6:42pm: MLB.com's Mark Bowman hears from a source that even with deferred money, the Braves offer to Damon totals less than $4MM (link goes to Twitter).
4:04pm: Tyler Kepner of the New York Times tweets that he's hearing the Braves' offer to Damon is $2MM now plus another $2MM deferred.
11:22am: Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported that Johnny Damon had not moved off his demand for a two-year deal. They suggested the Tigers were the most interested club, a notion SI's Jon Heyman agreed with this morning. Rosenthal and Morosi wrote that the Braves were taking a more passive approach than the Tigers.
However, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports today that the Braves' interest in Damon has increased, to the point of making an offer in the $5MM range. MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports that the offer includes some deferred money. O'Brien says the Braves recently made a one-year offer and had Chipper Jones contact Damon. Additionally, Damon texted O'Brien and described the Braves as "definitely a team that is on top of the list."
I’m still not completely against the idea of Damon, only if it blocks Heyward or causes us to trade Diaz…
No, Heyward would still have his job in right. Damon would just take left.
I much rather lose Melky than Diaz though…Diaz is a gamer and is ungodly against lefties…
True…I’m not sure why the Braves took Melky and Dunn for Vazquez. There is no spot on the Braves for Melky and Javier was valuable. They have to turn Melky around and send him elsewhere.
Melky is a very decent back-up CFer with good range and an arm. He will take over for Damon/Diaz later in the game. Diaz would be the one who is traded and the Braves should ask for a lot, but in the end will probably be stuck with nothing. I think the Twins could really use a guy like Diaz.
The Twins have no room and Diaz hits like crazy against lefties. I’d keep him.
Diaz is not versatile. Twins need a guy who can smash Lefties and if the Braves can get a good return, it will be worth it. Neither Diaz nor Melky will be on the team next year.
were 54 days until opening day (Please come faster!!!). I think you mean this year.
Also, The Twins have Delmon batting against lefties and Thome batting against righties. The Twins have Brendan Harris who could hit lefties but the Twins right now need a CF to back up the Spanmeister.
No, I meant 2011. Schafer will be the back-up CF and Diaz will not have a starting position and will become too expensive to keep on the bench. Melky and Diaz will both be gone.
Schafer will never be a bench player for the Braves. He’s either a starter or trade bait.
Never implied that. Schafer will be the CFer and McLouth the LFer. Schafer will be the back-up CFer though… even if he is playing full-time in LF. We could use a guy like Diaz, but for the money, he wont be worth a back-up role.
McLouth would be shifted to LF long before Schafer will be our everyday LF. Schafer is far superior/or will be defensively to McLouth. If you are hanging on to the fact he has a Gold Glove on his mantle, you must not be watching the same player. He would be a plus defender in left. He is just a tick above average in CF and that’s only due to his speed. His arm is nothing to call home to mom about….
Yeah, I was kind of answering two questions at once. As I said in the 1st sentence, Schafer would be the CFer and McLouth would be the back-up. I was trying to say that we wouldn’t need Melky because we would have Schafer pushing McLouth into the back-up role of CF while playing LF every day. Sorry for the confusion.
No I think Diaz will stay & Jordan will tank.
Why do Braves fans always try to propose a trade with the Twins?
On one hand, it’s flattering that you seem to think so highly of our depth and prospects.
On the other, it’s kinda like a used car salesman knocking on your door, when you’re not even in the market for a car…
Twins are awesome and we are all cheering you on. We want to help you guys win so you can help us win.
I still hate the twins with every fiber of my being. Kent Hrbek is a terrible human being
Here here on the Hrbeck hate! But I’ve been rooting for the Twins on the side. Ever since their own owner tried to contract them i’ve had a soft spot the team.
The only thing that makes sense is they seriously wanted Arodys Vizcaino. But yeah, I agree the trade made no sense at the time and still doesn’t.
Braves needed a back-up CFer. Dunn is a good cheap Lefty for the pen with nice arm strength. Arodys looks very good if he can stay healthy and Javier wasn’t as good as many people claim. I would have rather barked up Detroit’s tree, but other than that Yankees were the only trade partner.
While I’m aware Vasquez pitched above his ability last year, I’m having trouble belving the best they could get for a guy like Vasquez coming off of a year like he had was a back up CF, a long term prospect, and whatever else they got. Heck, keeping him would have made more sense.
Believe me they tried. Detriot and Yankees were really the only match after Boston signed Lackey. O’s could have been in the mix. Teams wanted us to pay part of Javier’s paycheck. We should have struck a deal with the Brewers first thing after the season began. We got all we could out of Yankees and they didn’t like giving up Dunn and especially Aryolds. Braves have a bright future and they had to trade one of their pitchers. Again, I’d have liked to see a better return, but Braves have a team that will easily be one of the top contenders, if not the top, for the WC and could apply pressure on the Phils.
