Rangers History Today: Michael Young Traded to Philadelphia

On this date in franchise history, the Texas Rangers ended the Michael Young era by trading him to the Philadelphia Phillies.

On Dec. 9, 2012, the Rangers made the move, sending their all-time hits leader to the Phillies. In return, the Rangers received two pitchers: Josh Lindblom and Lisaverto Bonilla.

At the time, Young was coming off a 2012 in which he hit .277 with eight home runs and 67 RBI. His home run total was a career low, but Young’s value to the Rangers went far beyond power, and he was one of the most versatile and consistent players in the history of the franchise.

Young left the organization with 2,230 hits and led the American League in hits with 221 in 2005 and 213 in 2011. The seven-time All-Star was a two-time All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. He played at second base, shortstop and third base, moving repeatedly to make room for new acquisitions. He finished eighth in AL MVP voting on two occasions, in 2004 and 2011.

Young played one more season in 2013, mostly for the Phillies, before Philadelphia dealt him to the Dodgers at the end of August, giving the Covina, California, native a chance to play for his hometown team. He retired as a Rangers after the 2013 season.

As for the players the Rangers received in return, Lindblom threw in eight games for the Rangers in 2013, going 1-3. Bonilla threw in five games in 2014 and went 3-0.

In the end, Texas traded away its future Rangers Hall of Famer for very little.

Also on this date …

Dec. 9, 1976: The Rangers traded the 1974 AL MVP, Jeff Burroughs, to Atlanta for Ken Henderson, Dave May, Carl Morton, Roger Moret and Adrian Devine, along with $250,000.

Dec. 9, 1992: The Rangers trade third baseman Jose Oliva to Atlanta for pitchers Charlie Liebrandt and Pat Gomez. Liebrandt became expendable after Atlanta signed free-agent pitcher Greg Maddux. Liebrandt pitched the 1993 season for Texas, going 9-10, before retiring.

Dec. 9, 1994: The Rangers traded Jose Canseco to the Boston Red Sox for outfielder Otis Nixon and third baseman Luis Ortiz. That ended Canseco’s strange tenure in Arlington, which included him hitting 45 home runs, heading a fly ball off his head for a home run and tearing a ligament that required Tommy John surgery while fulfilling a life-long dream to pitch in the Majors.

Dec. 9, 2009: The Rangers traded pitcher Kevin Millwood to Baltimore for pitcher Chris Ray.

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