MLB: The Yanks Officially Out on Damon
It would appear as though Johnny Damon’s days in New York are officially over as Brian Cashman said Tuesday, “His abilities exceed my physical ability to keep my finances afloat.” It would also appear that the Yankees are holding steady to the Steinbrenner’s pledge to cut this year’s payroll.
In the past the Yankees simply would have cut a check for a guy like Damon but those days appear to be over. Instead they are trying to find another corner outfielder on the cheap.
With Xavier Nady coming to terms with the Cubs and Johnny Gomes close to going back to Cincy the Yankees options for a minimal salary player to play left or right field are getting slimmer.
I am kind of surprised the Yankees have not had discussions with Garrett Anderson. He played for $2.5 million for the Braves last season, had a decent year at the plate, and has his share of post season experience. He is also potentially a better defensive player than Damon is right now. It seems like Anderson would be a good fit for the Yankees.
As for Damon it remains to be seen where he ends up. It was thought that San Francisco might have an interest until they decided to go in a different direction in an attempt to upgrade the offense. The Braves are still believed to be in the mix as well. There were also reports surfacing the past few days that Oakland had an interest, but, that seems less likely after the A’s just dropped $10 million on Ben Sheets.
There has been recent speculation that Damon may be contemplating retirement given he is attracting little more than a nibble from prospective teams. Damon reportedly still wants to play but he may need to swallow his pride and come way down on his asking price to do so. One begins to wonder if Johnny Damon is becoming a victim of Scott Boras’ pie-in-the-sky notions of what is players are worth.
