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Johnny Damon

Holliday Would Play Anywhere

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Like Jason Bay, Matt Holliday is choosing not to rule out any potential suitors. Holliday told Jody McDonald and Rob Dibble of SIRIUS XM Radio that he's open to signing anywhere; Newsday's Ken Davidoff has the transcript.

"I've been around, and I've lived in some big cities so I would say that I'm open to any sort of coast or city," Holliday said. "Obviously I've never lived in some of the big cities on the East Coast, but at the same time, I've spent some time there."

Davidoff writes that Holliday considers the Yankees his first choice and the Mets his second choice. The Yankees may simply bring Johnny Damon back, but Davidoff says the Mets consider Holliday a "serious" option for their left field vacancy.

Rosenthal: Damon Will Seek Abreu Money

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Ken Rosenthal's latest entry in the offseason blog at FOX Sports says that he believes Scott Boras will likely use Bobby Abreu's two-year, $19MM contract as a baseline for fellow 36-year-old outfielder Johnny Damon.

Damon put up a career year in his age 35 season, belting out 24 home runs en route to a line of .284/.365/.489. And, as Rosenthal is careful to point out, while Damon did play in the homer-happy Yankee Stadium, he also posted a career high OPS+ of 126, a stat which is adjusted to both league and home park.

Damon and Abreu both offer a good mix of speed and power, though they both have the same weakness – subpar defense in the outfield. If the Yankees are looking to bring back Damon on a one- or two-year deal, as we've heard in the past, they may have to open their wallets a little wider than originally thought. Should teams back away from a price tag that high, or is Damon worth that type of money? Fangraphs valued Damon's production this season at $13.6MM, and $16.4MM in 2008.

Odds & Ends: Chapman, Cubs, Holliday, Damon

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Links for Saturday afternoon …

  • Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News spoke with a baseball executive who believes the Yankees will wind up with Aroldis Chapman.  "My bet is that it'll come down to the Yankees and Red Sox, like it always does…" said the executive. "And I think the Yankees will get him.  They can give him a big-league contract over five years for $20 million and they don't even feel that."
  • The NY Post's Bart Hubbuch reports that the rumored three-way deal involving Milton Bradley, Kevin Millwood and Luis Castillo "isn't happening because the Rangers aren't interested in giving up Millwood so easily." He also mentions that the Mets aren't expected to make any majors moves until the Winter Meetings in two weeks.
  • Paul Sullivan at The Chicago Tribune rounds up some Cubs' rumors all in one convenient spot, just like our Cubs archive.
  • Meanwhile, Phil Rogers of The Chicago Tribune posted his projections on where some notable free agents will land. He sees Matt Holliday signing with Boston, while both Jason Bay and John Lackey land with the Angels.
  • Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post Dispatch notes that the market for Holliday is diminished because officials from the Angels and Giants said they "would not be vying" for his services. 
  • The Yankees' biggest focus right now is finding a "common ground" with Johnny Damon, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff. Hideki Matsui seems to be less of a priority. 
  • Larry LaRue of The News Tribune says that the Josh Johnson situation in Florida represents the worst-case scenario for the Mariners and Felix Hernandez.
  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a report that says Yusei Kikuchi has inked his first pro contract with the Seibu Lions. Kikuchi will not be eligible for international free agency for at least nine years, though Seibu could make him available through the posting process before that.

Stark On Bradley, Uggla, Yankees, Braves, Pedro

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ESPN.com's Jayson Stark responds to some of Scott Boras' recent comments before providing some rumors in his latest Rumblings and Grumblings column:

  • The Rays, Rangers and Jays appear to be the three likeliest landing spots for Milton Bradley. The Cubs say they don't want to eat much of the $21MM remaining on Bradley's contract, so a bad contract swap still seems possible.
  • Stark hears that the Marlins were in serious trade talks with the Giants and Rangers about Dan Uggla.
  • There's no indication that the Yankees are in on Jason Bay or Matt Holliday at this point. The Yanks figure to negotiate firmly with Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.
  • The Braves would like to trade for a cleanup-hitter and are expected to try to extend Javier Vazquez if they can move Derek Lowe and his contract.
  • The Phillies don't appear to have a preference at third base, though they're said to be considering Placido Polanco, Mark DeRosa and Adrian Beltre.
  • At least two executives believe Pedro Martinez fits best as a half-year starter next season.

Rogers On White Sox, Gamel, Cabrera, Yankees

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The White Sox have a new third baseman of the future, writes Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune. Dayan Viciedo held his own as a 20-year-old in AA this year (.708 OPS), but Brent Morel has passed him on Rogers' depth chart with a torrid stint in the Arizona Fall League. Here are the rest of Rogers' rumors:

  •  A's GM Billy Beane likes what he sees from pitching prospect Fautino de los Santos, who is hitting the mid-nineties as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
  • Casey McGehee has emerged as a solid player, but the Brewers are reluctant to trade Mat Gamel, even if it would net them the starting pitching they covet.
  • The Twins are talking to Orlando Cabrera about returning to play second base.
  • Rogers says the Yankees are more likely to sign Johnny Damon than Hideki Matsui.

