| 15 January 2009
Peter Gammons is reporting that Kevin Youkilis and the Red Sox have agreed to a 4-year deal worth more than $40 million.
Notes:
1) This is great news for the long term plan. If Lars Anderson grows into the player many are predicting he will become, the Red Sox can slide Youkilis over to third base and insert Lars at first whne Mike Lowell's days in Boston are done.
2) Right before Evan broke the news about the extension, he posted an article by Jason Stark that had one GM saying this: Teixeira gets his money because he produces AND he looks really good doing it. But if you look at the last two years, the guy who has outproduced him is Youkilis."
So I pulled the stats:
Mark the Mercenary actually did out produce Youkilis, but hardly. Their hits and doubles were a wash, Teix clearly has the edge in HR power, but Youk was right there in RBI and has hit all over the lineup, while Teixera has hit either 3rd or 4th exclusively since 2004. Both players hit for average and know how to earn a walk, but there's on stat you don;t see on this chart that may justify that GM's statement: hitting in the clutch.
Teixeira put up solid numbers in 2008, hitting .308 with RISP and .262 with RISP and 2 outs... but Youkilis hit a startling .374 with RISP and .328 with TRISP and 2 outs.
3) The Red Sox will be paying Youkilis $10M per year through 2012. The Yankees will be paying Mark Teixeira $22.5M per year for about the same production - minus the versatility.
Bottom Line: Teixeria may "look pretty," but Youk has become a fan favorite here in Boston thanks to his dirt dog style and scary goatee. Last year was Youk's best and he finally avoided that second half slump. He says the key to a productive season is to stay healthy and to be aggresive at the plate, and if he can duplicate 2008 over the next 4 years, this signing will be up there with the stealing of David Ortiz as one of the biggest bargins of the decade.
These two signings are a microcosm of the conflicting philosophies the Red Sox and Yankees have used to build their teams this offseason... it will be interesting to see which approach works better: cash vs value.
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