But… But…

He my team!!!

Michael Young is no longer the face of the Texas Rangers franchise.

Young officially waived his no-trade clause and accepted a trade to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Rangers will eat salary and get RHP Josh Lindblom and RHP Lisalverto Bonilla. They also gave Young a $1.2mil incentive to wave the clause.

When it was confirmed that this trade was legit and was being hammered out between the two clubs, I thought, “Oh joy. Here comes another divisive firestorm.”  The fan base was clearly split over Young last season. You were either a fervent supporter or wanted him out of town immediately and there was little room for those of us willing to look at both sides of the coin and weigh the good and bad. It seems we’re shaping up for more of the same.

You’re expected to be like this:

Or like this:

With no room for this:

This move is a good thing for both sides. The Phillies get to meet a need at third base while they wait for a prospect to be ready for 2014 and allow Young to meet a personal need, the need/want to play everyday and contribute as a starter. The Rangers get to start the ushering in of the youth that is populating one of the best minor league systems in the game. They also get two good relievers in the deal, which may help the decisions on who to pitch in the pen and when they’ll be used in games.

I know it hurts to have a clubhouse leader sent elsewhere, but it is probably the best move for both sides in the end. I encourage the fans reading this to look at both sides and think about the whole picture and not just focus on the loss of Mr. Young.

Now that a major domino has fallen, the fan base continues to wait and see if Zack Greinke, Josh Hamilton & Justin Upton will have a joint press conference to announce their official signings with the Rangers.