Johnny Damon told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that he considers the Yankees a “perfect fit” for his services given their need for a left-handed hitting DH. The Yankees don’t hold any grudges over the way Damon’s first stint in New York ended, but they haven’t offered him a contract this offseason, and they don’t seem likely to make final decisions on their DH opening until the A.J. Burnett intrigue ends.
Despite rumblings that Damon is altering his offensive approach now that he’s just 277 hits away from the 3,000 hit milestone, he says he's not changing as a player as he nears personal accomplishments.
“It's never been a driving force for me,” he told Heyman. “I always had the intention of being a good teammate."
Damon hit .261/.326/.418 with 16 homers and 29 doubles in 582 plate appearances in 2011. He was Tampa Bay's primary DH last year, but maintains he could still play the field if necessary. I examined Damon's free agent stock in November, concluding that another modest one-year deal is likely. The Scott Boras client appeared to be seeking a $5MM deal about a month ago.
He can seek any amount he wants. What a team will give him is a completely different matter, and it doesn’t look like $5MM is in the cards.
I believe he will likely end up with $3M max at this point.
Whoa, Jon Heyman trying to get a Boras client work?! Well I never!
Once the Burnett deal is completed, the next step will be signing Damon. The Ibanez news is there simply to drive down Scott Boras’ asking price for Damon.
Damon should be back on they yannkees
Johnny! come back to New York PLEASE!!!!!!!!! Who is Raul Ibanez anyway? I would take Damon over him any day!