Kevin Youkilis rumors: Indians, Phillies, Dodgers, Mariners, Marlins

It has been rumored for some time that the Chicago White Sox want to retain third baseman Kevin Youkilis and that the Cleveland Indians want to steal him away from their division rival, but now several more teams have checked in on the corner infielder, reports Jon Morosi of FOX Sports:

The Indians, Phillies and Dodgers are looking to upgrade their production at third base and have shown preliminary interest in Youkilis, according to major-league sources.

The Mariners and Marlins — the majors’ two worst teams this year in first-base production — have checked in on Youkilis, as well.

Youkilis, 33, picked things up a bit when he moved from Boston to Chicago in late June, but still had a down year at the plate in 2012, hitting .235/.336/.409 in one hundred twenty-two games. But with such a thin market at third base, the Greek God of Walks could be in for a nice payday wherever he ends up in spite of his declining numbers.

Outside of Youkilis, the biggest names at third base on the free agent market are Placido Polanco, Brandon Inge and Eric Chavez, not names that inspire confidence when looking to make an investment at the hot corner.