Rangers trade Michael Young to Phillies

The Texas Rangers are going to have to find a new face of the franchise.

Michael Young, the team's all-time leader in games played and hits, and the unofficial captain of the club, was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on for a pair of right-handed pitchers.

The
deal was announced Sunday, a day after Young agreed to waive his
no-trade clause.

Young, 36, is expected to be the starting third baseman for Philadelphia. There were no guarantees for playing time in Texas as the Rangers are looking for a way to get Jurickson Profar in the lineup.

In exchange for Young, the Rangers get right-handed reliever Josh Lindblom and minor-league pitcher Lisalverto Bonilla. Lindblom pitched in 74 games between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Phillies this year, going 3-5 with a 3.55 ERA.

Young, a seven-time All-Star with the Rangers who has a club-record 2,230 hits, waived his no-trade clause to accept the deal. He's in the final year of a contract and will earn $16 million, with the Rangers picking up approximately $10 million of that. He'll also receive $1.2 million in compensation because of the differences in taxes between Texas and Pennsylvania.

The Rangers and Phillies began discussing a Young deal at the winter meetings in Nashville. This isn't the first time Young's name has come up in trade rumors in the last couple of years. Two years ago Young asked to be traded after the Rangers signed Adrian Beltre and moved Young from third to a super utility position.

No deal was struck then and Young responded with one of his best seasons, earning an All-Star nod and collecting a career-high 106 RBI. He also finished eighth in the American League Most Valuable Player voting.

He couldn't match that in 2012. Young, who has been with the Rangers since he was acquired from Toronto on July 19, 2000, along with Darwin Cubillan for pitcher Esteban Loaiza, had one of his worst seasons as he hit just .277 with eight home runs and 67 RBI. It was his lowest homer total in a full season and his worst RBI total since 2002.

Replacing Young's production will be easier than replacing the person for the Rangers, as Young was the go-to guy for everyone in the clubhouse.

"He's got such great leadership skills," pitcher Derek Holland said. "He set the tone for us. He kept us in check. To see him go, it's going to be different. It's going to make an impact on the team. It's a tough loss."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.