Blessed with young, talented outfielders, the Red Sox have been pondering whether to retain them or use one or more in a trade.
Either way, they attempted to add protection by agreeing Monday to a multi-year contract with Chris Young, pending a physical.
Young was the rare Yankee who excelled against lefty pitching last year, posting a team-best .972 OPS against southpaws. He carries a career 1.054 OPS with 11 extra-base hits in 21 games at Fenway Park, and now gets to take aim at the Green Monster full-time.
He will probably fill a similar role for the Red Sox as he did for the Yankees – a weapon against lefties and security blanket in case of injuries.