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Chicago Tribune: Youkilis To White Sox Makes Sense For Chicago

BOSTON (CBS) -- Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington has already said that Kevin Youkilis won't lose his job due to injury, even if rookie Will Middlebrooks continues to rake. Yet with the kid still hitting above .300 with four homers and five doubles, a decision to replace him in the lineup with Youkilis (.219 average, two homers in 18 more at-bats) would be a decision that's not in the best interest of winning baseball games.

However, if the Red Sox are looking to trade Youkilis, he will have to play in order to prove he's healthy, and one Chicago writer thinks that the White Sox could make a perfect trading partner for Boston.

"Adding a veteran through a trade of convenience -- like, for instance, Youkilis for Matt Thornton -- makes sense given the current situation," wrote Phil Rogers.

Rogers noted that Youkilis' numbers this year aren't the kind that can help boost Chicago's offense, but that "he could get hot in one series and suddenly be the same guy he's always been."

The Red Sox have have offered no indications that trading Youkilis is in their plans this season, so any such talk is still speculation. The 33-year-old is being paid $12 million this year with a club option for 2013 at $13 million (a buyout would cost the team $1 million).

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