New York Yankee notes: As Johnny's World Turns
by Ed Valentine on Jan 27, 2010 10:00 AM EST
in New York Yankees News
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PrintA plea to Johnny Damon. Please, please find a team already. Go to Japan. Retire. Go to the Mets. Announce you will sit out the first part of the season. Start your own league. Tell Scott Boras to kiss off and take Brian Cashman's insulting $2 million. By the way, I will take that if you can't stomach it.
I really don't care what you do any more. Just, please, for God's sake do SOMETHING! I am so tired of the daily Damon Soap Opera that I want to scream.! In fact, maybe I will scream.
AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! OK, now I feel better. At least a little. Now, on with the latest Damon news.
In today's version of 'As Johnny's World Turns' Joel Sherman of the New York Post is going all Jane Heller on the Yankees and pleading with them to make Damon an offer above the $2 million they say is all they can afford.
Ownership has rejected multiple requests to revisit signing Johnny Damon.
But (Hal) Steinbrenner should reconsider. Could the Yankees be champs with Brett Gardner starting? Sure. They won last year with Melky Cabrera as a starter, and internally the Yanks project the tough-minded Gardner as Jacoby Ellsbury with better defense and less power. They had a dynasty with underwhelming left fielders such as Chad Curtis, Ricky Ledee and Shane Spencer.
Gardner may not even be the left fielder. The Yankees are at least toying with putting Granderson (fourth most homers, 30, by an AL outfielder last season) in left and employing the superior defense of Gardner in center.
Plus, the Yanks still are looking at $2 million-or-under righty-hitting outfielders such as Reed Johnson or Rocco Baldelli, as long as the oft-injured Baldelli is willing to sign a minor-league deal.
However, my thought is Steinbrenner should make a one-time, one-year bid in the range of $6 million on Damon. Because if Gardner is not a version of Ellsbury offensively, or the Yanks get an injury to a regular or two -- and quite frankly I am shocked Nick Johnson isn't already on the DL -- then they are going to be looking in June or July for a player just like Damon. That will cost dollars that likely take the payroll over $200 million, and prospects, too. Besides, these are the Yankees, they are going over $200 million at some point in 2010 anyway, why does the date matter?
Yankee manager Tuesday Joe Girardi said "never say never" when asked about Damon coming back to the Yankees.
FanGraphs weighed in with a comparison between Damon and former Yankee Bobby Abreu. FanGraphs concluded that Damon is worth between $8 to $10 million on a one-year deal. All I can say is I hope Boras doesn't see that, because there is no way Damon gets that anywhere.
OK, enough Damon. I think I need to scream again. AAAAAHHHHHHHH!
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sign Johnny
OK, the Yankees made their point. They put Bore-arse over the barrel and have broken him. Now lets get real. For a team that has flushed more money down the toilet the past ten years NY can afford to make Damon a respectable offer. Not the initial offer but something respectable. Look what Nady signed for this year. Why they are willing to leave left field in such a state I do not know. I like Gardner and maybe feel he has more potential than others do but for cryin out loud Johnny is CLUTCH. His glove stinks, his arm stinks but he produces at the plate, plays hurt and contributes a lot to the team identity. If the Yanks were looking to make a statement they did. Now bring Johnny back !
Thats right, let it out
Really wish he’d sign somewhere. That way, he’s either on the Yankees where I could be happy, or he’d be elsewhere, where I could stop hoping and wishing that he comes back, because this endless wait to see where he ends up is killing me.
Also, “The Yankees are at least toying with putting Granderson (fourth most homers, 30, by an AL outfielder last season) in left and employing the superior defense of Gardner in center.”
I KNEW IT haha.
Now Johnny just SIGN SOMEWHERE!!!!!!!
If Granderson shows up to camp 30 pounds overweight
from eating Nathan’s hot dogs, then I could believe the Yankees want him to start in LF.
by Scooby Snacks on Jan 27, 2010 11:17 AM EST up reply actions
I hate that idea for one reason
because Granderson is the better player. Moving him to left and Gardner does not seem like the best way of maximizing the value of Granderson. And, obviously, maximizing the value of the better player should be more conducive.
All the more reason to want Damon to be retained.
by FloridaownsFSU on Jan 27, 2010 1:34 PM EST up reply actions
Granderson in left
Here’s why I wouldn’t do it, even if Gardner has better range in center – in 2011 I think we can all agree that Brett Gardner will not be in the Yankees starting lineup. If the Yankees go after a corner outfielder (Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth, whoever) then Granderson is going to have to move back to center. Not having played center for a year will not make him any better at that point. It makes much more sense for the Yankees to optimize Granderson’s value down the road by keeping him in center as long as he’s physically able to play the position.
by Let's Talk About Tex Baby on Jan 27, 2010 11:29 AM EST reply actions
He's coming back
There’s no way he starts the season team-less. Nobody wants or needs him and the only way he plays next year is with us. If Nady got 3,3 I’m betting that we offer around 4,5 guaranteed with 3 Million in incentives.
