Good Idea, Bad Idea: Trading Delmon Young Edition

For a team that prides itself on being drama-free and accessible to its fan base, the Twins have an awful lot polarizing figures.

AJ Pierzynski and Matt Garza both had "attitude" problems and were shown the door, (both brought back returns, AJ's was one of the best hauls in history, Garza's may or may not be) the latest in the line is Delmon Young.

Josh Johnson wrote a great piece defending Young and discussing the reasons why he should stay with the Twins, but there is a great chorus on the other side who can't wait to see who Delmon brings back when Bill Smith finally admits his mistake and cuts his losses.

I was far too supportive of this trade last year to back out now (plus, there's a paper trail I can't destroy) and I really do think that Delmon still has a lot to contribute to this team. That said, he could still bring back tremendous value in the right deal.

You know how they say, never punish someone in anger, wait until your head is cool? This is the exact same principle.

There are great reasons to trade Delmon Young. He's still got plenty of potential, and thus should be able to bring back a solid return. If he has another weak year, he could get tagged as a flop and that will drop his value substantially.

Like Garza last year, Delmon is the least proven player at a position of excess. The Twins have five serviceable outfielders, plus Jason Kubel, but more or less nothing on the left side of the infield. If Delmon can (strictly hypothetically) bring in someone like JJ Hardy or Yunel Escobar, the Twins are better of dealing him and living with the consequences. If Garrett Atkins alone is the best they can do, they are better off saving him.

The follow reasons are BAD reasons to trade Delmon: one year of bad production, his alleged bad attitude, Gardy doesn't like him, or simply because the Twins can afford to give him up.

The Twins don't have too many OFs, as they found out last year with Michael Cuddyer's spate of injuries, someone will almost surely miss considerable time. They can win next year keeping this team intact and adding someone like Casey Blake or Rafael Furcal, so there is no reason the Twins HAVE to deal Young. He's still a top-flight prospect; Bill Smith should need to be bowled over to make a deal.

If Young could bring in someone in Hardy's class, I think the Twins need to seriously consider making that deal because of the massive upgrade that would be. However, I'm not completely sold on Denard Span maintaining his high level of play next year, Carlos Gomez isn't anywhere near the offensive threat Young could be, and Michael Cuddyer may be made of glass.

With a bit of maturity and plate discipline, Young could still emerge as one of the best outfielders in the AL Central. Dealing him now, out of spite, could be a mistake of Big Papi proportions, and the Twins can't afford that.

If however, the right deal is proposed at the winter meetings, it could and perhaps should be another club trying to unlock Delmon's great potential.