I said this morning that Gil LeBreton seemed to be the only member of the local press who gets it, in terms of not joining in on the dogpile about how the Rangers supposedly screwed up in approaching Michael Young about changing positions.
Well, there is one other guy who gets it -- Tim MacMahon:
I keep hearing and reading that the Rangers took the wrong approach in informing Michael Young that he'd be moving to third base. There's no question Young feels that way.
"I was never asked," Young told Richard Durrett the night the news broke. "I was flat-out told. I was told I was playing third base. I felt that I had absolutely no say. I don't feel like there was any discussion or dialogue about the matter."
Young has earned a lot of respect in his time with the Rangers, a lot of which comes in the form of the massive paychecks he'll collect over the next five years.
I'm really not sure how the Rangers management could have handled this situation to avoid ruffling the feathers of the face of the franchise. The front office, after thinking long and hard about it, made the decision that moving Young to third would be in the best interests of the team.
Should they have asked Young's permission to do something they had already decided would happen? What if he says no? Please, pretty please?
I have a hard time faulting Jon Daniels and Co. for the way they delivered this news. Young might need some time to accept the decision, but at least the Rangers took a straightforward approach with him instead of blowing smoke up the area not covered by his jock strap.