. Today, Youk reportedly accepted the offer, and it looks like he'll be fitted for pinstriped and have his beard shown to the nearest razor.
Source: #Yankees sign Youkilis, one year, $12M.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 11, 2012
As I said in the previous article, I like the signing. The Yankees now have a clear third baseman, and that is very important since it is difficult to tell when Alex Rodriguez will be back. A-Rod is supposed to return in midseason, but it will be difficult to account for possible delays in his recovery until they happen.
Youk gives the Yankees a nice rudder to fall back on in the meantime, and he presents a clear upgrade over Jayson Nix and any other options out there (Eduardo Nunez should not have ever been a real option since he is clearly not a third baseman). Yes, $12 million seems high, but that's the trade-off to restrict him to just the one year. Remember, he is only a couple years removed from the annual stellar seasons he posted from 2007-11. His game fell off a little bit last year in a tumultuous split-season with Red Sox and White Sox after Bobby V forced him out of town.
He's a good candidate for a bounce-back year. Have faith in Youk.