The Indians have agreed to sign Johnny Damon to a one-year deal worth $1.25MM plus incentives. He'll play left field in Cleveland and will be allowed to leave if the team stops playing him regularly. Here are some details on Damon's new deal…
- Damon's deal doesn't include a set opt-out date, Peter Gammons of MLB Network tweets. Rather, Damon and GM Chris Antonetti have agreed to address the issue if the outfielder isn't getting enough chances to hit.
- Associated Press reporter Tom Withers hears Damon will start his Indians career on a minor league contract and get a Major League contract when the team adds him to the 40-man roster (Twitter link).
If the Indians are ok with this, I’m not sure it’s fair to criticize, but this contract seems to create an entirely different category of player-someone who gets the playing time he thinks he’s entitled to or he gets to take his bat and ball and go play with someone else. Why would Cleveland take control away from the FO and the manager like this? So Johnny gets to take AB’s for pay while Sizemore is out, then gets to hop to the next team who has an injury? I like Damon, but talk about self-absorbed? Great message to the rest of the team.
Because both sides get what they need; maybe the indians aren’t interested in keeping him the whole year. Maybe it’s the coming of the true rent-a-player.
It appears to be a not too bad contract for the indians as well. If Damon’s play falters, or Sizemore returns the Indians can put him on the bench. If he decides to leave they need not pay him when he does. The pressure is on Damon to produce. If he doesn’t produce and leaves, who’s to say that some other team will pick him up mid-season?
It does set up an interesting dynamic. If Damon sits, he’s going to want to leave for whatever place is willing to give him AB’s, but if there are no teams like that he’s not going to opt out. There’s no reason for an also-ran team to take him mid season. With the no trade clause, he can’t be sent anywhere without his consent, so even if a contender were interested in him for the stretch run as a 4th outfielder/dh, they would need his ok (meaning they would have to pay him more). But he probably really only cares about getting the ab’s at this stage, so he would have to be really lucky-a contender who wants him to play pretty much full time because of an injury. Boras would want to maximize the return, so he would want to discuss in advance before opting out, but I suppose that would be tampering on the part of the interested team as long as he was under contract to the Indians. I can’t imagine they would waive that.
Hey, he’s been playing for a long time,he played for Tampa last year he’s a great player and they did give him a contact
Here is the bottom line if and when Grady comes back and Damon is producing he does not want to stay here if they would continue to start a stiff like Brantley if he is producing and Brantley is not.
That is all this is about Damon wants to be treated fairly that is all.