Johnny Damon would like to play for the Tigers, agent Scott Boras informed Lynn Henning of the Detroit News. Boras praised Damon's 189 successful plate appearances at Comerica Park and says the outfielder believes he can make the Tigers a winner. However, as of January 15th, the Tigers had not expressed interest in Damon. MLB.com's Jason Beck dissects the situation in today's mailbag.
Damon's future remains unclear – the Blue Jays and Rays have kicked the tires, but that's about it in recent weeks.
Well that’s what he gets for being stingy. If he wanted to play for a definite winning team he should have taken the Yanks offer.
Not fully knowledgeable, but I don’t think Damon ever saw that offer, not that he’d accept it anyway. I think the 14 mil deal was only if N. Johnson declined his offer. They really didn’t need both. Jeter, Granderson, Gardner, Johnson, Damon… lead-off and 2-hole city.
The guy is basically kissing every team’s behind…
I suppose that’s what you get for being greedy.
For the life of me, I just don’t see how this makes any sense for the Tigers. Please someone tell me how this makes sense for the tigers. They trade away Granderson who’s salary for 2010 is less than $5mm or there about, is 29, an all star caliber player, had multiple organizations set up in the area and now the Tigers may still be in the discussion for 37 yo Damon? Huh? It would have made more sense for the Tigers to have been in on Winn or the multiple other outfielders who cost btw $500k and $2mm.
they got granderson at his peak value. call me skeptic, but I don’t see him getting any better if he’s still hitting .250 at age 29 and still can’t hit lefties to save his life. Damon would be a one-year rental, and they could deal him at the deadline if they still suck this year. Damon is a good vet, proven in the post-season. at the right price, I would love him as a Tiger.
they capitalized on both Jackson and Granderson’s value. A-JAx will be the .300 hitting, 30 base stealing threat that the Tigers wanted out of Granderson. He will hit less for less power, but they need more OBP guys and thats what A-Jax will do. Scherzer and Schelereth are cheaper versions of Edwin Jackson and will be very solid major league pitchers. Phil Coke will easily and cheapily replace Brandon Lyon, and Valverde is a huge upgrade over rodney.
Please keep in mind that the rumor is that Boras is calling the Tiger to get talks of Damon going. In no shape or form does it read that the Tigers are actively interested in signing Damon.
Come on man…Granderson at peak value? That’s a lot of bs in my opinion. Granderson is a highly intelligent, athletic player. I can expect he only gets better than last years line. While I’m not saying he’ll hit 40 homeruns, he is probably one of the best outfielders in the AL, at the moment.
Futhermore, you can an rate Ajax hitting .300 stealing 30 bags when he has not even seen one major league game. Non of us have seen him and for the most part, based on what scouts say, he may not be all that he was cracked up to be, at least in the next year or two.
I understand the Granderson trade was predicated on them aquiring the pitchers they did from the D-Backs, but to even go into a discussion for Damon is just absurd. I agree with Y78 and this is mostly a Boras rumor and not so much the Tigers.
i agree that it is mostly a Boras rumor. I also sorely miss Granderson. But the Tigers clearly got the best return they were ever going to get for those two players. I am also saying that Damon would not be terrible in Detroit, especially if HE WANTS to play there. I’d love to see him steal some starts from Magglio, to ensure that Magglio’s 2011 option doesn’t vest.
No one arguing that the Tigers didn’t get a good return. The Yanks stole Granderson in my opinion, but in terms of the overall trade, the Tigers bagged some A+ talent and did very well. They should not spend a nickel. The idea was to cut payroll. Stick to that plan.
That said, for them to trade away Edwin and Granderson only to go back out and spend $6,7,8mm is just stupid and a poor allocation of assets and it would only furthermore prove why they (Tigers) are where they are at the moment. Don’t spend a nickel, you have a lot of money freeing up after 2010. If they were smart they would work AJax and these pitchers. Save the money and potentially have a great offseason 2010 and get ready for some good baseball in 2011. You just need to write 2010 off.
I’m a Yank fan and I love Damon, but the Tiger’s MUST stay out of this discussion.
