7:54pm: Rosenthal takes back his previous tweet, and says that the White Sox did not make Damon a second offer. Their original offer still stands, though it is not believed to be as high as Detroit's.
Rosenthal adds that Damon and his wife "would prefer him to play in a more cosmopolitan city than Detroit," for what it's worth. What's more, Damon played golf Monday with Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski and broadcaster Hawk Harrelson.
7:39pm: The White Sox have made a second offer to free agent outfielder Johnny Damon, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com. The terms of the offer are unknown, but Rosenthal says a deal may be gaining momentum.
Yesterday we heard that there was only a "very small" difference of opinion between the Tigers and Damon's camp on salary, though this new offer from the ChiSox may have changed that dynamic.
At this point, I am agnostic about anything that’s reported about Damon.
I think Damon would be a much better fit on the Sox than Tigers. Get it done Kenny.
What is Ken Williams doing?
Collecting as many overpaid outfielders as possible?
Trying to improve his team. In case you’re not paying attention our current DH is a platoon of Andruw Jones, Mark Kotsay and others.
Yeah I agree. The Dodgers are paying most of Juan Pierre’s salary. They’ve had a great off-season and I can only expect the White Sox to play much better than last season. A platoon of Jones and Kotsay is great but I think Damon will only make them better.
I wonder if the Tigers will go after Jermaine Dye if the Sox get Johnny Damon.
How can you say a platoon of Jones and Kotsay is great? That is honestly the worst DH in the American League. There are several unemployed players right now who would most certainly outperform that two headed duo.
The White Sox haven’t done much this off-season to get excited about. Pierre is a chump. Remove his absurd couple of months and you get a guy will post an OPS around 700. Not what you want from your corner OF’er. Tehean? Meh.
So far, the Twins are the only ones who have really helped themselves in the AL Central.
Actually, I’m going to disagree. I really don’t think that that DH combo is bad at all. It is certainly no worse than half of the other AL teams’ DH or DH platoon.
Second of all, Juan Pierre is one of the best catylyst’s is Major League Baseball. He made the Dodgers better when he was in left than they were when Manny was in left. His SLG is nothing to speak of but thats ok, because his job is to get on base and steal bases. When he gets 600 AB’s, he can easily rack up 200 hits and if he stays on pace throughout his career, he will rack up 3000 hits. I think the Juan Pierre acquisition was great for the White Sox. Especially for a team that wants to get more athletic. Mark Teahen is actually a very good player. He’s a gap to gap hitter but with the short confines of U.S. Cellular Field, he could hit 15-20 Homers.
I agree with the fact that the Twins had one of the best off-seasons in Baseball (better than the White Sox) and they are probably going to win the division. But you can’t discount the work that Kenny Williams has done this off-season.
I also think that the Royals did a better job improving their team than some other teams have.
Really? Peavy was a trade made for this year, as well as the acquisition of Rios. The Peavy trade makes the Chisox rotation one of the top three in the MLB. The back end got upgraded with Putz, and if he is back to form, the Chisox have a potentially lethal set of relievers in Putz, Thorton and Jenks.
Pierre is a good pick up, with the Dodgers footing most of his salary, and addresses the Chisox’s continual leadoff problems. I think KW will address the LH hitting issue either through Damon or, more likely, a trade sometime early in the season.
Either you’re biased or haven’t done your homework here.
Being Kenny Williams…watching what Dave Dombrowski is trying to do and then swooping in offering more money just to deny Detroit a player…he is just trying to block what he can…he is still peed off because we got Miggy in 2006 and he didn’t…I find it rather hilarious…btw…for the record…I don’t want Damon…I hope they do “steal” him…lol
Rosenthal eats his words:
Take back previous tweet: #WhiteSox did not make second offer. Original offer stands and is not thought to be as high as Tigers’.
Rosenthal just tweeted the White Sox didn’t make the offer.
thanks for nothing kenny
I told you. It has become too bizarre to take seriously.
Great, Rosenthal is turning into Olney and Heyman.
At least Rosenthal admits his mistakes. Heyman thrives on bad reporting.
This is too much. Make a decision Johnny.
I personally think he wants to be in Atlanta, so he is waiting to see if they raise their offer. I also think he will be in Atlanta at the end of all of this.
Of course you do.
