All of a sudden, in his 10th season, Chris Young had a surprising season for the New York Yankees with some of the best hitting numbers of his career, making him lucrative free agency material, including for the Boston Red Sox.
One of the things the Red Sox are going to try and improve this offseason is their outfield, currently consisting of Rusney Castillo, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts as starters. Young might not be an automatic starter with these guys next to him, but quality of depth has been an issue for the Red Sox, unable to make the playoffs since winning the World Series in 2013.
Young, a one-time All-Star in 2010 when he played with the Arizona Diamondbacks, played 140 games last season for the Yankees, his most since 2011. He hit .252 (second best of his career) with an OBP of .320, the third best of his career. He also crushed 14 home runs, his best since 2012, good enough for 42 RBIs, which is more or less on par with his production over the last few seasons, although coming with a little bit more accuracy at the plate.
Young made $2.5 million last season on the Yankees, much smaller than the money he made with the Diamondbacks, Athletics and Mets. It will make him a popular target for teams looking for some outfield help and experience, which is difficult to get for so little money. The connection to the Red Sox might be especially beneficial because of Fenway Park. Young has a career .837 OPS against lefties, which would be a nice fit in the ballpark.