clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Kevin Youkilis signs with Yankees, and it may be good for Red Sox

Kevin Youkilis has officially joined the enemy -- the New York Yankees -- but it may not be a bad thing for his former ball club, the Boston Red Sox.

By Gethin Coolbaugh
Jim McIsaac

Kevin Youkilis is on the same team as Joba Chamberlain, and this team might force the man to be constantly well-groomed. And then there's the pinstripes.

Oh, the pinstripes.

If you haven't figured it out, Youkilis -- the once beloved corner infielder and master of the funky stance for the Boston Red Sox -- committed the unforgivable sin. That [insert heckle] signed with the New York Yankees.

Need some time to process that? Yeah, I don't blame you.

Youkilis, who once played a prominent role in the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry (so much so that when he was traded last season to the Chicago White Sox, Yankee-In-Chief Derek Jeter said the rivalry wouldn't be the same without him), has defected, signing a one-year deal worth $12 million with the Yanks.

Talk about an unsettling sight. Youk, in those stripes? Chilling. Just chilling.

The die hard Sox fan in you might be upset, and understandably so, but hold on a minute while I run one thought by you.

By signing with the Yankees, Youkilis may have actually helped the Red Sox.

Crazy, isn't it?

We all know that Youkilis is no longer the Youkilis of 2008, the one who finished third in MVP voting that season and finished with a .312 batting average, 29 home runs and 115 RBI. That is, after all, part of the reason why the Sox sent him packing last season (well, that and some guy named Will Middlebrooks... and a manager who couldn't get out of his own way).

What is Youk now? He's 33 and was a .235 hitter last season. To say his production has waned would be an understatement.

He's not the Youk he once was, but that didn't stop the Yankees from giving him significant money, basically signaling that they're expecting him to be a factor.

Could Youkilis have a big year (he will be playing in another contract season)? Of course. But what do the numbers suggest? They imply that this is a guy on the backside of his career and he certainly hasn't been getting better.

A less productive Youk helps a division rival, like... oh, I don't know, Boston.

Now, you don't have to root for Youk to fail (well, maybe you do, I guess), but there's a little food for thought as you're mourning Youk over breakfast.

Kevin Youkilis

Third Baseman | New York Yankees

6-1

220

Mar 15, 1979

Gethin Coolbaugh is the Editor of SB Nation Boston. Twitter: @GethinCoolbaugh.