Free-agent third baseman Kevin Youkilis has received contract offers from multiple clubs, but is believed to be deciding between a two-year offer from the Cleveland Indians and a one-year offer from the New York Yankees, reports Buster Olney of ESPN:
Kevin Youkilis's decision is, at heart, a choice between playing for Cleveland/Francona at 2/18 or playing for the Yankees at 1 for $12m
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 7, 2012
The choice for the 33-year-old Youkilis is essentially to play for a manager he knows and likes with the hope that maybe the team will compete in 2014, or to take a higher one-year salary to play for a club he knows will win now with the caveat that his role and playing time may decrease mid-season when Alex Rodriguez returns from hip surgery.
The righty slugger had a bit of a down year in 2012 for the Red Sox and White Sox, hitting .235/.336/.409 with 19 home runs in 122 games, but he still brings a lot to the table and is without a doubt the best third baseman still available on the open market.
A three-time All-Star, Youk is a career .283/.384/.482 hitter in nine big-league seasons, all but the last half-season of which was spent in Boston.