I think this is OK. He's not an on-base sinkhole, he has some versatility in being able to play any OF slot, though I have no idea how well he plays the OF anymore - and the one thing his game lacks, power, well YS2.0 is a big help with that!
To be honest, I think he's essentially an older Melky with a weaker arm but with a bit more speed and the ability to take a walk. For $2M over a year, I have no issues with it.
Yeah, Melky only cheaper makes sense. Still, uninspiring sums it up.
The bright side is Cashman didn't have to go ask for more money. So a mid-season move is possible if necessary.
It will be fun to see where Damon lands and for how much. I thought the Yanks should have just waited him out, especially with so many other options out there between Winn, Johnson, and Baldelli. What was the rush?
Older Melky exactly, especially with last year's platoon splits (.158/.184/.200 as RH vs. LHP). Weren't they looking for a strong righty bat to balance Gardner and Granderson?
We will see who hits and who doesn't, won't we? Anyway, it is frankly difficult to listen to such whining when the team already has the league's best offense. They could put me in the 9 hole and still score 900 runs. And at least balls will come in from LF without needing three relays. At least every runner in the AL now will not be able to score from second on a sharply hit line drive to left. At least we won't have guys sitting with "fluttering eyes."
I'm surprised at how nasty and absurdly confident this can get - in January! a.O. I agree we didn't need a serious bat for #9 and I've been an 'I'm okay with Gardner' guy all along, for that reason. But Damon fit the team, the batting slot, the clubhouse very well. Baseball may be a harsh game, and some gfans may be harsh personalities, but crowing (so to speak) at his exit this way feels way off. He's a few months froma a solid season and memorable playoff moment.
Something very weird has happened in the economics of the game (Sheets gets 10 and Damon has no job, and will likely get less than half of that?).
And, all respect to hyperbole, didn't see 'every runner in the AL scoring' on sharp hits to left. It has been dealt with here that that particular stat works out to a fairly trivial one over a season.
Still, I do see that Cashman's serious about the money here ... at 200 million, mind you. And until the trade deadline.
Is Jeter going to get 4 years at 15 million plus now? Jorge + This is a funny sport.
I wonder how much Damon would have cost, really. Because, sure, the Yankees don't "need" another bat in the nine slot, but I think that's a red herring. It's never a matter of need. Having a better hitter in the line-up would mean the Yankees would score more runs and win more games, and Damon is a better hitter than Winn. If someone ends up getting Johnny for one year at $5M, then signing Winn is a mistake.
[27] The guys at River Ave Blues suggest that Winn's arm is actually pretty good - shows what I know in [2].
They also point out that his UZR the last few years has been excellent, even with the decline in his bat in 2009.
As for Winn's bat, while he did play in the weaker league, he also played his home games in a park that kills offense, and in a division with Petco, an insane pitcher's park, and Dodger Stadium, a strong pitcher's park. That's over 60% of his games in strong-or-better pitchers' parks. Setting age aside, I'd be willing to give Winn a mulligan on his batting line from last year.
Worst comes to worst and he's toast, its just $2M. Its easy to cut him loose and find someone else to platoon with Gardner.
[31] Something tells me someone will pony up for two years of Damon, whatever the cost. And I can't blame the Yanks for not wanting Damon for two years at his age.
[33] I dunno. His leverage is very close to zero now. His alternative to a 1-year deal may be retirement -- and he might retire, sure, but I'm guessing he won't.
I don't like the move. When a player in his mid-30s sees his production fall off the cliff, the drop is generally genuine. See Bernie Williams, Roberto Alomar, Dale Murphy and countless others.
Perhaps along with his strict budget , Cashman also had a gun-to-his-head deadline to spend every penny of it by 4pm today - or else his team would turn into the Mets.
How else do you explain signing a $2 million player who does not replace, nor have the upside of Shelley Duncan?
[5] The Toledo afternoon sports guy voted no on Damon in Detroit. IIRC, they already have a guy for leftfield and Damon's arm is too weak for that spacious CF.
Winn is underwhelming. Look for a midseason trade.
I suspect that right field in AT&T Park inflates UZR the way left field in Fenway deflates it. I wouldn't trust Winn's UZR very much.