The Yanks have a wealth of middle-relief talent. They weren’t all that sad to let Dunn go with Melancon waiting in the wings, who has a better chance at getting a more prominent role in the Yanks bullpen than does Dunn.
Arodys is very far off, and you can’t say with certainty that he will be a sure thing yet. If he ends up being as good as he can be, then it’s a major steal on the part of the Braves.
I do agree that he pitched over his head last year, as well, though I believe he’ll fall in line with all the predictions (the avg is basically 14 wins and a 3.70 ERA with 200 SOs. I see a few more wins but an ERA around 3.90-4.10 with about as many SOs).
The thing about Arodys is that he is really far off and you just don’t know about him right now. It just seemed very odd that Wren jumped at a very weak deal overall for his ace.
Javy was just as good as people claimed. Dunn is better than Boone atleast, Milky is crap, Arodys is a teenager that is likely to never pan out. Wish we would’ve gotten more.
oh, come on, you cant act like dunn and melky were the reasons for that trade. honestly, if you look at the five years before last year, its a safe guess that vazquez’s era will be in the mid-4’s next year, so getting a pitcher with top of the rotation expectations, a good lefty for the ‘pen and a guy that might allow us to keep heyward down in the minors longer for more seasoning was a pretty solid move. but vizcaino was the reason they pulled the trigger on that trade. dunn and melky were bonuses. look at vazquez’a era the five seasons prior to last season: 4.91, 4.42, 4.84, 3.74, 4.67. his career era is 4.19. last season was an insanely good one. he pitched like a true ace and im im glad they sold high. sucks they couldnt unload lowe, but they got what has the makings of a really good haul just in vizcaino alone.
damon would fit
“Additionally, Damon texted O’Brien and described the Braves as “definitely a team that is on top of the list.””
Really? Well, I guess when your list consists of two teams…
I am a bit surprised he hasn’t come off the 2 year deal request. Given his bad D the last couple of years a lot of teams are going to think twice. That being said, he makes a ton of sense for the Braves, especially on a 1 year deal.
Damon doesn’t know what he wants. yesterday he was in love with Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings, so now he just sounds pathetic
Seriously? I doubt Damon has even one serious suitor any longer. If anyone is dumb enough to offer a 36 year old outfielder with bad legs and an inability to throw ANY contract, he should jump on it.
he’s not nearly as bad as you make him out to be
Damon: Proving the Braves still buy scraps and barely do well since 1997
you do realize they won the division for 8 yrs after that, right?
Transcription of the conversation between Chipper and Johnny:
“Hey Johnny, You’re dumb.”
Funny how all the teams with nominal interest somehow become teams that “are definitely at the top of the list”… BS.
If they do in fact get Damon, I hope that Melky would be the one who get moved. I’d hate to see Matty D leave and take that ridiculous bat with him.
While, obviously the Braves are now at the top of his list because they are one of the very few teams that are interested, it’s worth noting that they were near the top of his list even before his market had shaped up. He has said before that Atlanta is a place he’d love to play.
If this is true I hope he doesn’t end up in LF and his defense is like Garret Anderson last year.We do need defense to and his noodle arm doesn’t help it.Offense is ok though.
After looking at Damon’s numbers compared to Anderson, I would take Damon any day over Anderson.
Ohh I would too no doubt.I just hope he doesn’t turn out like Anderson in the outfield .Slow as a turtle .Braves gave up more runs with him in the outfield .This is IF Schafer wasn’t hurt.If they had Schafer and McLouth in CF/LF they wouldn’t have allowed as many runs to score.But yeah I agree with you.
Damon isn’t going to be slow in the OF. The knock on his defense is that he has a bad arm.
You are aware of his horrid range, yes?
The difference is that Damon would not also be providing negative value with his bat like Anderson was
He can’t be any worse than Guillen in LF.
But you’re referring to Atlanta …. seriously though, in Detroit; he can’t be any worse than Guillen
Damon to the Braves, Melky to the Tigers. Melky is catching alot of crap since coming over in the Vasquez deal. I wonder if he would be as hated if we traded say, Eric O’Flaherty to the Yanks for him? He’s not as terrible as some have made him out to be but, Damon for the same price IMO is a no brainer. Besides, it’s alot easier to get my wife to the ballpark with JD in left than Melky or Matty. She hasn’t went back with me since the Francouer deal.
