Delmon Young is "very, very much out there"

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports heard from a rival GM that Twins outfielder Delmon Young is "very, very much out there" on the trading block.So we continue to hear Delmon Young's name at the center of the Twins rumors. Less than two weeks ago, GM Billy Smith told Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that he had no idea where the Young trade rumors were coming from, however he didn't negate the fact that the Twins won't look to trade him at some point. Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported this:

Twins left fielder Delmon Young is "very, very much out there," according to one rival GM. Young, a right-handed hitter, would make particular sense for the Phillies, but the Twins will need to be careful in any trade discussions. Getting poor value for Young would only compound their mistake in acquiring him as part of a six-player trade in which they sent shortstop Jason Bartlett and right-hander Matt Garza to the Rays ...

Of course, the "rival GM" may just be trying to stir something up, if he is in fact a GM of a "rival." But we all know that the Twins were not particularly pleased with the way Young performed last year, although for a 22-year-old, he still was league average at the plate and although his defense was sub-par, he still made strides at the plate that reminded us that he is still very young and we shouldn't expect too much, too fast from him.

Unfortunately he only hit 10 home runs and although that was good enough for 10th on the team, it was the only thing people said about him when the season was all said and done. Surely we all expected him to hit more than 10, but is 5 home runs (which really is all that separated him from being crucified and loved) really worth giving up on a 23-year-old? Especially the one player that actually has a future in the majors after you traded 2 substantial players and a good prospect for him? Obviously there are things that we don't know, such as how he got along with the coaches, how his work ethic were, etc. but if we're going by what's on the stat sheet, he surely deserves to stay.

There are really only two pluses to trading Young right now.

1. The market value for a right-handed outfielder is pretty good, and the Twins should be able to get a good player in return. Also, out of all the surplus of Twins outfielders the Twins have, he'd likely net the most in return. But there's a reason for that.
2. It would clear up a spot in the lineup so that the Twins wouldn't have to bench another one of their outfielders and they would be able to start both Span and Gomez in the outfield, which would give the Twins two great defenders in the outfield everyday of the week.

I think the Twins should be able to get a good player in return. I don't know who the Phillies would be willing to give up, but the only player I could see the Twins target would be prized pitching prospect Carlos Carrasco. Is that too much? In my opinion I think it's pretty even, but it'd all depend on how badly the Phillies would want Young. They had one of the best offenses in baseball last year, so I think it'd probably be too much in their opinion to trade their top prospect for a (at least right now) league average outfielder.

My ideal trade for him is for a player I have mentioned many times on the site, but once again it would make sense for both teams.

Yunel Escobar, if you cannot tell, is the player I'd m ost like to see in a Twins uniform this off-season. Sure I'd love to see J.J. Hardy in a Twins uniform too, but with the price it'd take to acquire Escobar compared to Hardy makes the Braves shortstop much more attractive.

Escobar for Young straight up would be a good deal for both teams. The Braves would get their outfielder who they're looking for and also the right-handed bat they are also looking for. The Twins on the other hand would receive the shortstop they desire who also happens to be a perfect fit for the #2 spot in the lineup before a two-time AL Batting Champ and former AL MVP.

The 26-year-old Cuban is under team control through 2013 which would give the Twins a long-term option at shortstop. He is a solid defender and would give the Twins another player with outstanding range up the middle of the infield.

The Twins would be losing possibily there only outfielder with any sort of good power potential (20+ home run potential). I would hate to see Young go, however if he were to be traded, I hope the Twins won't sell themselves short just to trade him and will actually try to get equal value for him.