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37-year-old infielder Michael Young has offers from at least four teams, but is strongly considering retirement, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. The 14-year veteran wants to spend more time with his family, Rosenthal reports.
Young was traded from the Rangers to the Phillies prior to the 2013 season after spending his first 13 years in the majors in Texas. He hit .276/.336/.395 in 512 plate appearances for Philadelphia before being sent to the Dodgers at the waiver-wire trade deadline. After playing exclusively first and third with the Phillies, Young saw time at all four infield positions in 21 games played with the Dodgers down the stretch, hitting .314/.321/.392 in 53 plate appearances in a utility role for L.A.
Young is a career .300/.346/.441 hitter and a seven-time All-Star. He won a batting title in 2005, hitting .331 that season. He also won the AL Gold Glove at shortstop in 2008, though advanced metrics like Total Zone, Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs saved have never liked his glove work. Should he choose to retire now, the former-Ranger would end his career with 2375 hits, 185 home runs and an rWAR of 24.1
Though his glove is questionable at any position at this point, the interest in him is not surprising given his versatility and his ability to hit left-handed pitching. A starting role is still a possibility even at this point in his career, but Young may have more appeal to teams in a part time role next season. Though he posted a slight reverse-split last season, he has been 16 percent above average against lefties in his career by weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+). He would be a solid right-handed bat off the bench with enough positional flexibility to make him a backup option at multiple spots and there are many teams that could be in the market for that type of player at this point. He had reached out to the Red Sox and Orioles earlier this offseason. He has also been connected to the Yankees who could look to add him their infield options now that Alex Rodriguez's suspension is official.