I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious.
Vince Lombardi
I doubt
Johnny signs a contract with incentives. He’s been a reasonably healthy, productive player- there’s no reason to offer him a contract with incentives. Offer him $5-6M for one year – period.
Jermaine Dye?
to platoon with Gardner?
As per SI:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/ben_reiter/01/27/reiter.top10/
“If Damon does not re-sign with the Yankees — and that looks extremely likely — GM Brian Cashman will need to find an everyday left fielder, and he’d prefer him to be a right-handed hitter. Dye could nicely fit that bill, and would probably be a bargain for a player whose OPS ranked him between David Ortiz and Adam Jones last year. He’s declining defensively — his UZR as a right fielder with the White Sox in ’09 was a terrible 20.0 - but would constitute less of a liability in left than in right, and he could be spelled late in games by the defensively outstanding Brett Gardner.”
Dye's bat also declined terribly
at the end of 2009.
Pass.
by FloridaownsFSU on Jan 27, 2010 1:35 PM EST up reply actions
Damon
I must admit that I’m disappointed after reading reports that Damon isn’t going to sign … Of course he is going to sign with a team somewhere — an earlier post even joked that it could be Japan. My point is, I don’t get Cashman’s basement rate offer… It doesn’t make sense unless he has a fall back plan. Is Bernie making a comeback? What about O’Neill?
In looking at the available options for leftfield, Damon is the best of the bunch hands down. He’s a grinder who knows how to win—in spite of his noodle arm.
I know the Yankees hate dealing with Boras and I’m sure this is factoring into the angst over signing or not signing Johnny, but c’mon… The Yankees have a license to print money, and I’m certain common, workable ground can be had.
"Baseball is the background music of my life." -George Will
Yanks hold all the cards...
…why should they be even remotely flexible? There isn’t really another option out there for Damon, let him twist in the wind a little longer to get him for as little as possible.
http://newyorksportsjerk.blogspot.com/
by New York Sports Jerk on Jan 27, 2010 1:52 PM EST up reply actions
here here
one year deal on the Yankees terms or no deal
I keep telling people, Gardner is not such a bad solution. Of course he is better as a fourth OF but when you compare the advantage of his glove and speed to the disadvantage of his bat – compared to Damon – the Yankkes will not lose THAT much.
would love to have Johnny back...
but if that means Boras “wins”, it’s a wash for me. Sadly, at this point I may get more happiness out of a Boras failure than getting Damon back
why does johnny need to do something now?
right now he’s getting an offer from the yankees that is 2 million/ 1 year deal. if you really think that 2 million for a one year deal is all he is worth then ya he should do somsething NOW!!!!! ahhhh…but i personally dont think that. i tihnk on a one year deal he is probably worth about 8, but from the yankees i think getting 6 million is very reasonable. so why should he do something now!!!!!?? whats wrong with waiting?
my personal opinion is he will be back with the yankees for 5 or 6 million on a one year deal. so let it play out, there is 0 rush. i dont think he really cares if you want him to act NOW!!!!
Of course he doesn't care
And I don’t expect him to give a hoot what any blogger thinks. I was really just making the point that talking about Damon every day is getting ooooooold.
by Ed Valentine on Jan 27, 2010 2:06 PM EST up reply actions
i seriously cant believe the yanks wont give him 7 or 8 million with incentives! if nady who didnt play all of last year got 5 mil from the cubs the yanks can pony up the money! its still a bargain at that price! i think they are going to sign him very soon for 7 or 8 mil and #28 will be a done deal!
Why should they?
Who else is going to offer him that much?
Nobody, that’s who.
http://newyorksportsjerk.blogspot.com/
by New York Sports Jerk on Jan 27, 2010 3:57 PM EST up reply actions
The Yankees have the upper hand here
They know they can play with Gardner, but I think they have the “Well, he’d be nice, but we’re fine without him” mentality. They are heavy favorites to repeat in ’10, with or without Damon.
I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious.
Vince Lombardi
Yeah, fanpost gets noticed.
I wish we could just have the things intermingled in the spot the Fanposts are now.
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
Does anyone else feel like signing Nick Johnson was a bad idea?
Especially since that money could have gone to Damon?
Not sure. I’m sure Winn is a more versatile defender. I’m sure that Johnson + Winn > Damon
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
Yeah
In my mind Johnson > Damon. So adding in Winn is just icing. All in all, I think this has been a great off season. Unless Winn actually gets the starting LF role above the better hitting Gardner. In which case I think we may be hurting ourselves just a little.
We've all been played
In today’s New York Times:
"The Yankees never even made an offer to me regarding Johnny Damon during the entire process, and the reason for that is they had budgetary constraints," Damon’s agent, Scott Boras, said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "They communicated that to me throughout the process.
"On Dec. 17, Scott’s exact words were that he would not take a penny less than $13 million a year for two years," Cashman said. "We believed him."
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