Young clears waivers, could still be traded

August 8, 2013

By Nick Tricome

The July 31 trade deadline already passed, but there still may be a chance that Michael Young could be dealt.


Young has cleared waivers, allowing him to be traded to any team, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal (via Twitter). Of course, that no-trade clause is still in effect, so Young will have to approve of a trade before it can happen.

Source: #Phillies’ M. Young has cleared waivers. Can be traded to any team, but only if he approves. Full no-trade clause still in effect.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 8, 2013

Young was seen as the most likely player on the Phillies to be traded at the July 31 deadline.

Third base prospect Cody Asche was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley the day before the deadline, which was naturally taken as a hint that Young could be on his way out of Philadelphia.

Teams like the Yankees and the Red Sox were teams that were interested in Young, but then it was reported that he would only waive his no-trade clause for a deal that would send him back to the Texas Rangers. However, he did soften up to a possible trade to Boston or New York on deadline day.

But Young was still a Phillie by the end of the day. The Phillies didn't make any trades in fact, with general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. explaining that the return for any possible deal wasn't good enough.

"We talked about a couple of things late," Amaro told the Daily News' Ryan Lawrence. "I guess the bottom line was we didn't find anything that was satisfactory. Nothing we thought was going to improve us. So we decided not to do anything."

Young is in the last year of his contract, which carried over from Texas when the Phillies acquired him in the offseason. He is earning $16 million for 2013 with the Phillies paying $6 million of his salary. The Rangers are taking care of the other $10 million.

Any team that wants to trade for Young would be acquiring a rental player, as he will be heading for free agency by season's end.

Young is hitting .276 with eight home runs, 36 RBIs and a .747 on-base plus slugging percentage in 106 games this season.

(Image from Philly.com)