I understand the concept of rebuilding if you are in the AL East but it doesn’t make sense if you have a $120 million dollar payroll in the AL Central. Signing Damon to a one year deal doesn’t have any effect on the 2010 off-season and doesn’t take at bats away from rookies Jackson and Sizemore. While I look forward to the Tigers having money to spend in 2010 one has to be realistic in thinking what free agents would want to come to Detroit. I think they will make a run at Crawford, etc. but we must look at the past and see who has signed in Detroit. Pudge, Magglio, Kenny Rogers, Todd Jones all were either aging or coming off injury. Jose valverde didn’t have any other options. Tigers must mix young prospects with aging veterans to compete. No premier free agent has ever signed with the Tigers. Take your shot to win now in a winnable division.
you hit the hammer on the nail there. IF they have the money to sign Damon cheap on a one-year deal, he is a great asset and I would welcome him. thats all I was saying. P.S. On the other hand, I never said Granderson was bad. He just do what the tigers wanted well which was leadoff, get on base, and steal bases. A-Jax has a better chance of succeeding in that goal, but hitting for less power, which is a worthwhile tradeoff. A-Jax is in the top 50 prospects in Baseball; the shocking majority of baseball scouts believe that he will become the everyday center-fielding, lead-off hitting, player he is projected. The only reason he gets a bad rep is because he is out of new york. And there are a lot of those yankee fans who believe once a prospect/talent leaves new york, his talent vanishes. Damon would be great for a one-year gamble, and if cheap enough, even a two-year gamble.
they got valverde cheaper than what they would have gotten any closer of his talent next year, when they plan on contending and they have him for next year. I wouldnt mind a discounted Damon for this year and next. At least then they are guaranteed a quality player at a cheap value to replace Magglio in Right after 2010.
while i really do like granderson fot the yanks, dont start calling him one of the top al outfielders. Carl Crawford, Grady Sizemore, Ichiro Suzuki, Jacoby Ellsbury, Nick Markakis, etc
You just said it yourself no? You take Ellsbury off that list. Most people do not regard him as a top shelf outfielder.
So you have Crawford, Sizemore, Suzuki, Markakis, Granderson, so that makes him ONE OF the top outfieilders in the league. I didn’t say he was the number 1 homey…
You serious clark? Granderson is as good if not better than Ellsbury.
Dude, he might not be at full playing potential, but he was indeed at full peak TRADE value. Say he peaks in a year or 2… you aren’t going to get as much for him when he’s peaked and has either plateaued or is starting to decline. They traded him at the right time, i.e. peak value
I don’t think you can just assume that Jackson will become that kind of player, and almost certainly not in 2010. From what I’ve seen and am hearing about him, he’d be lucky to stick in the majors this year.
As a Tigers fan…please no! I’m much more comfortable with Jackson out there. Give the young guys a chance and use the money you would on Damon to lock up Verlander.
I agree 100%
At this point, the greedy guy might as well retire. He said he wanted to play for the yankees too, i guess that’s when he thought he’d get more money. This is one of the greediest ballplayers i have ever seen. Just thinking about it. Yes, Arod is greedy, but he swallowed his pride and contacted the yankees HIMSELF. Johnny, either retire or swallow your pride.
NO! Sorry Johnny D… you aren’t worth our money.
The thing is it isn’t the fan’s money but Mike Illitch’s money and the guy desperately wants to have a winner in Detroit. He is not getting any younger and why not take a chance on Damon on a one year deal. He is an upgrade over Guillen in left field and gives them a legit lead-off left-handed bat. Also it allows Raburn to play some right field and maybe allow Magglio’s contract not vest. Taking money aside he makes the Tigers a better team in a winnable AL Central. I don’t see a real negative to the signing. Who else out there is better fit. Batting Jackson and Sizemore one two is just not going to cut it.
Highly doubtful they’d go with Jackson and Sizemore 1-2. It’s time to let some younger guys we already have like Raburn and Casper Wells a real shot to see what they can do. They gotta develop sometime. I just don’t think it makes sense for the organization right now. Plus they’ve said all along they haven’t been interested. As far as Illitch– why would he make the call on this guy? Yeah he told DD he could go out and get Cabrera but cmon… Damon is an aging corner outfielder. I think we already have enough of those.
It’s going to be the Braves, eventually…
I hate to say it, but it is looking like it to me too. Bobby sounded skeptical today on Heyward skipping AAA…which I hate because the kid is ready, he has nothing else to prove in the minors.
saying someone is young isnt being skeptical when the next statement is “but he is awfully talented”
If Damon comes to the Braves he better not cost more than 2mil because i dont see his bat adding more runs than he would give up in Left Field.
Seriously? Add the runs that McLouth would drive in more than score from batting 8th and not 1st. Also the high OBP that Damon would give. His range isn’t bad, it’s just his arm. He isn’t playing RF. I would believe that one of Yunel or Prado could cut him off.
The Tigers would be better off in the long term by letting Austin Jackson get as many ABs as possible this year. They’re not going anywhere in 2010, sub .500 I project, but I see some potential in the coming years.