That said, from my Bay Area perspective, if you ignore the fact that he's been vastly overpaid, I've always liked watching him. He's solid--not great or horrible at anything. Seems like a decent guy. For a 4th or 5th outfielder, a solid guy like that is not a bad thing to have. The only question is if he's getting too old.
I've calmed down somewhat over the last few hours. I really wanted Damon, and so this pissed me off, but shit happens, i guess. I think we're likely to get very little offensive production out of left field, and that's just something I'm going to have to accept. The key now is Nick Johnson. If he plays 70 games and we wind up getting nothing out of LF and DH, I think we can safely say a mistake was made here.
Let's hear it for that awesome-O Red Sox farm system and scouting department! After all, you just can't win TWO World Series championships without drafting such awesome players as Manny Ramirez, Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Johnny Damon, David Ortiz, Dice-K, Captain Varitek, J.D.Drew, Pedro Martinez and Keith Foulke!
(However, ESPN redeemed themselves with the Hot Stove U article about WAR, very interesting.)
I'm pretty sure I don't get this signing, other than the desire to have a "proven veteran". I'm really surprised that a more creative solution ould not be found, or barring that, just stand pat. Randy Winn's can be gotten anytime if need be, no?
[43] So Youkilis and Pedroia are "[a]rguably the best right side of the infield in all of pro baseball," eh? Dont think so. Teix and Robbie have no equal. But Exhibit R in the case for ESPN jumping up the Red Sux ass.
[47] Why not? He'll be in AAA and by all accounts his bat is already ready.
Still, assuming NJ will be hurt for three months shows your bias. He's the DH most days. Any injury is likely to be much less severe short of separating tendons from bones or tearing ligaments while running the bases. Besides, even if that were to happen, DHs can be had very cheaply.
[45] Like most things Sox, no one cares to probe the negatives very deeply. Pedroia, outside of the Green Bandbox, is a very different hitter. On the road in his career he's a .756 OPS hitter vs. a .896 OPS at home. That split is insane. He's a pull hitter with very little pop. The difference is weak flies in other parks become doubles in Fenway.
The same goes for Ellsbury - he gets 100 points in offense simply by where he plays (Home = .818 OPS vs. Away = .715 OPS).
The picture of their system, and its impact, changes pretty dramatically once you see Pedroia and Ellsbury as the .720 to .760 OPS hitters they really are.
[31] If Damon signs for $5 somewhere else then HE made the egregious mistake. He was offered $14 million for 2 years and Damon laughed at it. We will see if the Yankee offer was more than fair or even dramatically above market shortly, and then we'll see who made the mistake.
If Damon plays very well next year at $5 million somewhere else, again, it won't be Cashman's fault, it will be Damon's for not taking the guaranteed 2 years and the extra $2 million in the first year.
I hope everyone here, despite disappointment, blames Damon and not the Yankees for this outcome.
I'd also like to give a shout out to Angell in the New Yorker who said pretty strongly right after the serious that neither Matsui nor Damon would be back on the team despite their extraordinary season and post-season contributions.
Meh.
But think of all the Winn Shares he adds.
Sigh. Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye.
I think this is OK. He's not an on-base sinkhole, he has some versatility in being able to play any OF slot, though I have no idea how well he plays the OF anymore - and the one thing his game lacks, power, well YS2.0 is a big help with that!
To be honest, I think he's essentially an older Melky with a weaker arm but with a bit more speed and the ability to take a walk. For $2M over a year, I have no issues with it.
[1] Sucks to be Damon today. I wonder what he does now?
When I clicked on his BR link the first thing I noticed was his age. "He''s just just another old head! Shit! He's only a year older than me." : )
I don't love this, but with two 30 home run guys already in the outfield I can't really get too up in arms. But I still don't like it.
Rumors of Damon maybe landing in Detroit, Cincy, or (please God no) Tampa.
Well, this is pretty much worst case scenario.
um why?
Brett Gardner but worse in the field and old. No thanks.
I'm hoping 2009 was an aberration, cause his contact rate dropped and his swinging strike % rose ...
http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/Gcyqn
There is one minor silver lining .... he's born on June 9th, like me.
Yeah, its minor.
Winn earned $9.6 million last year .... $2 million next year .... c'est la vie.
Yeah, Melky only cheaper makes sense. Still, uninspiring sums it up.
The bright side is Cashman didn't have to go ask for more money. So a mid-season move is possible if necessary.
