Phillies showed interest in Michael Young

Since they signed Cliff Lee back in December, things around the Phillies have been very quiet. That changed today after Jerry Crasnick of ESPN broke the news that the Phillies contacted the Rangers about the possibility of acquiring third baseman Michael Young, who has requested a trade out of Texas. While Crasnick makes it very clear that the talks were short between the two teams and they didn't amount to much of anything, it's still an interesting situation given that the Phillies have no need for a third basemen.

With Placido Polanco at least as good if not better a third baseman than Young, it's curious that the Phillies would even contact the Rangers at all. It's possible the Phillies were just doing their due diligence or perhaps they could have been looking to get Young and then flip him to another team. It isn't known what the Phils were offering the Rangers in return for Young, but you can bet Joe Blanton's name was mentioned. The Rangers were at one point thought to have some interest in acquiring Blanton,but since the signing of Brandon Webb, that interest has likely faded.

Does this trade inquiry for Young mean that the Phillies are actively looking to upgrade at third base? Absolutely not. Ruben Amaro was likely looking to see if he could get a quality player at a bargain price. With the price likely too high for a player with a salary that the Phillies probably can't afford, Amaro quickly moved along.