Dodgers Rumors: Dodgers Are Looking To Bring Back Michael Young
The Los Angeles Dodgers are heading into Spring Training with one big question mark at second base. Alexander Guerrero was signed to become the team’s primary second baseman but injuries and questions surrounding his readiness have caused a bit of panic in Los Angeles.
According to Ken Gurnick of Dodgers.com, the team is trying to prevent a certain infielder from retiring to return to the Dodgers:
They are trying to work out a deal to bring back Young, whom they acquired in a Trade Deadline deal, because he could start at second base if Guerrero isn’t ready or be a threatening bat off the bench.
Young reportedly has four offers from different teams but is considering retirement to spend more time with his family. The 37-year-old was acquired by the Dodgers from the Philadelphia Phillies at the end of August. He played in 21 games and hit .314 while driving in four runs. Young struggled in the postseason, going 1-10 including hitting into two double plays in the late innings of the Game 1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS. With the Phillies, Young was the starting third baseman after spending the majority of his career at second base.
If Young isn’t brought back, then Guerrero, Dee Gordon and Miguel Rojas would be competing for the second base job. Guerrero is the favorite heading into the spring if he can fully recover from his hamstring injury and get enough reps at second base. He mentioned the fact that he has never played the position before and was supposed to play in the Dominican Winter League, but suffered the injury. Gordon and Rojas both spent the off-season playing in the winter leagues and will likely compete for a spot on the roster if they don’t win the starting position.
Second base will continue to be the biggest story heading into the 2014 season and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.
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