Man, this is huge. The Rangers are locking up All Star shortstop Michael Young for five more years and they’ll be paying him $80 million. So Young will most likely be in a Ranger uniform through 2013. There’s no doubt that Young is a very important part of this team and he provides a great table setter for guys like Hank Blalock and Mark Teixara. And it’s nice knowing the owner is committed to keeping his guys. I touched on Young’s projections last week so stop by and check it out.
Also, there’s been some good dialogue going about how this will affect the shortstop free agent market. A lot of people have been comparing Young to Carlos Guillen, who the Tigers have to sign or becomes a free agent at the end of this season. Tigerblog thinks Guillen is just as good as Young while Rangerfans thinks otherwise. I’m with Joe on this one. Guillen is good, but he’s not going to come anywhere close to what Young will do over the next five years. My opinion anyway.