Red Sox Rumors: Josh Beckett and Kevin Youkilis

The Boston Red Sox could find trade markets developing this summer for two of their veteran players; Kevin Youkilis and Josh Beckett.  According to Nick Carfado of the Boston Globe, if the Red Sox are willing to pick up some of Beckett’s remaining tab and Youkilis is able to prove healthy once he returns from the disabled list, there will be teams interested in both players.  We found out yesterday that the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies are actively looking at Youkilis.

At this point, Youkilis seems to be the more likely trade candidate this summer.  The 33-year-old is owed $12 million this season and his contract includes a $13 million option for 2013 which can be bought out for $1 million.

Any team looking to add pop for the stretch run will be impressed by Youkilis’s career .878 OPS.  While he got off to a slow start before hitting the DL, Youkilis is only two seasons removed from his .975 OPS campaign of 2010.  If Youkilis is able to show that he is healthy once he rejoins the Red Sox, there figures to be teams interested in what he has to offer.

Josh Beckett could be another story.

While his track record is nearly as impressive as Youkilis’s, Beckett has a lot of things working against him at the moment.  First and foremost, Beckett’s 5.97 ERA and reduced strikeout rate should be enough to scare some teams away.  Next, Beckett is owed roughly $45 million over the next three years.  Last but not least, Beckett hasn’t exactly been portrayed as one of the best clubhouse guys out there.

All that being said, Carfado spoke with an unnamed American League general manager who believes a market could still develop for Beckett.  For this to happen the GM said that the Red Sox will have to eat more than half of Beckett’s remaining salary.  While the GM said Beckett isn’t what he used to be, he does believe the 31-year-old “could still help a contending team”.

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