He’s already made it clear to O’Brien, and other writers, that he wants to be in Atlanta.
The thing is I’m a sox fan I see him as a good fit. But I know in the end he is landing in Detroit.
He once made it clear that he wanted to remain a Yankee, and four years before thatl a R. Sock.
But that was before the Thrashers traded away Damon’s favorite Atlanta hockey player, Kari Lehtonen to Dallas. All bets are off now!
come on Kenny, man up and sign him.
If Braves could get him for dirt cheap great otherwise let Detroit have him.
Rosenthal just wrote a article that says Damon’s wife doesn’t wanna be in Detroit.
I don’t blame her but chances are that is where the most money is.
so is rosenthal saying that he ~tweeted~ something without being completely sure of what he was saying? HAS HE NO RESPECT FOR THE WRITTEN WORD?!?!
Johnny Damon and his snobby pretentious wife can move on. We don’t need that skank or her neanderthal looking husband here anyway. I was pretty ambivalent, until she started talking about MY city. She better let him sign somewhere or they won’t have enough money for her to keep up with her cosmopolitan life style. Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth… witch! Like like the south side of Chicago or Atlanta are that much better… give me a freaking break
lol Damon would never spend anytime on the south side if he signed with the White Sox
Hard to fault someone for not wanting to go to Detroit. I’m sure it’s a nice place but my wife would have the exact same response if I told her that work was relocating me there. And I can assure you, she is not snobby or pretentious. Detroit has a reputation of being one of (if not the) worst big cities in America.
Don’t knock what you don’t know about, fellas… It’s pretty nice here and the suburbs are pretty posh.
That’s ok Chik…let’s keep our rep intact and keep the fakes and wannabes in the “cosmopolitan” cities…Detroit is for Detroiters…forget everyone else! 😉 if they don’t like it like you said…move on…
“Rosenthal adds that Damon and his wife “would prefer him to play in a more cosmopolitan city than Detroit,” for what it’s worth.”
Wow…
Rumor was she was the major force behind Damon jumping ship to the yanks in the first place. I’m never sure how much stock to put in the “players wife says” rumors but Damon has always struck me as the kinda guy who prefers the spotlight or at least likes people to know he’s in the spotlight. I’m betting he goes where he thinks he gets the most attention.
I just don’t think that Chicago is more of a cosmopolitian city than Detriot.
I’d disagree on that.
That chick better check herself. It’s not like Johnny is Mr. Loyal. Before she knows it she’ll be out on her A$$ for wife #3.
I don’t buy into his wife is calling the shots. I think he will go were the most money is & playing time/spotlight.
I’m sick of this whole story. I’ll bet the White Sox, Braves and Tigers will go on with their season, with or without Johnny Damon.
Please, the next we hear of this should be he signed somewhere. End of story.
“I’ll bet the White Sox, Braves and Tigers will go on with their season, with or without Johnny Damon.”
I am gonna say that goes for just about every team
Come on Kenny seal the deal, this is the last piece we need
This reeks of a Boras ploy to get Detroit to make some concessions. I really don’t believe the Sox are in this.
I understand why you say that but everyone keeps trying to say the Sox are not in it yet there keeps being smoke that says otherwise, going to be interesting to see.
I am positive the Sox are in this. Mostly as a reaction to the Twins signing Hudson.
If the Tigers had such a better offer that he liked he would of taken it. I have a feeling he will be with the Sox and he will sign before Spring Training starts.
Doubt it.
lets not forget johnny and AJ are child hood friends….and for the comment of over paid out fielders who is over paid? jones and his 500k from us but 18 million from the dodgers and juan and his 4+ from the didgers..HA i never even thought of this before the dodgers are paying the whitesox 22 million for two guys to play for us and not for them…haha and Rios is not over paid i heard many different baseball people say his contract makes sense for his D..and think about this Rios’ deal is much much cheaper than torii hunters that kenny offered a few yrs ago(actually more than the angles deal weird) and his D is just as good and besides this year his bat has been pretty close to torii…
anyway johnny and AJ are child hood friends so you know he is talking to him about how nice it is to play here much like linebrink did to help sway peavy last season.
