Damon Turned Down Yankees Offer

Johnny Damon and his agent, Scott Boras, turned down an offer from the Yankees one week and the following week the Yankees added Randy Winn to their roster in a one-year deal worth $2 million. The deal the Yankees offered Damon was one-year for $6 million. 

Where does Damon think he’ll get more money than that?

I wonder if Damon was on board with the Yankees offer and Boras talked him into declining the offer in hopes the Yankees would counter with something higher. Then the Yankees signed Randy Winn and Damon’s return flew out the window. Boras has really underestimated the Yankees desire to keep their payroll down. 

I’m not sure if anybody will offer Damon a contract worth more than $6 million for one year. If the Yankees are willing to give you $6 million, what team will go higher? We are fastly approaching spring training and team needs are diminishing.

There sits Johnny, all alone, with nobody to talk to.

Teams that have been rumored to have interest in Damon include the A’s, Rays, and Jays.

Johnny Damon Retiring?

Johnny Damon and his agent Scott Boras read this market wrong. Damon doesn’t have a team and his options are dwindling. He can bite the bullet, get on his hands and knees, crawl back to the Yankees and put his signature on a one-year deal worth about $2 million. He can keep waiting, hoping maybe an injury occurs during training camp and sign with a team then. Finally and shockingly, he can retire. At least that’s what Bob Klapisch of NorthJersey.com believes is one of Damon’s options. Klapisch sites that a friend of Damon said, “Johnny is completely in the family mode right now.” 

Would Johnny Damon really retire? I can’t imagine it. He’ll either wait it out or he’ll take a lot less money than he intended. Settle with the Yanks, Johnny. Take $2 million and try to get another World Series ring rather than retire or go elsewhere. Your options are limited, but you do have options. The Yankees will gladly take you back if you agree to their terms.

Former Yankees Jerry Hairston Jr., who was recently signed by the Padres, spoke on XM radio today with Jim Bowden and said, “Brian Cashmans going to get mad at me, but Yankees didn’t make me offer because he’s waiting on Damon’s price to come down.” The Yankees are expecting Johnny to come walking back with his tail between his legs. I expect it too. 

Would Damon retire just to save face? Instead of biting the bullet and taking a huge cut in pay, would he just call it a career? A coward would, Johnny won’t.

Johnny Damon, Yankees Budget

Scott Boras and Johnny Damon read this market and the Yankees wrong. The 36-year old outfielder doesn’t fit into the Yankees budget according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman says the Yankees have been telling agents they only have $2 million to spend on left field. Unless Damon and his agent Scott Boras bite the bullet and substantially lower their asking price, Damon will not be returning to the Bronx. 

All along it didn’t seem like Damon would return, but this just about seals the deal. Brian Cashman hasn’t budged on Damon’s overpriced demands. The Yankees have their eyes on Xavier Nady, Reed Johnson, Jerry Hairston Jr, Marcus Thames and Rocco Baldelli to play the outfield. Brett Garnder is currently penciled in as the Yankees starting left fielder.

Yankees, Left Field and Brian Cashman

When Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he wouldn’t be adding a “big piece” to play left field for the Yankees after they traded Melky Cabrera and some minor league players to the Braves for Javier Vazquez, I didn’t believe him. As time goes by and free agents are being swooped up off the market, I’m starting to believe that Cashman and the Yankees are ready to have Brett Gardner or a different “smaller piece” be their everyday left fielder.

The left field free agent market is dwindling. Jason Bay signed with the Mets, Marlon Byrd signed with the Cubs, Mike Cameron signed with the Red Sox and Mark DeRosa signed with the Giants. Matt Holliday and Johnny Damon have ridiculous high price tags.  An addition of a “big piece” for left field is becoming increasingly less likely.

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Yankees Free Agent Priority; Matsui then Damon

Johnny Damon still believes he fits on the Yankees even though they have acquired center fielder Curtis Granderson.

“I don’t think it affects what I can still do. Either they come out and pursue me or they don’t,” Damon told the New York Post. “I still know how to play baseball and will make any team better.”

The Yankees could figure out a way to make it work if they bring back Damon (although I don’t like the idea of having Damon and Granderson in the same lineup), but not on a four-year deal. Two years is the maximum I see the Yankees going. If Damon and the Yankees come to terms, either Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner become expendable. Finding potential trade suitors for Cabrera of Gardner shouldn’t be hard since some teams have already expressed interest in the young outfielders. 

