Michael Young rumors: Phillies 3B may accept trade to Yankees

There are conflicting reports about whether the Phillies infielder has consented to being dealt to the Bronx.

Jul 31, 2013, 6:58 PM UTC

Rich Schultz

UPDATE 3:00p.m. ET: Michael Young has indeed told the Phillies that he will waive his no-trade clause to go the Yankees if they can agree to a deal, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

Rosenthal adds that Young’s concession is not a “leverage play” with the Red Sox, but rather that his interest in the Yankees is “sincere.”

ORIGINAL: As the trade deadline creeps closer, conflicting reports have emerged about to whom Phillies infielder Michael Young has consented to waive his no-trade clause. Some, like Scott Miller of CBS Sports, have heard that Young has agreed to accept a trade to the New York Yankees if the two sides can agree to a deal, while others, like Buster Olney of ESPN, have heard nothing to that effect.

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CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman goes so far as to (redundantly) timestamp his latest info on Young:

as of 2:22 yankees had not heard that michael young would waive no-trade for yanks. multiple reports suggest he would.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) July 31, 2013

The speculation among the rumor mongers is that the Phillies may have leaked the word about Young and the Yankees so that the Red Sox would step up their offer for the veteran infielder, but there is nothing to base this on.

Young, 36, has been a popular name on the deadline rumor mill for some time, but made things exponentially more difficult for the Phillies earlier this week when he told the club that he would only accept a trade back to the Texas Rangers. He lessened his demands a bit a couple days ago, letting the club know he'd go to Boston when a trade with Texas didn't work out, but as of now Philly has struck out on that front as well.

The Yankees have had interest in Young for some time, but there’s really nothing they can do if he decides he doesn’t want to go there.

Young is batting .279/.345/.411 with eight home runs in 403 plate appearances for the Phillies this season. He’s been manning the hot corner for much of the season, but the Red Sox and Yankees could be looking to use him at third, first, and DH.