Serious, but not Series business for Youkilis in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA - There was still the thought in the back of his head that he ought to be in a Red Sox uniform playing the Phillies in the World Series, but the saving grace of Kevin Youkilis's trip here was his being named the American League recipient of the Hank Aaron Award as the circuit's most outstanding offensive performer.

"It's a little tough," said Youkilis before Game 4 last night. "When I heard the news it was, 'I get to go to the World Series,' which isn't great for me, but to win this award is a great honor."

The award is named for Aaron, the man many still recognize as the true home run champion because of Barry Bonds's alleged use of steroids. Fans cast more than 230,000 votes via online balloting.

It's a measure of just how far Youkilis, who was used predominantly in the No. 4 hole after Manny Ramírez was traded to the Dodgers at the deadline, has come as a hitter.

While one doesn't necessarily consider Youkilis a true cleanup hitter, his numbers in that spot (.299 with 10 homers and 45 RBIs in 174 at-bats) were impressive. His overall .312 batting average, 168 hits, 43 doubles, 29 home runs, and 115 RBIs all fit the model of a cleanup hitter. Not to mention his .569 slugging percentage, his .390 on base percentage, and the fact he hit .374 with runners in scoring position.

Youkilis accepted the award along with the Cubs' Aramis Ramirez, the National League recipient.

Youkilis wasn't going to stay for the game, which he said would be too difficult, but rather he was heading for dinner at his favorite Mexican restaurant in town and was to return to Boston. He said he plans to rest for the next four weeks before beginning his grueling offseason routine at Athletes Performance Institute in Arizona.

There's a chance that Youkilis, who won a Gold Glove at first base in 2007 and played there mostly last season, could return to third base, his natural position, if the Red Sox trade Mike Lowell and sign free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira.

The Sox brass spoke about the possibility internally recently, but there's a long way to go before that determination is made. And Youkilis said his preparation will not be affected in any case.

He said he feels comfortable at either position, although he said third is easier physically because there's less footwork required.

"Paul O'Neill told me that as you get older you do less baseball work and you try to do as much physical work as possible," said Youkilis, a Cincinnati native who speaks often to O'Neill, a long-time Red before his Yankees days.

Youkilis said that while he wants to get stronger this offseason, he doesn't want to add too much bulk, which wouldn't be good for his baseball activities. He did say he would do more throwing in case Lowell isn't ready to play third at the start of the season after hip surgery.

Team sources say Lowell should recover well from the surgery he had last week.

Boston will seriously consider signing Teixeira, given he's always been atop the team's wish list and is entering the prime of his career. The Sox might be willing to go into a season with Lowell, Youkilis, and Teixeira if they have to, then possibly ship Lowell after he's shown his hip is healed in spring training.

Several teams are in need of a third baseman (Indians, Twins, Tigers, Dodgers), so Lowell could be valuable to one of them with only two years remaining on his contract and the likelihood the Sox would be willing to pay some of the contract. But that's only if Teixeira could be had. And the Sox certainly aren't looking to give him 10 years at $200 million, believing those days are over even for a hitter of Teixeira's quality.

Having Youkilis available to play third is what makes the situation even possible.

Youkilis said it wasn't hard to shift from first to third (36 games) as often as he had to last season.

Youkilis, who turns 30 March 15, said he would love to play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, but he hasn't heard from anyone yet.

"It would be an honor to play for my country," said Youkilis, who is getting married soon.

As for sitting on the podium with Hank Aaron, Youkilis said, "I don't think I could ever compare myself to Hank Aaron in any way. I'll never see myself at that level. So to win this award, I'm a little humbled by it."

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com.