MLB Trade Deadline: Best Non-Kevin Youkilis Options for the Phillies at 3B
May 22, 2012 by Ben Larivee
Filed under Fan News
Third base is not a position of strength or the Philadelphia Phillies. Placido Polanco is an adequate-to-excellent defensive third baseman, but as father time has taken his toll, his lack of power and consistency with the bat have made him an offensive liability.
If the Phillies find themselves in contention upon the returns of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard—a huge “if” given the current landscape of the National League East—then an upgrade at third base is probably on the short wish list for GM Ruben Amaro Jr.
While that’s all well and good in theory, though, a pretty bare market coupled with an exhausted farm system might make the task significantly more difficult.
The first name I’m crossing off the list is Kevin Youkilis, a name that’s been discussed a lot. That’s not necessarily to mean that I don’t think it could happen, but despite his struggles offensively this season, he will no doubt be the target of many teams if things continue the way they’re going. So this piece is written from the standpoint that he is no longer available.
All of the stars at third—guys like Chipper Jones, Evan Longoria, Miguel Cabrera, Adrian Beltre, and Alex Rodriguez—find themselves on contenders. They won’t be going anywhere before July 31.
Other bigger names—David Wright, Ryan Zimmerman, and Hanley Ramirez, to name a few—are on teams playing above expectations, with chances to be buyers at the deadline for the first time in a while. Don’t expect them to sell off cornerstones (pun intended) without crumbling first.
Then there’s the young guys—Will Middlebrooks, Mike Moustakas, Kyle Seager, Pedro Alvarez—that would demand far too much in return, and are more building blocks than trading chips.
So what’s left?
A mix of journeymen and poor defensive fits is what this market will consist of. While some may be upgrades over Polanco in terms of power, they might be inferior on defense, or might not be as good at getting on base. But for a team that’s fourth in the NL in hitting and second in fielding, it might be a trade-off worth taking.