Signing Damon would have no effect on Jackson’s at bats. Damon can no longer play centerfield especially in Comerica. Let the kid bat down in the order and at least get acostumed to the Major Leagues. While I too believe it could be a tough year in Detroit it would be because of their offense and Damon would help greatly in that department. The AL central is very winnable.
I don’t think they’re going to be as bad as everyone thinks. Yes there has been some roster turnover, I like that we’re getting a bit younger, but this isn’t full blown rebuilding. I’m not even trying to be biased either. Right now I’d say the Twins have the best all around team, with the Tigers and Sox a level below them, followed by the Indians and Royals. That said anyone could win the division. I love our top 3 of the rotation, and I think our late inning guys in the pen will be much better than the last few years. Hell, I’ve even seen one magazine already who had their standings predictions in it with the Tigers winning the Central.
I know you can’t always just blame Boras, but just as an agent’s got a responsibility to listen to his client, he also has the responsibility to tell his client what the market will bear and what is a competitive offer. Last year, with Jason Varitek, you could claim that you didn’t realize the affect the economy would have on spending. This season, after seeing that happen once, the blame has to squarely go on Boras.
I like Damon tremendously and I wish there were some way the Yanks and Boras could’ve come to reasonable terms but right now Damon seems desperate. He’s sort of like the 40 year old guy who still goes to night clubs and bars using the “Hey don’t I know you from somewhere” line. Desperation isn’t pretty and when an agent has to actively seek out and initiate and engage a GM to “sell” his client then that’s not pretty, especially when it comes to a player of Damon’s ability. NYS aided home runs and poor defense aside, Damon is still a very good ball player and a good clubhouse guy. It’s a shame things ended the way they did. Hopefully, he won’t spend 2010 on dome sub .500 club being trotted out there for fan appeal.
Scott Boras, an expert on leverage, publicly pleading for Tigers to sign his client speaks volumes. It impressive how badly this situation has been handled (by both Damon & Boras).
It may turn out that Damon’s decision to reject the Yankees’ offers, even though they involved a paycut, was really ill-advised, and that perhaps he let pride get in the way of his best interests.
Right now he would play for any team who pays him. he should stop trying to make that team special, because we know he just wants a contract.
17 more days until pitchers and catchers report, Damon better find somebody fast. If only he had accepted the 2/14m the yanks offered the night they signed Johnson after Damon declined.
189 plate appearances is a small sample size that probably doesn’t lend much credence to his ability. The better gauge of his possible contribution would be to see how he hits against the Twins, White Sox, Royals and Indians.
Rayburn, A. Jackson, Magglio. Sorry Damon, no vacancies at the inn.
more like Rayburn, A-Jax, Damon.
DH Carlos Guillen/Magglio
Leading off for the Newark Bears – the Designated Hitter, Johnny Damon.
Im torn on this one…first off, please drop the argument that Tigers dumped EJax and Grandy for salary reasons. Their payroll is still like $120 million this year (and will reduce $50 mil next year), without those two guys. They got rid of the to help load up on bullpen arms, and to get MLB ready players who are under team control for a longer period. Objective achieved. 10pts to the guy that said Illitch is rich and super old…the man will do anything to get a championship before he dies.
Anyways…its not that Damon would be a better fielder, but he would be a better leadoff hitter than Ajax. And he’s a lefty bat with a good average. There are no other fulltime lefty bats in the lineup and we need one desperately.
Detroit isnt built to win a WS, but they werent either in 2006 when they made it that far. All you have to do is get your foot in the door for the ALCS and anything can happen. And in the central, they still have a shot. The Whitesox and Twins are better, but but not by a lot. Anything can happen in baseball, thats why no one (smart) gambles on it.
exactly. I know fellow Detroit fans, like myself, would like them to go out and get Crawford, Werth, and whoever else is out there. But Detroit doesn’t land the big time free agents. It has to sign aging talent, and Damon fits the bill. I really wouldn’t mind Damon at 6MM and 6MM in RF in 2010 and 2011, as opposed to Magglio for 18MM and 15Mm in 2011. He is the lefty power/speed threat that they can no longer rely on Carlos Guillen to be.
I understand the fan’s disdain for Scott Boras and that it would be nice to see him caught with his foot in his mouth but Johnny Damon is still a productive player and would help a lot of clubs.
He only hit 2 home runs after August 9 and batted .235 in September. Wouldn’t you be afraid that he is starting to break down (exclude the post-season – everyone’s on an adrenaline high)? With his arm better suited for T-ball, he needs to DH. The model for utilizing a DH is one that can provide power and run production. 2 HR’s the last 6 weeks of the season won’t work.
