 Friday the Yankees announced the signing of 34 year-old third baseman, and former Boston Red Sox catalyst Kevin Youkilis. Youk was one of mainstays of the Sox for years and often times injected himself into the heated rivalry. Now Youk will be counted on to fill in for injured third baseman, Alex Rodriguez, who has had offseason hip surgery and will miss the better part of the 2013 season. Youkilis will be a vital asset to the Bronx Bombers’ success this season. He will not only play a plethora of games at third, but should also see time at first, DH, and even outfield.
The biggest concern Yankee fans may have is how Youk will gel with a Yankee locker room which has certainly had no love lost over the years. Youkilis has famously been at the center of heated moments in the rivalry, most notably with Yankee reliever Joba Chamberlain. In a sign of good faith, Chamberlain actually did the unthinkable, and called Youkilis to welcome him to the pinstripes this week; even stating that the media may have over hyped the feud. The signing of Youk was not the only move the Yankees made this week, as the bombers also re-signed former Seattle Mariners OF Ichiro Suzuki. With the exception of Nick Swisher, the Yankees have pretty much retained the bulk of the 2012 American League East Championship roster. Although with the Blue Jays and O's making big time strides towards the AL east crown, have the Yankees truly done enough to stay on top of the divisional mountain? - Joe Passarrelli |
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