Eric O’Flaherty pitched good for the Braves so I don’t like the Eric for Melky offer (If Melky was still on the Yanks that is)
Melky would somehow become a cult hero like Vazquez has if he is traded away – because everyone will immediately hate whoever/whatever comes in return.
Everyone should be aware that Vazquez had a career-year but is still not a true ace. That term is and always has been relative. The chances of him repeating last season are extremely unlikely based on track record. He wasn’t going to bring back a ridiculous bounty of prospects in a trade because baseball executives are aware of the fact that he is not Roy Halladay. That is an ace. A year ago, everyone was complaining that Wren acquired Vazquez to begin with. I’m just tired of hearing about it. The rotation looks good to me.
That might be one of the REALEST statements I’ve seen on here in awhile grantmc. I’m mean come people you don’t go to car dealership and just to pay sticker price do you? You have to know that that wasn’t the ONLY offer put on the table I promise there where another names thrown around. This offer was the one they both agreed and that alone should prove the value of the player. These people pay millions to know these things and don’t forget if braves know anything about baseball its pitching.
Your comparison is way off base. 1st Milky is crap. 2nd he’s never done one thing for the Braves so he’d be no cult hero.
We traded our best pitcher last year for scrubs & a far off prospect. While keeping one of our worst & most expensive pitchers. Of course fans are going to be upset.
is this the same David O’Brien that said Ken Griffey Jr. had chosen the Braves?
I woulda liked Griffey on the Braves but I had a feeling he would go back to the team where he had the most success and he was loved there extremely .O’Brien probably just wanted him on the Braves ? lol
Or he had been using a glass pipe too much and was imagining it?
lol
Actually, Griffey changed his mind after the reports came out about him choosing the Braves, so get your facts straight.
that’s funny, i seem to remember a slightly irked KGJ insist that he had never made a decision and that one of the reasons he chose the Mariners is because he didn’t appreciate the AJC putting words in his mouth, so how about you get YOUR facts straight.
My friend who works in the clubhouse said that Griffey actually came in last spring training and got measured out for his uniform and met the team. It was based on that that DOB revealed what was going down. Then Griffey had a change of heart last minute and everyone is better off.
that sounds like a pretty reliable source. Did you know the same sortof thing happened with Jason Bay? I guess we were so sure we were gonna get him that we actually had a jersey ready for him with his name on it.
I have a cousin that works for the Steelers, use to work with the Pirates that said the only people that know that kind of information are people in the FO and the manager, so go tell your story somewhere else.
Sure thing, sir. I was just sharing what a friend of mine who has worked for the team for a long time shared with me in conversation last year when I was grilling him about these things. It’s a moot point now, but I’ll be sure to keep any inside knowledge of the goings on for team I love to myself and will no longer weigh in on debates. My apologies for posting and trying to shed some light on what seems to be a confusing situation. Cheers.
what in the blue heck is your problem anyway? Stop snapping at people.
So your cousin, who works for a completely different organization in a completely different sport, is a better source than someone who actually works for the Braves?
I have a reply on the way, but one of the monitors gotta approve it first, because of a link.
DOB never said that. AJC did, but it was not a DOB article.
whoever said it, my point is that the AJC hasn’t always been the most reliable of sources. Didn’t they also say that a deal for Jake Peavy was as good as done? And months later we learned that a deal was barely even negotiated because the Padres wanted too much?
I can hear it now, how Johnny is a BIG fan of Dominique Wilkins, Jerry Glanville and Mack Jones…..
Jesus. What an embarrassing enterprise this has become, pretending anyone believes he is still some coveted asset while begging behind the scenes for every last dime from whoever will offer it.
If he’s coming to Atlanta then come on already. Enough if this crap already. Platoon him with Matt on days there’s a lefty on the hill. See who’s in the market for Melky, and make a deal for a strong prospect or two. I like Johnny but this game is getting old.
Amen ,I’m tired of hearing about Damon on this team ,Damon on that team .Hurry up and get it over with sheesh.
New Tweet from DOB:
“Damon and Boras haven’t backed off from demand for two-year deal; Boras says he already has at least one 2-yr offer but won’t name team. ”
If we give/beat that two year offer I will be very unhappy. Considering this is Boras there is likely a 50-50 shot there is not real 2-yr offer because he won’t name the team.
Trade him at the deadline?
In a following news story the Quebec Capitales of the Can-Am league confirmed they offered Johnny Damon a 2 year deal. When asked why they were willing to make such a commitment to Damon when no major league team was making the same offer a spokesman replied “We’re still trying to get some of our fan base back after signing Eric Gagne last year.”
