After an injury-shortened campaign with the New York Yankees, Kevin Youkilis is not calling it quits just yet. He is, however, leaving Major League Baseball. According to reports, Youkilis is headed to Japan to take some cuts for the Rakuten Golden Eagles, perhaps providing some offense for Masahiro Tanaka.
"He's looking at this as a terrific life experience for his family," agent Joe Bick said. "There were a number of opportunities and inquiries and conversations that took place here [in the U.S.]. But in the final analysis, this is what the family decided they wanted to do."
Youkilis is a career .281 hitters who owns 150 home runs, 681 RBI, and a 2007 Gold Glove to go with three All-Star Game selections. In 2008 and 2009 he finished in the top six of American League MVP voting, and played a crucial role in two Red Sox World Series titles.
"We were talking with eight or nine other clubs over here," Bick said. "In the final analysis, he said the right thing for my family and me is to go do this. It will be a wonderful life experience."
Youkilis could be brought in as an attraction to replace the eyeballs that may be lost if star pitcher Tanaka is posted for MLB teams to bid on. Tanaka is the latest pitching sensation from Japan, often compared to Yu Darvish who has become an elite starter for the Texas Rangers. New posting rules, however, have limited bids to $20 million.
That could mean more money for the player, but it also might lead the Golden Eagles to deem posting him less valuable than simply retaining him until the end of his contract. Rakuten won the title last year behind the right arm of Tanaka, who went 24-0 with a microscopic 1.27 ERA. He racked up 183 strikeouts in 212 innings, and walked a miniscule 38 batters.
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