Bob Klapisch has an excellent article posted on ESPN praising the Damon signing. He wraps it up with this nice tidbit:
It's a perfect storm, really: the Yankees now blend power and speed for less than it cost in 2005; the payroll is declining from $205 million to $175 million. The Yankees are also younger (Damon is 32, Williams is 37) and, as always, star-driven.
With all the moves the Yanks made so far this winter, I actually thought their payroll had surpassed 2005.