Dodgers Rumors: Team Still In Talks With Infielder Michael Young

With Spring Training less than a month away, the Los Angeles Dodgers are still trying to find an infielder to fill out the roster.

The team signed Cuban infielder Alexander Guerrero in October to be the team’s primary second baseman, but the confidence in Guerrero has dropped after a lack of work in the off-season due to injury. Also, the Dodgers lost Mark Ellis, Jerry Hairston, Jr., Nick Punto and Skip Schumaker in free agency and don’t return any other middle infielders besides Hanley Ramirez.

According to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times, the Dodgers are still in talks to bring back an infielder that spent some time in Los Angeles last season:

#Dodgers still talking to Michael Young.

— Dylan Hernandez (@dylanohernandez) January 17, 2014

Young was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies last August and hit .314 in his 21 games with the team. It was reported that the 37-year-old was considering retirement, even with offers from four teams on the table. Young would be an extra infielder off the bench for the Dodgers and potentially everyday second baseman, depending on Guerrero’s development this spring.

While he hasn’t primarily played second base in a season since 2003, he’s spent time there sporadically since then. Last season, Young was the everyday third baseman for the Phillies and was hitting .276 with eight home runs and 42 RBI before the trade. He did well in his short stint with the Dodgers off the bench, but struggled in the postseason, going 1-10 in nine games. In Game 1 of the NLCS, Young came in as a defensive replacement for Adrian Gonzalez late in the game and hit into two double plays in two at-bats in an eventual loss for the Dodgers.

Others being considered for the infielder bench role are Dee Gordon, Miguel Rojas and Justin Sellers. The Dodgers even took a look at and reached out to representatives for infielder/outfielder Chone Figgins, who’s attempting a comeback after a year away from the big leagues.

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