Johnny Damon poses an interesting dilemma for the Yankees this off season. He has been highly successful in his four seasons with the Bronx Bombers averaging 19 HR, 74 RBI, 23 stolen bases and a of .285 batting average. The Yankees have a hole in their outfield with only Melky Cabrera and Nick Swisher penciled in, but have a need to get younger. With free agents out there like Matt Holliday and Jason Bay, the 36 year old Damon may have a hard time finding work. Damon is still in the vein of a lead off hitter but the Yankees actually moved him to the number two hole in the lineup in favor of Derek Jeter and his higher batting average.
Johnny has also stated that he isn’t interested in a pay cut. While his offensive numbers are good, his age and poor defense work against him. He also has Scott Boras as his agent which limits the number of teams that will even show interest in Damon. Boras is rumored to be asking for a four year deal. Damon’s preference is to stay with the Yankees and it seems to be a mutual interest. He has also indicated that he would take a shorter deal with the Yankees then he would from another team but he would want a higher yearly salary.
Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News quotes Damon: “I want to continue to be on a team that can win and to play in front of great fans – and we know that the Yankees fill both of those,” Damon said. “I think everyone knows my desire to come back. Still, every time I’ve been a free agent, I’ve ended up switching teams. It’s the nature of the beast. If people are interested, I’m going to listen.” This non committal comment is par for the course with every free agent so you shouldn’t read too much into it. I think Damon is at a point where he needs the Yankees more then the Yankees need him. Bobby Abreu signed a 2 year deal for $9 million a year. I can’t see any team offering Damon more then that. Damon is probably going to get a rude awakening this off season if he expects $13 million per year like he received last year.
However nothing is going to be settled until the Yankees find out if they can swing a deal for Roy Halladay. According to the New York Post, “Brian Cashman and the Yankees will have a better understanding of how much money they have to spend this winter on free agents and mollifying Roy Halladay with a contract extension — think five years and $100 million — if they can swing a deal for Toronto’s stud right-hander whom the Blue Jays know won’t re-sign with them after next season.”
I think ultimately Damon will sign a deal with the Yankees. I think Scott Boras is just playing his usual “overvaluing” of his clients by starting the bidding at 4 years and 13 million. Although still a solid ballplayer, he is not the same player that he was in Boston and his skills are only going to decline even more. However, he is a great fit in the Yankees lineup and will probably succeed there on a short term deal because his skills are not as scrutinized due to being in a lineup with stars such as Jeter, ARod, and Teixeira. It’s interesting every offseason to see where and how much Boras clients receive.
Damon is a scrub who has done well in a lineup that forces pitchers to give him good pitches to hit. Yankees need to pass on him and get a younger guy for less than half the price or give a guy like brett gardner another shot.
I agree. Johnny Damon hits in an allstar lineup between Jeter and Teixeira. If he’s in any other lineup but the angel’s and phillies and red sox he’s not gonna do anything worth near to 13 mil. He’s garbage and he makes pro baseball look like a game anyone can go and play succesfully.