February 9 2011 Last updated at 11:15 AM ET
Jon Daniels and the Rangers' front office garnered all sorts of well-deserved praise for the work they did to construct the 2010 American League champions. The ongoing Michael Young saga, though, looms as the general manager's most difficult challenge yet.
It's evident at this point that the Rangers, despite occasional pleas to the contrary, have been trying to deal Young for some time now, with the Rockies the most-rumored suitor. Still, the Rangers kept insisting they wanted Young to remain on board, even after the addition of Adrian Beltre relegated Young to designated hitter duties.
Then the trade rumors resurfaced last week, and Young clearly had had enough. The Rangers told the media on a conference call Monday that Young had requested a trade, and the veteran followed up by saying he has been "misled and manipulated" by the team he has played for his entire career.
The now very public rift couldn't have helped the Rangers' bargaining position, and now potential trade partners are bailing out seemingly on an hourly basis. The Rockies are the most prominent team on that list, as the Denver Post reported Tuesday night that Colorado has pulled out of its pursuit of Young because of the high price the Rangers are requesting in return for the 34-year-old with $48 million remaining on his contract.Young's contract allows him to veto trades to all but eight teams: the Rockies, Dodgers, Angels, Padres, Yankees, Cardinals, Twins and Astros.
The preponderance of NL West teams reflects the willingness of Young, a Southern California native, to return home. The Dodgers seem more of a possibility than the Angels, and MLB.com reported preliminary talks have occurred. But concerns about Young's defense and the financial commitment necessary -- especially toward the end of the contract -- could keep L.A. from making a deal.
The Twins and Cardinals don't appear to be possibilities, based on reports Tuesday, and his hefty contract would seem a complete non-starter for the Padres. One idea that has been gaining some traction is a swap of Young to the Astros for another bad contract, Carlos Lee, but that seems like little more than speculation for the time being.
Considering the obstacles the Rangers will face on several fronts in getting a deal done, there's a real possibility Young will still be with them when camp opens in Arizona later this month. If that's the case, it promises to be a rather uncomfortable reunion for the AL champs and the player considered the face of the franchise.
Marc came to FanHouse from the Tampa Tribune, where he served as the Tampa Bay Rays beat writer for three seasons. He previously spent five years at the Cincinnati Post, including three on the Reds beat, and also has been a college basketball and tennis producer at SI.com and a reporter at the Athens (Ga.) Banner-Herald covering University of Georgia football, women's basketball, tennis and more.
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