Fare Thee Well, Mr. Damon
Three very different feelings this morning:
First and foremost, thank you Johnny Damon. He was mostly good, at times great but more than anything, his legacy will be this:
As a sports fan, Damon’s Game 7 Grand Slam was the single greatest high I have ever experienced. I was never a huge fan of the Idiot act but Damon always played his ass off so it never bothered me. He got on base well, hit with a little pop and though his range appears to have declined, he played a whale of a centerfield for the most part during his stint here. He gave the Boston Red Sox and its fans four good, hard years and again, the memory of a lifetime that still sends chills up my spine.
Now, with that said, thank the Good Lord we didn’t sign this deal. Warning signs for Damon abound. For starters, he’s 32. The Yankees have committed $52 million for Damon’s 32-35 seasons. Remember, he’s a centerfielder who derives much of his value from his ability to cover ground like a gazelle in centerfield. He does not have Jim Edmonds’ power, a characteristic more likely to stick with an aging player. There are also performance issues at the plate with Damon. On the road from 2002-2004, he hit an unspectacular .278/.340/.433. In 2005, he hit .298/.342/.438. In his last two seasons, two of his three best as a pro, he has seen his numbers greatly inflated by a high batting average at Fenway Park. A lifetime .290 hitter, he batted .334 at Fenway in 2005 and .330 in 2004. I heard Johnny Damon speaking on Boston’s local CBS affiliate last night and he mentioned that the Sox “just didn’t step up.” Well in this particular instance, I have to say I am glad they didn’t.
Finally, making prudent decisions is all well and good but you do of course need a centerfielder, and at this particular moment in time, the Sox find themselves backed into quite a corner. In the outfield the Red Sox have an all-world slugger that wants out, no centerfielder and a rightfielder unlikely to log more than 500 plate appearances who needs a platoon partner when he is healthy anyway. In other words, the Sox need to get to work. Compounding the problem is that other executives will doubtless be able to smell blood. Desperation has never helped anybody, at any time, at any bargaining table. Coco Crisp is an enticing option but I can’t imagine that a savvy General Manager like Mark Shapiro is eager to part with him without a healthy haul in return. Jeremy Reed could look good in a Sox uniform if he’s your thing but you’d really be putting a lot of faith in his development if you were to deal for a kid like that. Yes he raked at Long Beach State (largely as a 1st Baseman mind you), yes he raked in the Minors, but what the hell do you make of a .254/.322/.352 rookie season in which advanced defensive metrics showed him to be above average at best in centerfield? 2005 had better be a mere hiccup if Reed’s going to be the guy. I have said it before and I will say it again. I’m pounding the table on Jason Michaels of the Philadelphia Phillies. Michaels hit .304/.399/.415 in 2005 and though not of a prototypical centerfielder’s build, there is little evidence that he can’t do a good job out there. Further, with Philadelphia’s desperate need for starting pitching, the Red Sox surplus of starters and Philadelphia GM Pat Gillick’s earlier acquisition of Aaron Rowand, it would seem to me that a deal could work.
Off to the West Coast tonight, folks. Take care of yourselves and hug loved ones. People like hugs.
December 21st, 2005 at 1:46 pm
I have anticipated this for awhile–it just seemed too obviously symbolic not to happen given the Yankees’ intense need for a CF. I am also of the opinion that while the switch from Fenwaty to Yankee will hurt Damon’s numbers, he has the foot speed and skills base to age well.
Looking over both teams’ rosters and situations, I think the Yankees were right to overcommit to Damon and the Red Sox were right not to. With the additions of Marte and Beckett, the presence of Youkilis, and Pedroia and a couple of other good prospects, the Red Sox seem set up to maintain good teams for the next few years, and, perhaps, make big FA moves in 2006 or 2007.
The Yankees need to try to win the WS while they still can, and I think Cashman has addressed ther needs well, if riskily, upgrading CF, BP, and backup C, and I think bringing back Cairo as a utiliy IF would be useful, too.
So, as I see it today, the Red Sox are clearly in better shape long-term, but the Yankees have a chance to have a really great team–a 105-win team–in 2006 if things break right.
December 21st, 2005 at 4:04 pm
Damon last year: .316 .366 .439
Loretta career: .301 .365 .408
I’m not worried about losing Damon. Loretta and Youk can be 1, 2 in the order and be better than Damon, Renteria.
We still need a SS and CF, but we don’t need to break the bank to get them.
December 21st, 2005 at 5:35 pm
This deal makes the yankees older and more expensive. They only have 2 guys younger than I am on their projected opening day roster (cano and wang dang doodle) and I am old and my body already breaks down like RJ’s back.
They will have injuries next year and no trade bait to replace them. They are very thin up and down the roster. I am not afraid.
December 21st, 2005 at 9:53 pm
where on the west coast? i’m an irrational red sox fan living in san francisco. i just started a new red sox blog an dwantedto invite you to make a visit. here is my inaugural post: “Speaking of gorillas in Times Square, Johnny Damon, the hairy one, is now a Yankee. He has chosen the Evil Empire over allegiance to the city, team, and fans that made him a baseball icon. My wife was shocked when I told her that Damon signed with the Yankees. Her response, “Wait a minute, I liked him. What about loyalty? Oh no, that’s just wrong!” My daughter Ashley (eight years old) said, “Damon is a Yankee, how did that happen?” I just closed my eyes and re-imagined an October moment from 2004, “the year” > It was the top of the second inning, Yankee Stadium, the sacks were racked, and Damon “yanks” a grand slam into the right field bleachers, and the lights on the scoreboard blinked from 2-0 to 6-0… I remember that moment like it was right now. And with that moment re-imagined, I was OK. Johnny Damon fulfilled his destiny as the center fielder for the Boston Red Sox, he helped bring joy unspeakable and a lasting peace to the heart of Red Sox Nation. And now he is a member of the New York Yankees, the greatest chokers in the history of professional sports. Adieu #18.”
peter burch, redsoxbloggers.blgospot.com
December 21st, 2005 at 11:16 pm
Robin-
to be a 105 win team, you need to have at least one good, consistent starter, which the yankees do not have. Also, they have 1 decent setup guy who won’t be there until the all star break, another who’s a headcase, and an excellent closer.
Does anyone think the Yankees can beat the ridiculous amalgam of pitching the White Sox have? Or the Indians, for that matter?
December 22nd, 2005 at 11:44 am
I am in Long Beach au moment, Peter.
December 22nd, 2005 at 6:35 pm
Sean,
Relax. It’s the holidays after all.
They probably won’t win 105, and I hope they don’t. But they have upgraded their bullpen, their CF, and their backup C spot. I think Cashman will have enough brains to add a couple of more pieces to the bench. These holes hurt the 2005 Yankees badly, and they still went 95-67 (they were a little lucky to win that many).
The Yankees’ main problem is age. How good a season they have in 2006 will depend largely on how much age-related decline they face in 2006. If it is minimal, they will have a very good team.
Long-term, I like the Red Sox situation and I think the Red Sox will contend in 2006. But the Yankees have made some much better decisions this winter than they did last winter.
As far as the rotation, I think it will be OK. With Villone, Myers and Fransworth, head case or no, I think the pen is better.
December 22nd, 2005 at 7:24 pm
The Yanks pen is better. Nobody knows whose rotation is better, though I’d be inclined to give Boston a slight edge. The Yanks are better than the Sox at 1B, SS, 3B and CF. I’d call RF a wash and give LF, 2B and DH to the Sox. But the Sox are not done this off-season. Not by a longshot.