It is fair to worry about a player breaking down at his age but signing Damon would be a one year deal and at well below market value. While I agree that Damon would get some DH at bats I also think he would be an upgrade in left over Guillen defensively. On a one year deal it makes sense.
The Tigers desperately need to get some left-handed bats in their system. The play in a stadium that is more conducive to left-handed hitting and currently have one left-handed hitter in their line-up in the switch hitting Guillen if Everett and Laird are the starters at catcher and shortstop. Even their promising hitting prospects Strieby, Jackson, Wells and Sizemore are all right handed I wouldn’t see that has too much of a problem if their was a glut of left-handed pitchers in the Central but by my count there are only three quality left handers in Danks, Buerhle, and possibly Liriano. I know Damon would be only a short term answer but it would be a start and then maybe take run at the crawfords of the world when you have a bunch of money coming off the books next year.
The white sox should make him an offer around $5 mil or so. I know they say they dont have much money to spend but if the tigers have a $120 million payroll then the sox can make an offer with their payroll sitting around $100 mil. who knows if andruw jones will even make the team, Damon could DH and play a little left field to spell pierre. So Ozzie could still have a rotating DH.
It just proves how Greedy he is. Especially after last off-season and the sign this year that most MLB clubs would look to add reasonably decent outfielders(who were very good defensively) for 2 mil or less. Plus all the available outfielders out there still that will probably have to accept minor league deals. No way Damon gets 5+mil. I think it would have happened by now. Please.. Tampa decided to go with Gabe Gross for 750k instead of engaging Damon/Boras. Yankees went with Winn for $2mil and would have put up 3.25mil(pending steinbrenner approval) for Nady. Atlanta has a boatload of average to good outfielders all very well defensively(plus Damon couldnt last in the OF everyday in the NL). He dug himself a whole.. Even though I am a yankee fan and would love a reunion there is no way now he goes back to the yankees at anything around 2 mil because his ego is bruised and its embarrassing.. Look for Toronto or White Sox to toss him around 4 mil.
Johnny could have still BEEN GOOD with the Yankees..(btw THANKS for your help for # 27!!!)..sure no-one likes a pay cut but..come on….you have already made $52m from the Yanks….
BORASS…overplayed his hand….why do these guys even need agents? I think the Yanks offer 2yrs/14m would have been the same with or without BORASS….
Johnny you blew it….Andy took less for 1 yr and it paid off….r u more important to the yanks that AP….i think not
I think we all see how greedy the dude is. The Yankees rewarded him well for 4 seasons at 52 million dollars, well above his true worth over that time and he still wanted another 13 million per year deal originally.
Cashman must have shouted out to him and Boras are you nucking futs, while laughing on his way out the door or off the phone.
I think once Cashman heard that he moved on to Nick Johnson, after dealing for Granderson and then he traded for Javier Vazquez. Cashman told Boras he could get a #2 hitter for half the number of years and half the number of dollars they wanted and he did just that with a 1 year – 5.5 million dollar guarantee to Nick Johnson and his lifetime .400 OBP coming to New Yankee Stadium and hitting in between Jeter, Tex and Arod.
did someone call Ellsbury one of the best AL outfielders? I mean really?
Yeah, I saw that too and just commented on that. I don’t know enough to comment, but Ellsbury is far from being a productive player. He steals bases. So does Bret Gardner for example and Gardner is fighting for the 4th spot basically. If Boston’s line up wasn’t starved for quality talent, Ellsbury would be the back up OF.
