A 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!