Boston Red Sox Roster News 2015: Chris Young Agrees to a Contract
The Boston Red Sox reportedly reached an agreement with former Yankees outfielder Chris Young on a $13 million contract for two years. The free agent is an experienced professional baseball player who played for several teams, including the Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics, New York Mets, and New York Yankees for 10 seasons.
The 32-year-old has 169 career home runs and an average .235 hitter. The deal was first reported by FOX and was confirmed later by ESPN. Young, though, will still have to pass the physical examination before the signing becomes official.
Last season, Young played for the Yankees, hitting 14 home runs and slugged .453 for 140 games.
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At first look, the Red Sox seems to have no room for the veteran outfielder since their lineup is already filled with talented youngsters. However, the deal actually makes a lot of sense for the club. In his stint with the Yankees, he had remarkable performances against lefty pitchers, producing .972 OPS (team best). So far, he has 1.054 OPS in his career.
He was first signed as a free agent in 2014 by the Yankees after failing to agree with a new contract with the Mets. He played the last remaining regular season games with the team before getting a one-year deal for them the following season worth $2.5 million.
After this season, New York wanted to retain him, but the decision to get the younger Aaron Hicks early November in a trade that sent catcher John Ryan Murphy to Minnesota forced them to let him go.
The kind of role he'll play for his new Red Sox team is expected to be the same to that of what was expected of him with the Yankees last season. He is a veteran and smart hitter who can become an effective mentor to the younger guys in the team.