That is exactly what Boras wants, he wants Detroit and Atlanta getting into some kind of bidding for Damon so as to
a) get above 5 million guaranteed for Damon
b) get multiple years for Damon, even if its 1 year with an option.
As long as Boras cannot get two teams battling against each other the Tigers can stand firm on a 1 year deal around 5 million. Boras needs some other team, enter Atlanta he hopes, or Tampa or whomever else.
i personally would like to see damon aboard.
i also think Damon would be a good marketing strategy. He’s a popular player among fans and this story would bring alot of attention on to the Braves. Hopefully that might help us out a bit
Will they hurry up already? Not a bad deal .And of course I think every 1 would have liked the nickname Bobby is gonna give him…Damit.Way to go Damit ,that way to hit the ball Damit.
I’m so sick of the this offseason Damon saga already. How dense does a agent need to be to realize that demanding two years for a player with a strictly DH skill-set this late in the offseason is ridiculous.
AJC Braves offer to Damon is believed to be worth at least $5 million, although some of that would be deferred. 9 minutes ago from TweetDeck
Johnny won’t back off his demands for a multi-year deal?
I guess I shouldn’t back off my plans for world domination.
Hey, we’re talking about impossibilities here, I might as well bring that up!
I wake up every morning hoping to find that Damon signed somewhere else. No offense to him, but I liked what I saw out of Ryan Raburn in the second half of 2009, and think that he can play out there. If he doesn’t do well enough to play every day, he can make a decent platoon with Guillen and the Tigers could actually get some worth out of the declining and overpaid Guillen.
1 year, club option for the second year based on 400 PA, 2.5 Mil, plenty of incentives.
I don’t get why they let Polanco go if they’re willing to spend basically the same amount of money for Johnny Damon..
Because they had a little depth at 2B with Sizmore and Polonco wanted a 3 year deal , Damon would be a 1 year stop gap while Streiby , Wells & Boesch get their feet wet at AAA this year.
True, Sizemore batted over .300 in AAA and may be for real.
lol, i keep forgetting that the Tigers are in on this too
This is good news as far as I’m concerned because I’m pretty confident that Detroit and/or Toronto can and will outbid 4M with two even defered.
Looks like (I hope) Damon isn’t coming to Atlanta.
If the Braves get Damon at $2 mil this year with $2 mil deferred, you should be ecstatic. At that price, for a player like Damon, you really can’t go wrong.
Exactly. I don’t know why people are talking about Damon like he’s a negative. Just because he may be overrated or his stats last year may be skewed does not mean that he is a bad player. He’s a great fit for a line-up without a true leadoff hitter.
Poor defense becomes less of a concern with strong pitching like the Braves have.
It would also likely mean that Heyward stays in the minors until at least June, which would add another year of service time for the Braves and hopefully avoid Super 2.
Don’t get me wrong, Damon is a fine player in his own right but when he takes playing time away from a better player like Diaz he becomes a negative. If he could bat leadoff and DH (with a worse player in Guillen on the bench) in Detroit he becomes a positive.
I actually like the idea of Heyward starting in the minors. He is very young and could be a stud…but just like Hanson, keeping him from being a Super II will save them a ton of money in the long run ….and its not like the Braves will lose just because he spends 50 games in the minors. IF Damon is signed….Damon, McLouth and a platoon of Diaz/Cabrera is just fine. Then see how Heyward does and bring him along as needed. The last two years, Damon’s OBP is over .350 away from Yankee Stadium (closer to .400 at Yankee Stadium)……so, even if his defense is no better than Andersons (which I can’t imagine)…Anderson’s OBP last year was barely .300. Its an improvement no matter what and he is always been a great clubhouse guy. As long as its on their terms then this is a really good deal for them.
i was against signing damon, but do think its important to keep heyward down in the minors longer. i’d rather give up 2 months and definitely have one extra full season of heyward around. if damon allows them to do that and only costs $2 mill, then so be it. at this point i really dont care, anymore. i just want baseball to start already!
damon is definitely better than anderson, theres no question about that…but i think we have enough outfielders as it is…but if damon is signed, then i think one of diaz, melky, and schafer will be traded soon after…and then depending on how heyward performs in AAA at the beginning of the season, i think we could see another one traded
but im with the few of you that didnt like the vasquez trade…i think we could have gotten a better return…or at least gotten something that we needed more than a backup OF…i would have liked to see them get a reliable lefty bullpen arm but oh well…nonetheless, i cant wait till the season starts! who all is going to a game this year? im plannin on going to bobbys last hurrah on october 3rd…cant wait!
Vizcaino was the centerpiece in the trade, melky was a bonus to get the deal done.