It will be fun to see where Damon lands and for how much. I thought the Yanks should have just waited him out, especially with so many other options out there between Winn, Johnson, and Baldelli. What was the rush?
I can just imagine the Sterling calls for the newest Yankee
Its just dandy for Randy ... the Yankees get a walkoff Winn!
his splits against lhp last year were ass soup:
158/184/200 - only 120abs
let's hope he can do something more along his career splits:
280/332/426
Older Melky exactly, especially with last year's platoon splits (.158/.184/.200 as RH vs. LHP). Weren't they looking for a strong righty bat to balance Gardner and Granderson?
[13] Well, Winn doesn't hit homeruns any more, so we don't have to worry.
[15] Who knows. Maybe those will be Gardner's numbers, so it really will be a balance.
Was Marquis Grissom unavailable?
Maybe Baldelli will sign a MiL contract. And, hell, I'm only 73 and a RF by trade. I work cheap.
"FanSince'48"
[18] Didn't The Joker shoot him in the first Batman movie?
The silver lining I see is that No-Arm Johnny is finally done.
[21] And we get the no hit platoon. There's a trade off.
[22] How much crow will you eat if/when Gardner is above .780 OPS with a bunch of stolen bases?
[23] Roughly the same amount as I did when Andy Phillips became a cornerstone at first base.
We will see who hits and who doesn't, won't we? Anyway, it is frankly difficult to listen to such whining when the team already has the league's best offense. They could put me in the 9 hole and still score 900 runs. And at least balls will come in from LF without needing three relays. At least every runner in the AL now will not be able to score from second on a sharply hit line drive to left. At least we won't have guys sitting with "fluttering eyes."
And speaking of eating crow, who was telling me there was no way that Gardy would play center and Grandy would play left?
http://wap.mlb.com/nyy/news/article/201001277974450/
Frankly, I wasn't blown away with Gardner's arm last year either.
Crawford in 2011?
FanSince'48
[24] So you weren't whining last year about Melky Gardner in CF?
I'm surprised at how nasty and absurdly confident this can get - in January! a.O. I agree we didn't need a serious bat for #9 and I've been an 'I'm okay with Gardner' guy all along, for that reason. But Damon fit the team, the batting slot, the clubhouse very well. Baseball may be a harsh game, and some gfans may be harsh personalities, but crowing (so to speak) at his exit this way feels way off. He's a few months froma a solid season and memorable playoff moment.
Something very weird has happened in the economics of the game (Sheets gets 10 and Damon has no job, and will likely get less than half of that?).
And, all respect to hyperbole, didn't see 'every runner in the AL scoring' on sharp hits to left. It has been dealt with here that that particular stat works out to a fairly trivial one over a season.
Still, I do see that Cashman's serious about the money here ... at 200 million, mind you. And until the trade deadline.
Is Jeter going to get 4 years at 15 million plus now? Jorge + This is a funny sport.
I wonder how much Damon would have cost, really. Because, sure, the Yankees don't "need" another bat in the nine slot, but I think that's a red herring. It's never a matter of need. Having a better hitter in the line-up would mean the Yankees would score more runs and win more games, and Damon is a better hitter than Winn. If someone ends up getting Johnny for one year at $5M, then signing Winn is a mistake.
[27] The guys at River Ave Blues suggest that Winn's arm is actually pretty good - shows what I know in [2].
They also point out that his UZR the last few years has been excellent, even with the decline in his bat in 2009.
As for Winn's bat, while he did play in the weaker league, he also played his home games in a park that kills offense, and in a division with Petco, an insane pitcher's park, and Dodger Stadium, a strong pitcher's park. That's over 60% of his games in strong-or-better pitchers' parks. Setting age aside, I'd be willing to give Winn a mulligan on his batting line from last year.
Worst comes to worst and he's toast, its just $2M. Its easy to cut him loose and find someone else to platoon with Gardner.
[31] Something tells me someone will pony up for two years of Damon, whatever the cost. And I can't blame the Yanks for not wanting Damon for two years at his age.
[33] I dunno. His leverage is very close to zero now. His alternative to a 1-year deal may be retirement -- and he might retire, sure, but I'm guessing he won't.
I don't like the move. When a player in his mid-30s sees his production fall off the cliff, the drop is generally genuine. See Bernie Williams, Roberto Alomar, Dale Murphy and countless others.
