ADKbrown wrote:
Speaking of Damon, do you think he's worth $13M a year for the next four seasons? As a Yankees fan, I suppose I should be glad, but it looks like his best season was six years ago. He hit another peak the year the Sox won the Series. His followup season, while still solid, showed a bit of a dropoff. He's 32, so we can expect more signs of decline.
I was surprised but not shocked that Damon signed with the Yanks. All during the season, I was positive he would be the Opening Day 2006 center fielder in the Bronx. But as the offseason progressed and Boras didn't budge from seven years, $84 mil, I got the feeling he was going to get six years and an option for around that amount from the Red Sox, who couldn't afford to lose him for several reasons.
Damon's contract is market value, in my opinion. Most news reports here in New York pointed out that the Yankees gave the same deal to Hideki Matsui last month, and I thought Matsui was a bit underpaid, given his production. Damon is pretty much a complete player, poor arm aside. What Damon may lack in home run power compared to Matsui, he makes up for with exceptional speed and baserunning instincts.
Damon just turned 32 on Nov. 5, so he will finish next season at age 32 and will be 35 at the end of his Yankee contract. This is not a decrepit player on his metaphorical last legs. He is probably bound for a DL stint at some point in his Yankee contract; the team just has to hope it's not a long one. It bodes well, though, that he has yet to spend any time on the DL in his career.
The bottom line is that Damon is exactly what the Yankees needed to fill their center-field opening. The Yankees didn't have to give up what few prospects they still have to get him. And Damon's defection seriously weakens the Red Sox on the field.
If all the hitters stay healthy, the Yankees could well score more than a thousand runs next year. And with their aged pitching staff, they could need every one of those runs.
Brian Cashman, the Yankee GM, has had a pretty great offseason. He has restocked the bullpen with the best arms that were available on the market (B.J. Ryan declined to come to the Yanks) and addressed the team's one glaring offensive (if not defensive) gap with Damon's signing. Hats off to him.