Michael Young: 'As far as baseball is concerned, the Dodgers are it for me'

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Michael Young will play his 15th season of professional baseball with the Dodgers or retire, writes the Los Angeles Times' Dylan Hernandez. 

Young, 37, from Covina, Ca., just east of Los Angeles, said:

"I've made no secret I've loved my time in L.A. Great teammates, coaching staff. It’s a first-class organization, top to bottom. As far as baseball is concerned, the Dodgers are it for me."

While Young has said he'd like to spend more time with his family - he has three sons - he's used the offseason to prepare for another season:

"I've worked out as if I expect to go out and have a productive season. I’m ready to play."

Young spent the 2013 season with the Phillies and Dodgers. He was sent to Hollywood in an Aug. 31 trade, with pitcher Rob Rasmussen sent to Philadelphia. Young hit .314/.321/.392 in 21 games and 53 plate appearances with the Dodgers last year, and had one hit in 10 postseason plate appearances. He finished the regular season with a 102 wRC+, so there's something left in his bat. 

Young made a whopping $16 million last year, and has earned more than $90 million in his career, according to Baseball Reference, so if he returns for another year, he's certainly not doing it for the money. Hernandez has more on where he potentially fits in with the Dodgers:

"If Young returns to the Dodgers, he could figure prominently at second base until it is determined that Alexander Guerrero is ready to play in the major leagues. A Cuban defector signed to a four-year, $28-million deal, Guerrero has never played in the majors." 

Young's been a brutal defender throughout his career, but especially in the last three years. Time will do that to a baseball player. Young, for his career, has done his best work at second base, where his defense is 11 runs below average in 3,821 1/3 innings. It's 55 runs below average at third base, and a ridiculous 82 runs below average at shortstop. He should be a designated hitter at this point in his career, and he knows it. Young said:

"Second base is my natural position. That’s probably the biggest curiosity of my career: What would have happened if I had stayed at second base my whole career? I played short and third, which I love, but second base is my most natural position."

The Dodgers signing Young to round out their bench, especially after they lost second baseman Mark Ellis to the St. Louis Cardinals in free agency, isn't the worst idea in the world. But at the same time, a one-year deal has to make sense for Young:

"I’m also at a point now where I’m evaluating a lot of different things. 

"I want to be around my sons. I want to make sure they get what they need from their father."

Young's kids are eight, four, and one.