Kevin Youkilis Rumors: Red Sox Haven't Initiated Trade Talks

Boston Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington told reporters, including Nick Carfado of the Boston Globe, that teams have checked in on Kevin Youkilis but that he hasn’t initiated trade talks. Yesterday it was reported that the Red Sox were telling teams that they definitely intended to trade Youkilis. To this point, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks and Cleveland Indians have all been tied to Youkilis.

Ben Cherington said teams have "checked in" on Youkilis but he has not initiated any talks. "He's played extremly well for us- Cherington

— Nick Cafardo (@nickcafardo) June 1, 2012

Cherington acknowledged that Youkilis has "played extremely well" for the Red Sox.

After getting off to a slow start, Youkilis has returned from the disabled list with authority. Over his nine games since being activated from the DL, Youkilis has hit at a clip of .313/.371/.531.

However, with the presence of Boston’s third baseman of the future Will Middlebrooks and veterans Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz on the roster, it is going to be hard for the Red Sox to keep Youkilis’s bat in their lineup. Boston had been able to use Gonzalez in the outfield and Youkilis at first, but as players such as Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford and Cody Ross return from injury this will become less of an option.

The Phillies and Indians have been tied to Youkilis since the spring, and Carfado recently suggested that the Giants, Diamondbacks and Dodgers were interested in the 33-year-old. The Rangers and White Sox were the latest teams to be tied to Youkilis, as Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reported yesterday that each club has checked in on the veteran.