If they seal the deal, Kevin Youkilis will almost match what the White Sox would have owed him had they picked up his option ($13 million) or gave him a qualifying offer ($13.3 million) afterward.
Rick Hahn had nothing new to report with the pursuit of Kevin Youkilis, which has pretty much turned into the high-octane chase scene in "Mitchell."
However, Joe Bick, Youkilis' agent, said Youkilis finished the season in better shape than in years past. Per Dan Hayes:
Bick said his client is in good health for the first time in three offseasons. Youkilis had surgery on his thumb at the conclusion of the 2010 seasons and underwent hernia surgery after 2011.
"It’s the best that he’s been in several years," Bick said. "Completely healthy. The good news is he hasn’t spent a minute this winter rehabbing anything. Feels good. Feels strong. Everything is going great."
The Indians, Phillies and Dodgers are looking to upgrade their production at third base and have shown preliminary interest in Youkilis, according to major-league sources. The Mariners and Marlins — the majors’ two worst teams this year in first-base production — have checked in on Youkilis, as well.
The White Sox continue to have interest in bringing Youkilis back, as there are questions about Brent Morel at third base and Paul Konerko may need more days off at first base as time goes on.
27. Kevin Youkilis - Phillies. Youkilis' numbers have been trending downward, but the third base market is terrible and he could still secure a multiyear deal. The Phillies have the need, though signing both Upton and Youk would put them near their limit. The Orioles, Dodgers, and Indians are other options if the White Sox don't re-sign Youkilis.
28. Francisco Liriano - Red Sox. Liriano posted a 5.34 ERA in 2012, walking five batters per nine innings. He had the same ugly walk rate in 2011. Nonetheless, his 2006 and 2010 seasons are tantalizing, and the 29-year-old can probably be had on a one-year deal. All kinds of teams will line up to try to fix him; the Padres, Blue Jays, Cubs, Royals, and Astros seem like good fits as well.
30. A.J. Pierzynski - Rangers. Pierzynski, 36 in December, put on a surprising power display in 2012 with a career-high 27 home runs. He slugged .412 on the road, though, and that's a reasonable projection moving forward. It's difficult to picture A.J. leaving the Sox, though he nearly signed with the Dodgers during the 2010-11 offseason before owner Jerry Reinsdorf stepped in. The White Sox could give the catching job to Tyler Flowers, while Pierzynski could replace Napoli in Texas.
During a conference call centered on discussing Jake Peavy's contract extension, new White Sox GM said he wasn't going to give qualifying offers to any of the four remaining free agents. He did have some more detail to add on their statuses as they embark into the open market:
Kevin Youkilis and Brett Myers: Hahn said he had "a really nice conversation" with Youkilis when calling to let him know they weren't exercising his option, and he did the same with Brett Myers, saying, "We'd like to have both of them back," but the elements weren't in place to get something done as quickly as the Sox could with Peavy.
Third base remains a question mark with or without Youkilis, because he didn't give any indication about Brent Morel's stock. When asked about if the potential starter at third, Hahn said, "We will see. It's Oct. 30th."
A.J. Pierzynski: Like Youkilis and Myers, Pierzynski is at the point where the Sox will let him talk to other teams and report back about his market value.