Rios is overpaid. He’s being paid an average of over $12M for 5 years and there’s a provision in his contract that increases his salary if traded (since it was a waiver claim I don’t think that clause matters). Add to that over the last 3 years he’s been in the bottom third in major league outfielders OPS, last year he was third to last. Also last year he posted a negative UZR. But even assuming he goes back to career defensive numbers at center field, he’s simply above average… not gold glove, just good. You really believe no bat and an above average glove is worth $12M a year?
Yes he is overpaid. He will return to norm and be overpaid with the current market. But by how much? If the Red Sox give Cameron nearly $8MM per year, at $12MM per year Rios is overpaid maybe $2MM.
The fact we did not give anyone up for him makes up a lot.
kenny should offer him a spring training invite and if IF he makes the team he gets a 2 yr 20 million dollar contract if he does not he gets cut lose not costing us anything ahaha best deal ever
Sorry, why wouldn’t he make the team out of spring training? Oh right, Juan Pierre will take that LF spot right?
Mainly by that last comment i was kidding but If that could even happen i would say it would be a 3 way competition for RF/LF and DH…the Rf competition between Carlos and Jones the Lf competition between Johnny and Juan and the DH competition between all 4
lot of people have stated that jones has lost a ton of weight and gotten back into full time shape. If defensively he is anything close to the 10 time gold glover he was in the ATl I would give him an out field spot and put with juan or Carlos at DH..the nice thing about signing Johnny and the same goes for jones is they can play all 3 Of positions
Why stop at 2 years give him 4 yr 40 million dollar contract, ahaha best deal ever. Get it done Kenny!
if this is any indication about the white sox getting damon Monday night He played golf with Aj and Ken “Hawk” Harrelson…HMMM Playing gold with the catcher and former GM/ current TV voice of the whitesox, I wondering if he might sign with us…thats going to piss jones and kotsay off but if he does sign with us and jones and kotsay still make the team thats a strong bench
playing golf** not gold sorry i was not paying attention to what i was typing…
I just got done reading that, if you sign him great if not he will go to Detroit. Either way Damon fits better in Chicago or Detroit than Atlanta.
it would make more sense if he wants to win a championship to play in chicago but if all he cares about money go for that mythical 2/14 deal in det
curious where you read this at? or do you live in the orlando area
read what the golf thing its on link to bases.nbcsports.com
all this damon stuff proves that ken rosenthal does not know anything saying there was no offer from the wsox the saying there was…jeez ken just stop and get out of sports you know nothing
nbcsports DOT com and search for hardball talk its a baseball site much like this…this is better but they everyonce and a while have breaking stuff before tim does..
thanks
Come on Tim where you at on reporting this…NBC sports got to it before you…sad day just playing man your site is still the best
“Comopolitan” haha this guys a joke. Guess he doesn’t realize that probably the wealthiest suburb in the state lies directly across the 8 mile border from Detroit… and honestly how much time are you going to spend in the city? Get this joker out of here
Cosmopolitan pretty much means you like to spend time in the city, not the suburbs, no matter how wealthy they are. Chicago has much more to offer in terms of art, museums, night life, shopping…
I’m guessing that by “cosmopolitan,” Damon’s wife means “a place in which one can get hammered on expensive drinks and have a reasonable chance of seeing equally vapid famous people” — a definition that fits Chicago better than Detroit, but not as much as she would probably like. It’s all pretty pointless, though, as I’m not confident that Johnny Damon’s wife can define a four syllable word with any more accuracy than can you guys.
Or rather, five. Ace proofreading there, Dave.
that same site does say that he would probably be the starting left fielder…I would assume that moves Juan to CF and rios to RF and Carlos to DH
I love it. The thought of Johhny playin DH and spelling guys in the OF…….hitting at The Cell and in pressure situations…..it all just fits. GO SOX.
BigDaddy67
First, get your facts straight, DET got Maggs in 2005, not 2006 as you state…..and I’m sure KW is still “peed” that he didn’t “get” Maggs…..Oh yea, the Sox/KW missed him in 2005 didn’t they? LOL.
Also, KW isn’t swooping in at the last minute and offering MORE money to block DET….they don’t need to offer more…they’re actually offering less money because they are a class/winning organization and Damon’s wife don’t wanna live in a dump like DET (can anyone blame her?).
Hows that Maggs signing been workin out for ya last couple years? Enjoy!
KW didn’t want maggs because he had serious injury… DET got a few good years out of him, but he’s obviously sucked and overpaid the past 2 years.