Nothing but silence has come out of Matsui’s camp meaning they are weighing their options and realistically evaluating the market for slugger. Matsui has to be the Yankees priority over Damon for the mere fact that signing Damon gives the team excess outfielders and without Matsui, the Yankees don’t have a defined DH. The fact that Damon is a better option in left field than Cabrera and Gardner takes a back seat to the Yankees’ unwillingness to give Damon a four-year contract. If Damon’s asking price doesn’t come down to where the Yankees want it, they’ll be content with putting Cabrera in left field and having Gardner as their fourth outfielder.

If Damon lowers his contract standards to two years and Matsui accepts a one-year deal, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that both guys are back with the team next year. The Yankees should be more concerned with brining back the World Series MVP before Damon. 

Read more on the Yankees and Matsui
Also read about Matsui and Damon

Granderson Fits Well With Yankees

It’s official. The Yankees, Tigers and Diamondbacks completed a three-way trade today that sent center fielder and center piece of the trade Curtis Granderson to the Yankees. Granderson becomes the Yankees starting center fielder and will bat in the number two spot against right-handed pitchers. It’s uncertain in what spot of the lineup he will hit against lefties. 

The Yankees like that Granderson is a professional player with a good work ethic. They also like that he hit 30 home runs in a ballpark that plays much deeper than the new Yankee Stadium does. With the wind tunnel to right, the lefty-hitting Granderson should be able to eclipse the 30 home run mark again in 2010. 

The 28 year old center fielder hit only .249 with an OBP of just .327 in 2009. Home runs aside, 2009 wasn’t Granderson’s best body of work. He has struck out over 140 times three of the last four seasons. Compare that to Johnny Damon, who has never struck out over 100 times in a season in his career. 

The Yankees are hoping they acquired the Granderson of 2008 who hit .280 with a .365 OBP and struck out 111 times. This is the second year in a row the Yankees acquired a player who had a down season the year prior. The Yankees got Nick Swisher from the White Sox before last season coming off a 2008 season in which he batted a low .219 with a .332 OBP with just 21 doubles and 69 RBIs. With the Yankees in 2009, Swisher improved in all of those categories. 

The depth of the Yankees’ lineup makes hitters better. Granderson will see better pitches to hit batting in from of Teixeira and A-Rod. The Yankees look at Granderson as the first all-around center fielder they’ve had since Bernie Williams. Pretty big shoes to fill, but Granderson’s tools give him the ability to live up to the task.

Impact of Granderson Trade

The Yankees’ acquisition of center fielder Curtis Granderson has an impact on some other players in baseball.

Now that the Yankees have the center fielder they’ve longed for, where does Johnny Damon fit into the equation? Granderson slides into the number two spot in the lineup between Jeter and Teixeira where Damon used to bat. Granderson is also inserted onto a team that has several outfielders already on the roster not including Damon. Damon’s days in pinstripes are just about over.

The addition of Granderson makes it unlikely that the Yankees will acquire Roy Halladay from the Blue Jays. Austin Jackson was a player the Jays wanted in a deal, but he was shipped off to Detroit in the Granderson deal. That means to get Halladay the Yankees would have to give up two players out of Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Jesus Montero. That isn’t going to happen. Of the four guys the Yankees didn’t want to part with, only one would remain with the team and there’s no way they package Hughes and Joba together in a deal. That means Montero would have to be in the trade with one of the two pitchers. You won’t be seeing Halladay in the Bronx.

Excludng pitching (which is a while different topic in itself), this is what I would do if I were Brian Cashman; Sign Matsui to DH, let Damon walk, move Melky to left field, use Brett Gardner as the fourth outfielder, and fill in the bench with young, inexpensive utility players.

This is how the Yankees lineup will look:
1. SS Derek Jeter
2. CF Curtis Granderson
3. 1B Mark Teixeira
4. 3B Alex Rodriquez
5. C Jorge Posada
6. DH Hideki Matsui
7. 2B Robinson Cano
8. RF Nick Swisher
9. LF Melky Cabrera

Not a bad lineup if you ask me. If the Yankees were to re-sign Damon, where would he bat in the lineup? Ninth? It’s hard to picture Granderson and Damon fitting in this lineup together.