Wow this guy turned down a 2 year 14 mil contract with the yankees to go play for a non contender for 2 mil a year. Scott Boras really out do himself this time. He will be watching the postseason at home while the Yankees win number 28. Sad story
The agent only advices the player. If Damon turned down 14 mill from the Yankees, Damon needs to blame himself. I’m sure Boras was not ripping the pen and contract out of Damon’s hands.
I understand your point but i still think Boras had some sort of influence on his decision. I think he fool Johnny into thinking that there was a bigger market out there for him and that he could make the money he wanted. Now he is having a rude awakening
So Damon has basically negotiated downward since the Yankees’ first offer.
Well downward still technically implies he’s getting somewhere.
oh christ here we go with back and forth zig-zag bullsh!t about contract terms
Why do people keep bringing up Schaefer? He is not in the discussion for the Braves big league club in 2010 unless there is an injury. At best, he could be a 4th OFer (if Damon doesn’t sign) or he’ll play in the minors until Sep call-ups…thats it. Getting Damon doesn’t block him at all. Damon would be one yr only. With Damon, they would have 4 OFers (plus Infante as a 5th OF since he can play anywhere) and Heyward waiting in the wings and Schaefer behind him. Schaefer is behind Heyward in the big picture at this point and its not even close. They would not have to trade anyone. They could trade Schaefer if they wanted but they won’t do that unless they are getting big return and at this point, Braves can’t really add payroll.
Schafer will be up mid-season, if not by then he will no doubt be here when the rosters expand in September. There is really no doubt in that.
Thats what I’m saying…Schaefer will be in the minors and will come up with rosters expand unless there is an injury. They don’t have to create a spot by trading someone if they sign Damon.
Seriously, where is Kenny Williams in this. Fine, rotate the the DH, but rotating with Damon > Jones.
If all he wants if $4MM not deferred where is the hesitation?
I hear Kenny Williams and the CHW org won’t deal with Boris so that is prob out.
I have read that Kenny Williams and the CHW org will not deal with Scott Boris under any circumstance.
Who announces an offer, this is so typical of Scott Boris. I am betting he leaked the offer out there to drum up a counter from someone, but I mean 4 mill total doesn’t sound terrible.
Kinda hoping they get called on it and Damon has to sign for 2 with the Braves, just hope Detroit doesn’t fall for the bait.
“Braves offer to Damon totals less than $4MM”
LOL, and this was the guy that thought 2 years – 14 million guaranteed from the Yankees was beneath his standards.
This is hilarious to watch with Damon. I can’t see any team giving him over 5 million guaranteed for 1 year or they will just be bidding against themselves.
The irony of Scott Boras and Johnny Damon, after telling the Yankees don’t bother coming with an offer if it isn’t the same 13 million per year salary and multiple years. Where has that obnoxious bravado gone.
I think teams are reeeaally enjoying lowballing Boras so bad at Damon’s expense. I know I would.
Garret Anderson average last year – .268
Johnny Damon average last year – .282
Yeah, I like Damon over Anderson. Frank Wren needs to get this done.
Starting outfield 2010 :
LF – Damon
CF – Mclouth
RF – Diaz
Send Melky to the Tigers for some minor leaguers.
Our rotation does look good this year, with one possible exception. No lefty starter. If we do sign Damon he should platoon with Matt in left, when a lefty is on the mound. I would like to see what will happen with fan interest and confidence in the team if Damon does sign. I’m not completely against giving him a 2yr/11mil contract with maybe even some deferred at the end.Like 4 &4 & 3 deferred at the end. The 3 at the end would make his next short contract a little easier to take.
How does a guy hit .282/.365/.489 and end up scraping the bottom of the barrel in the job market the next year? It looks like teams are really, really, really afraid of older players these days, regardless of how well they did the previous year because Damon is far from alone. Perhaps Bonds wasn’t blackballed after all and this is just the new market trend.
1. 36 years of age
2. Poor outfield defense and weak arm at an age when his declining range is not going to get better by itself. Now put that in a pitchers park like Atlanta or Detroit and it could be interesting in the field.
3. benefited from hitting in Yankee Stadium with a 120 point difference in his OPS and 17 of 24 HR’s at home.
4. Scott Boras as an agent with overreaching contract demands from the start.
Damon is a good player still, no doubt, but teams realize the moment they take him out of Yankee Stadium, out of hitting between Jeter, Tex and Arod his numbers will decline.
Damon hit well above his career OBP, SLG and OPS last season could he do the same in a weaker lineup. I doubt it
Right now I would predict Damon to put up
.280-.285 AVG, 13-15 HR, 70-75 RBI.