Well- I’d say Jermaine Dye worked out much better than Maggs.
My chalkboard says “81” for Rosenthal errors and gaffes. You just gotta know that, retraction or not, Johnny’s nickname (should he join Detroit) will be “Cosmo.” Metsville had it right. There are plenty of fine places to live in the suburbs of Detroit. Unfortunately, Johnny’s wife is used to NYC and Boston, where there is tremendous access to the finer things in life, for both the sophisticated, as well as the spoiled.
What makes Detroit look even worse in this:
Tigers trade a 29 year old Granderson for a 36 year old Damon and some prospects… another good move DET!! Hopefully Maggs, Dontrelle Willis, Zumaya ALL HAVE A GREAT YEAR!!! And Cabrera’s fun drunk times with Sox are over!!!
lol, no thanks. Teahan took his number already anyway.
They can just unretire a number for him.
Actually, I agree 100%.
I would much rather see Raburn in left with Everett or Sizemore out of the lineup. Maybe a platoon. Lopez would be great on the Tigers.
I’ll have to agree, it would be great if everyone pulled their offer just before the start of spring training. But that won’t happen.
Amen Metsville!
But isn’t it a given fact that Damon and his wife don’t have to live in Chicago or Detriot? Ann Arbor is a nice city, Lansing as well. And there are some nice places to live near Northwestern outside of Chicago I think. He should just pick his team based on the players, Manager, and Playing time.
Just pick a team already Johnny. You had the whole off-season to explore cosmopolitian cities.
Okay I guess you are right. But shouldn’t Damon pick his team based on Baseball. half of the season he will be on the road. He’s made it known that he’s going for the money after rejecting the Yankees last offer. If I were him, I’d pick my team based on the players on the team, Manager, and chance to play every day. Not based on the type of city it is.
My take was that he was told by a source this was happening and the White Sox either decided against it or simply haven’t submitted it yet.
If it was Boras feeding him there is no reason he would take back that statement.
He’d only have to go as far as Birmingham. Magglio and his family have a gorgeous mansion there. So do Binge, Nate, Biggy, Carlos and I am pretty sure that all of them are overpaid WAY more than Damon. (and live pretty nice lifestyles) so i don’t know what her problem is. What is she such a socialite that she needs to go to a garden party? She’s married to a baseball player for crying out loud. It’s part of the lifestyle. We don’t need him anyway. DD should be looking at infield options… one that’s a lefty preferably.
The Tigers didn’t sign Everett just to let him ride the bench. They paid him to have a great glove at SS, and sacrifice bunt. Sizemore should be given his chance at the MLB to see if he can perform. What kind of team would everybody have if they never let rookies come up and just signed free agents to fill holes?
3B – Inge: Has a lot of power when healthy, and great glove.
SS – Everett: Great glove, good at bunting.
2B – Sizemore: Rookie that deserves his chance. Supposed to be a decent hitter.
1B – Cabrera: MVP candidate.
Utility – Santiago: Good bench player.
I don’t see why he should be “looking at infield options”
So what happens if Inge’s knees are not what they were since surgery? And although Inge has an excellent glove, he’s not a power hitter, he doesn’t have a lot of power, unless you’re talking about throwing the ball…as opposed to swinging at it. You realize Inge is going to miss the bigger part of spring training still rehabbing his knees, don’t you?
What if Sizemore snaps that ankle again, don’t say it can’t happen or won’t happen because anything is possible. Especially after a broken bone, it will never be 100% again.
Who would you trust at 3rd if something did happen to Inge? Do you really want to leave Everett at SS everyday so Ramon can play 2nd everyday if Sizemore can’t cut it? I don’t want Everett at SS everyday, he’s overrated – not that great, If I have to see him at SS everyday, I’ll pass on his bunting.
Don’t forget Sizemore has never played in the majors for any length of time, sometimes those number don’t translate, top prospect or not. I would rather have a proven infield bat. Not saying Scott can’t do it, but I would rather have a little insurance based on what I know about 2nd and 3rd base this season.
You know once a broken bone has healed it is stronger then before right?
If that’s true, then in that portion of my comment I stand corrected.
Only if it heals properly. As long as nothing is rushed but I’m pretty sure healed or not Sizemore will be on the field as soon as he can.
Good point.