It’s Farewell to Damon After Yanks Sign Winn
By TYLER KEPNER
Published: January 27, 2010
For weeks, the Yankees insisted that they were down to their last $2 million
in shaping their 2010 roster. That did not stop the perception that they
would ultimately bring back Johnny Damon. Their decision Wednesday will
change that.
The Yankees agreed to a $2 million contract with a different outfielder,
Randy Winn, after failing to find common ground with Damon last week. Winn,
a 35-year-old switch-hitter, must pass a physical to make the deal official.
The Yankees went into the off-season believing there was no reason they had
to spend more than $200 million on salaries anymore. They had extended their
payroll in the past, but after speaking on Monday with Hal Steinbrenner,
the managing general partner, Damon learned that this year was different.
“The Yankees never even made an offer to me regarding Johnny Damon during
the entire process, and the reason for that is they had budgetary
constraints,” Damon’s agent, Scott Boras, said in a telephone interview
Wednesday. “They communicated that to me throughout the process. They knew
Johnny Damon’s performance was worth a lot more than the $2 million they
had.”
General Manager Brian Cashman said as much in a telephone interview Tuesday,
acknowledging that a player of Damon’s caliber would not fit in the space
they had left in their budget. But the Yankees did have room last month.
On Dec. 18, after Nick Johnson agreed to a one-year, $5.5 million deal,
Damon said in a text message that the Yankees had offered two years and
$14 million, and that he had wanted two years and $20 million.
Boras said Wednesday that it was not an offer, because the Yankees told him
they needed to hear from Johnson first. He added that the Yankees never
called him to ask for an offer until after they had given one to Johnson,
a contention Cashman disputed.
“On Dec. 17, Scott’s exact words were that he would not take a penny less
than $13 million a year for two years,” Cashman said. “We believed him.”
In any case, after Johnson signed, the Yankees obtained starting pitcher
Javier Vazquez in a trade with the Braves. Vazquez has $11.5 million
remaining on his contract, bringing the Yankees close to their self-imposed
limit. They spoke with Damon last week, but never got close to a deal.
“He’s going to be missed,” Manager Joe Girardi told WFAN on Wednesday.
“It didn’t get worked out. I talked to Johnny, I wished him good luck,
and I thanked him for what he did for our organization.”
Damon, 36, hit .282 with 24 homers and 82 runs batted in last season,
capping a four-year run with the Yankees by hitting .364 in the World
Series.
But teams seem to have shown an alarming lack of interest in him this
off-season, a contention Boras disputed. The latest teams to be linked
to Damon are the Oakland Athletics, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cincinnati
Reds. Boras did not cite any potential suitors, but he said Damon had a
wide market.
“There are a lot of teams,” Boras said. “Look, with great players, a lot
of teams are going to come forward, and that’s exactly what’s happening
with Johnny Damon.”
Winn played all three outfield positions for the San Francisco Giants last
year, making 135 starts and hitting .262 with 2 homers and 51 runs batted in.
His on-base percentage, .318, was the lowest it had been in 10 years, and he
hit just .158 against left-handers. Winn has above-average speed, though,
and his career average against left-handers is .280.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/28/sports/baseball/28yankees.html?ref=baseball
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