“Johnny believes the addition of him to Detroit’s lineup would make the Tigers a winner,” Scott Boras, Damon’s agent, said during a Monday phone conversation.Boras agrees.”He’s batted .363 at Comerica Park, he has a .412 on-base percentage at Comerica,” Boras said.Boras added, quoting Damon before Damon signed earlier contracts with the Yankees and Boston Red Sox: “I told you I could make the Yankees a winner, and I told you before I left Oakland (where he played in 2001) I could make a Boston a winner.”Boras says Damon has the same disposition toward the Tigers in 2010: “I can make the Detroit Tigers a winner,” Boras said, citing Damon’s words to him in December.”+++++++++++++++++++This has reached a level of pathetic Yeah Johnny you can make a team a winner, right. The Yankees had you in 06 and 07 and were eliminated in the first round in those seasons. But i guess you showed them the way in 09, Sabathia, Tex, Arod, Jeter, Rivera, Pettitte, be d@mnedTalk about having a fathead, this guy is the epitome of pathetic. With that attitude its not hard to see why he thought 2 years – 14 million from the Yankees was beneath him after being overpaid for years at 4 years – 52 million dollars. Guess like Sprewell who turned down 21 million, Damon has a family to feed.Watching Scott Boras and Damon grovel at the feet of GM’s is priceless indeed. How different is this from the “if you don’t come to us with the same salary at multiple years, don’t bother” that Boras pompously extolled to Cashman. I would see why Cashman moved on from these two delusional jokers. I wouldn’t want this guy back on the Yankees if he came for free, he is a sorry a$$. Serves him right, I hope no team gives him more than 5 million for 1 year at best. Last time I checked in Comerica he won’t have Jeter/Tex and Arod to bat in between at the age of 36 during next season and 0 defense to speak of. This was Damon’s numbers in the field defensively as compared to Winn to give an idea“Damon had 5 errors vs 0 errors for WinnDamon’s arm is -4.2 runs below average vs Winn’s 1.4 runs above averageDamon’s range is -3.7 runs below average vs Winn’s 13.8 runs above averageDamon’s UZR is -9.2 runs below average vs Winn’s 16.5 runs above averageDamon’s UZR/150 games is -12.1 runs below average vs Winn’s 20.1 runs above averageAll those numbers in1117.2 innings for Damon and 220 putouts 1191.0 innings for Winn and 282 putoutsand Damon played the majority of his games in Yankee Stadium, while Winn played a difficult right field in San Francisco. The Yankees offense led the majors in HitsRunsHomreunsRBI’sWalksOBPSLGOPSTotal BasesWhen you are that good on offense you can mask a bad defensive player, how many teams in baseball can afford that when they play in parks that favor pitching and defense, like Atlanta, Detroit, Oakland, Seattle, San Francisco and rely more on pitching than offense. Guys like Jim Thome was going first to 3rd on Damon. His offense is not good enough to make up for bad defense. You have to be a dominant offensive player to just ignore defense completely, i.e. Manny. Especially if your team is going to rely on pitching to win.
+1 and end of discussion
They could have almost written this story as “Johnny Damon would like to play this year” and ended it there. At this point, I gotta agree with Buster Olney. This whole situation has become a joke.
It’s just unbelievable to me that this happened and Damon is still out there. Turning down 2/14 and 1/6 from the Yankees pretty much set the bar very low at what another team will offer him.
If he gets 5 million guaranteed w/o incentives for next year it’ll be a shock. There’s no reason any team has to offer him that much.
He’s a complimentary player at this point – not a franchise player – and the Yankees pegged his value accordingly.
Without them to bail him out, he’s in no man’s land.
That said, he’s still a good baseball player and a good hitter. You can go through most rosters and easily pick guys from the OF that Damon is better than.
But the negotiation was botched at such a high level, he’s damaged goods now with “on sale” stickers piling up over what was his original price.
He’ll find a team, but he’ll be completely humbled.
Boras’ best bet might be to tell him to sit out the season and wait for a injury to happen so his value rises slightly to a team trying to fill a hole.
Either that or see what Japan wants to pay him, although I bet, at this point, they’ve already checked that out.
aka Boras is trying to make a market where there is none. As others have stated why would any team bid against themselves, the market just isn’t there for Damon to raise his price to what Boras and Damon fancied from the Yankees.
Did Damon look around the market and see what guys around his age and position was signing for this offseason.
He tried to use Bobby Abreu as his gauge, thinking he could top the 2 year, 19 million dollar deal Abreu got. Problem with that is Abreu went through just what Damon is going through this offseason and had to take a 1 year, 5 million dollar deal from the Angels last season and was rewarded only after going through that experience last season.
I heard the Hanshin Tigers are in need of a left fielder, maybe he should look into it. The number amount of yen he would be paid would equal the number amount of dollars he wants
Tigers need to give the at bats to the kids Jackson and Rayburn and find out what they have. They probably can’t compete with Twins/Whiteys this year maybe in 11. Damon needs club with $$ and a need at dh, maybe Seattle, Texas or Baltimore.
All I hope is that he better not sign with a team for less than what the Yankees offered him.
perhaps Damon should ask for a 13M per year/4yr contract. That should attract a ton of interest from potential suitors. Turning down that 2yr/20M offer was the dumbest thing Damon could do. No one needs a contact hitting DH whose numbers will drop not hitting in Yankee Stadium. Oh wait, perhaps Damon could play a corner outfield position, except that his speed and mobility have dropped and his arm is terrible. Maybe he will retire after all…