Winn may well be DFAd by Diane's birthday.
[13] "You know Suzyn, after that two game losing streak, the Yankees really were "Randy" for a "Winn" (Austin Powers voice)"
"Please stop rubbing my thigh, John."
Perhaps along with his strict budget , Cashman also had a gun-to-his-head deadline to spend every penny of it by 4pm today - or else his team would turn into the Mets.
How else do you explain signing a $2 million player who does not replace, nor have the upside of Shelley Duncan?
[5] The Toledo afternoon sports guy voted no on Damon in Detroit. IIRC, they already have a guy for leftfield and Damon's arm is too weak for that spacious CF.
Winn is underwhelming. Look for a midseason trade.
I suspect that right field in AT&T Park inflates UZR the way left field in Fenway deflates it. I wouldn't trust Winn's UZR very much.
That said, from my Bay Area perspective, if you ignore the fact that he's been vastly overpaid, I've always liked watching him. He's solid--not great or horrible at anything. Seems like a decent guy. For a 4th or 5th outfielder, a solid guy like that is not a bad thing to have. The only question is if he's getting too old.
I've calmed down somewhat over the last few hours. I really wanted Damon, and so this pissed me off, but shit happens, i guess. I think we're likely to get very little offensive production out of left field, and that's just something I'm going to have to accept. The key now is Nick Johnson. If he plays 70 games and we wind up getting nothing out of LF and DH, I think we can safely say a mistake was made here.
Seeing as Nady got $3M+ from the Cubs, maybe $2M for Winn isn't out of line...
[30] It's Mr O if you're nasty.
http://proxy.espn.go.com/mlb/hotstove09/insider/news/story?id=4862265
Let's hear it for that awesome-O Red Sox farm system and scouting department! After all, you just can't win TWO World Series championships without drafting such awesome players as Manny Ramirez, Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Johnny Damon, David Ortiz, Dice-K, Captain Varitek, J.D.Drew, Pedro Martinez and Keith Foulke!
(However, ESPN redeemed themselves with the Hot Stove U article about WAR, very interesting.)
OK, I'm late to the party tonight.
I'm pretty sure I don't get this signing, other than the desire to have a "proven veteran". I'm really surprised that a more creative solution ould not be found, or barring that, just stand pat. Randy Winn's can be gotten anytime if need be, no?
[43] So Youkilis and Pedroia are "[a]rguably the best right side of the infield in all of pro baseball," eh? Dont think so. Teix and Robbie have no equal. But Exhibit R in the case for ESPN jumping up the Red Sux ass.
[40] Luckily they have this kid, you may have heard of him....Jesus something?
He has 44 games above A Ball. Is he going to be able to come up and DH if Johnson goes on the DL for three months in May?
[47] Why not? He'll be in AAA and by all accounts his bat is already ready.
Still, assuming NJ will be hurt for three months shows your bias. He's the DH most days. Any injury is likely to be much less severe short of separating tendons from bones or tearing ligaments while running the bases. Besides, even if that were to happen, DHs can be had very cheaply.
[45] Like most things Sox, no one cares to probe the negatives very deeply. Pedroia, outside of the Green Bandbox, is a very different hitter. On the road in his career he's a .756 OPS hitter vs. a .896 OPS at home. That split is insane. He's a pull hitter with very little pop. The difference is weak flies in other parks become doubles in Fenway.
The same goes for Ellsbury - he gets 100 points in offense simply by where he plays (Home = .818 OPS vs. Away = .715 OPS).
The picture of their system, and its impact, changes pretty dramatically once you see Pedroia and Ellsbury as the .720 to .760 OPS hitters they really are.
[31] If Damon signs for $5 somewhere else then HE made the egregious mistake. He was offered $14 million for 2 years and Damon laughed at it. We will see if the Yankee offer was more than fair or even dramatically above market shortly, and then we'll see who made the mistake.
If Damon plays very well next year at $5 million somewhere else, again, it won't be Cashman's fault, it will be Damon's for not taking the guaranteed 2 years and the extra $2 million in the first year.
I hope everyone here, despite disappointment, blames Damon and not the Yankees for this outcome.
I'd also like to give a shout out to Angell in the New Yorker who said pretty strongly right after the serious that neither Matsui nor Damon would be back on the team despite their extraordinary season and post-season contributions.