The Granderson trade to the Yankees will shakeup some things around baseball. It also gives the Yankees leverage over Damon. If Damon wants to come back to the Bronx that bad then he’ll lower his asking price because the Yankees found his replacement in the lineup and don’t need his services anymore.

2010 Yankees DH

If not Hideki Matsui, who will be the Yankees designated hitter in 2010? The World Series MVP wants to come back to the Bronx and the two sides could meet in the middle and come to terms. Everybody is getting caught up in what the Yankees will do with Matsui and fellow free agent Johnny Damon, but they aren’t talking about the fact that the Yankees don’t have a primary DH on their roster without Matsui. Matsui is a better DH than almost anyone the Yankees would bring in to replace him. 

The Yankees know what they’ll get from Matsui when healthy. The key in that sentence is “when healthy”. Health may be the Yankees concern about Matsui, who has been hindered by knee injuries. If Matsui and his agent are willing to compromise on salary figures, it’ a no-brainer for both sides. Matsui is the best option for the Bombers at DH. It’s becoming more likely Damon won’t be returning since he covets a three or four year deal. This bodes well for Matsui.  

Matsui and the Yankees may not come to terms, however. Joe Girardi could go with a part-time DH and the rest of the time give an everyday player a half day off and have them DH. Three games a week Girardi can rotate Posada, Jeter, A-Rod or another position player at DH. The Yankees could also obtain a regular DH.

Matsui is the Yankees best option for DH. He played in 142 regular season games in 2009. He’s 35 years old, will turn 36 in June, and can give the Yankees between 120 and 140 games as DH in 2010. A reasonable offer will put Matsui in pinstripes for 2010.

2010 MLB Free Agent Predictions

Major League Baseball free agency kicks off when the clock hits midnight on November 20, 2009 and here are Empire Sports Now’s free agent predictions as it pertains to the Yankees and Mets and also the top free agents so it should make things very interesting for online betting.

Matt Holliday LF – Cardinals. Holliday will be the first left fielder to sign and will stay in St. Louis. Dark Horse – Mets

Jason Bay LF – Red Sox. Bay already rejected Boston’s four-year, $60 million deal but they’ll get something done, especially once Holliday signs. The Red Sox don’t want to be left without Holliday or Bay. Dark Horse – Yankees

Johnny Damon LF – Athletics. Former Athletic Jason Giambi signed with Oakland after the Yankees, Damon will do the same. If not Oakland, he’ll be back with the Yankees.

Hideki Matsui LF/DH – Yankees. The Yankees and Matsui will come to an agreement on a one-year deal.

Andy Pettitte SP – Yankees. It’s either retirement of the Bronx for Pettitte and it looks like he wants to pitch one more year.

John Lackey SP – Mets. The Mets won’t get Holliday, Bay or Figgins so they’ll spend on Lackey to pitch behind Santana. Dark Horse – Yankees

Marlon Byrd LF – Mets. He’s the next best option at left field for the Mets behind Holliday and Bay. He’ll also be a lot cheaper.

Other notable predictions:
Carlos Delgado – Marlins
Jason Marquis – Mets
Chone Figgins – Angels

Agree or disagree? Let us know.

Yankees, Damon and Matsui

Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui were pivotal players for the 2009 World Series Champion Yankees. They may not be back to help the Yankees defend their title in 2010. Both players have said they would like to return, but in recent years, the Yankees have been opposed to bringing back older, less athletic, one-dimensional players.   

A few years ago, the Yankees wouldn’t guarantee Bernie Williams a roster spot after his contract expired. The Yankees only offered him an invitation to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. Bernie’s abilities were diminished at this point, unlike Damon and Matsui’s abilities which they showed in 2009 they still have something left. Last season, the Yankees didn’t work with Bobby Abreu or Jason Giambi after their contracts expired. Abreu had a good year too. He batted .296 with 20 home runs and 100 RBIs. This doesn’t bode well for Damon or Matsui.

If the price is right, it’s not out of the question for the Yankees to bring back one or even both of them. It’s not like they are the same player. While Matsui’s only use is as a DH and bats in the middle of the order, Damon still has some speed in his legs, is average in the outfield and is a top of the order type of guy. The question is whether the price will be right. Damon and his agent Scott Boras are allegedly looking for a four-year deal. The Yankees will let Damon walk if they don’t budge. The Yankees will not be bringing either guy back for more than two years and even that may be a stretch. Look for Damon and Matsui to come back on one-year deals, if at all.