Alex Speier of WEEI reports that Kevin Youkilis has reached an agreement to play for the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan in 2014.
Youkilis’ 2013 season was a lost one. He signed a $12 million deal with the Yankees, but he was racked with injuries, playing in only 28 games and hitting a meager .219/.305/.343 with two homers. Youkilis hasn’t played more than 120 games since 2009, though he was a superior hitter as recently as 2011. Just a case of the guy’s body not holding up at all.
Best case: Youkilis kills the ball for Rakuten for a season and rebuilds some value for a late-career return to MLB. Worst case: Golden Eagles fans get to see a funky batting stance for a while.