Damon and Yankees Talking

Looks like I was wrong, wouldn’t be the first time. A few months ago, I said there was no chance that the New York Yankees brought back outfielder Johnny Damon but its looking like I could be wrong. Ken Davidoff of Newsday says that the two sides have been talking about Damon taking a role with the team. Ken says he has four sources that say negotiations have taken place.

Four sources said that Damon and the Yankees were talking about a role in which Damon, 37, would get occasional at-bats as a designated hitter and fill in at leftfield, allowing starting leftfielder Brett Gardner to either rest or shift to fill in for centerfielder Curtis Granderson or rightfielder Nick Swisher.

Damon would prefer a job with more guaranteed playing time, two of the sources said, so a deal is not close and far from guaranteed. But there have been multiple conversations between the two sides.(Newsday)

I’m not surprised they’re far off on a deal, the two sides are both looking for something different. The Yankees want veteran depth in their outfield while Damon wants a regular job. Personally, I don’t know if Damon will find that kind of job anywhere, the closest thing to one he might get is with the Yankees.

I loved how the Yankees played hardball with him last year and I hope they do the same now. The Bombers need to continue with what they’ve done all off-season, show patience. It’s not time to panic and force something. If Damon is the teams best option at adding outfield depth, then do it but on their terms.

In Detroit, Damon made $8 million a number like that sounds like top dollar for a player of his age and caliber. If the Yankees can get him on a one-year deal worth six to eight million, then I would go for it.

In Detroit, Johnny was a starter to sign with the Yankees he’ll have to accept that those days are over. Although with New York he could probably get close to the numbers, not his usual 140+ games, but he could probably see somewhere around 100. How? Spelling all three outfielders and also getting some time in the designated hitter role.

—-

With how the Yankees off-season has gone, I’ve started to warm up the idea of bringing Damon in. The moment Cliff Lee signed with the Philadelphia Phillies my thought was Ok, the Yankees will now have their deepest, most well rounded team in YEARS! Bringing Johnny back would help this occur although I do have to question his motives and his loyalty.

Just a few weeks ago, Damon was saying he still loved Boston and would love to help them win.

Like what you read? Then follow us on TWITTER for more updates

Tags: Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Johnny Damon, MLB, New York Yankees