Heyman On Damon, Lackey, Crede

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After working the lobby all week at the Chicago GM Meetings, SI's Jon Heyman has the latest hot stove chatter…

  • The Giants "appear to have emerged as one potential competitor" for the services of Johnny Damon.
  • The Rangers met with John Lackey's agent yesterday, though they're not expected to have that kind of money available.  Heyman adds that the Brewers and Mariners haven't ruled out signing the righty.
  • Joe Crede is among the third base candidates the Orioles will consider.  We heard about Adrian Beltre, Mark DeRosa, and Pedro Feliz earlier today.
  • Lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez "appears very popular in the free agent market."  If that's true, then the Braves figure to offer arbitration to Gonzalez, a Type A.
  • Mets GM Omar Minaya said some teams have shown interest in second baseman Luis Castillo, and Heyman says the Dodgers have spoken to the Mets.  Castillo has $12MM coming over the next two years and it might be time to sell relatively high.

Rosenthal And Morosi On Yankees, Vizquel, Bradley

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Let's check in once more on Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi, as they continue to pass on rumors in their FOX Sports blog.

  • If the Yankees were to let Johnny Damon go, they'd have plenty of other options, and not just left fielders. Some baseball people feel that New York should be focusing on center field instead of left, and the team has long coveted Mike Cameron. He could potentially replace Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner until Austin Jackson is major-league ready.
  • Omar Vizquel will not return to Texas in 2010. A source tells Rosenthal and Morosi that Vizquel is looking for a role similar to the one he had with the Rangers, but on a higher-profile team.
  • The Cubs and Rays are still discussing a possible Milton Bradley–Pat Burrell swap, but it doesn't sound like the two sides are close on the money issue. One of the report's sources describes talks as "worse than Chinese water torture."

Yankees Notes: Damon, Matsui, Chapman

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In his recap of the third day of the GM meetings, Lohud.com's Chad Jennings has a few quotes from New York GM Brian Cashman that hint at the Yankees' upcoming moves. Here are the highlights:

  • When asked about retaining both Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon, Cashman says: “If I did that I wouldn’t have room for anybody else unless I made trades." Cashman seems to be referring to position players here, so how much flexibility they have to add pitching could be another story.
  • It's a possibility that the Yankees could re-sign both Damon and Matsui, since they still trust Damon's ability to play left field.  Matsui, on the other hand, would again be relegated to DH duty, although Cashman notes that another team could view him as an outfielder. Based on comments we heard earlier today, that seems unlikely.
  • Expanding on whether or not the Yankees would be active in the trade market, Cashman was a little vague: "What necessarily fits and what doesn’t and asking prices, we’ll have to determine and work out. That’s all for another day."
  • Jennings talked to one source who picks the Yankees and Red Sox as the most likely destinations for Aroldis Chapman. The source also said that Chapman's raw talent is just as good as advertised, despite his erratic control.

Boras Seeking Long-Term Deal For Damon?

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Joel Sherman of the New York Post says Scott Boras "sounded as if he wants a three- or four-year deal for Johnny Damon" in comments made yesterday.  Sherman also questions Boras' willingness to take less than the $13MM salary Damon made the last four years.  Such demands would take the Yanks out of the mix for Damon's services, no matter what Boras says about his client's gene pool.

Boras' Damon comments don't mean much, until one team actually emerges that is willing to guarantee three years.  Last year Boras somehow got us talking about ten years for Mark Teixeira and five for Manny Ramirez, so it's customary to aim higher than reality.  But, Sherman says the Yankees "might not want to offer Damon even a two-year deal," and that does seem possible on the open market.  In a blog post, Sherman recommends a two-year, $26MM agreement between Damon and the Yankees.  He adds that the Yankees do not want to offer arbitration to Damon.

Meanwhile, Sherman tweets a comment from Hideki Matsui's agent Arn Tellem that suggests Matsui wants to play for another three years.  How many contracts that will take, we're not sure yet.  Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News surveyed more than six GMs about Matsui, and all agreed that he cannot play the outfield. 

The Japanese media was all over the GM Meetings in Chicago, and Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along their Matsui rumors.  Specifically, there might be interest from the Red Sox and Angels as a Plan B.  Also, this is weird…the Huffington Post commissioned Tellem to write a sales pitch for Matsui.

Yankees Could Keep Pettitte, Damon, Matsui

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2:15pm: Just because the Yankees would prefer to keep Damon on a one-year deal doesn't mean that's possible. Speaking to Jon Heyman, Scott Boras compared Damon to Jorge Posada, who got a four-year deal and Derek Jeter, who is expected to receive one, too.

11:49am: Lohud.com's Chad Jennings notes that the October and November performances by Pettitte, Damon, and Matsui won't affect the team's decisions on whether to bring the players back. The quote from Cashman: “What they were when they went into October, that’s what they still are regardless of how well or how poorly they played in October."

11:10am: Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News also reports that the Yankees have interest in retaining both Damon and Matsui on one-year deals. In another article, Feinsand writes that the Yankees are "intrigued" by John Lackey.

9:20am: After months of talk that the Yankees would only keep one of Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that the World Champions will try to re-sign both players, plus Andy Pettitte. The Yankees are more intent on retaining their own free agents than they are on acquiring Matt Holliday, Jason Bay or John Lackey.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman would prefer to bring all three back on one-year deals to minimize risk. Teams might be reluctant to sign Damon – a Type A free agent – if the Yanks offer arbitration, because they'd lose a draft pick. The Yankees would have to be prepared to pay Damon $15MM or so if they offer arbitration, so they may try to work out a deal in the $10MM range instead.

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