YANKEES SIGN JOHNNY DAMON

[Yavin4]

Wow!

http://cbs4boston.com/sports/local_story_354222357.html


Red Sox Fan reaction?

[SpiralHawk]

1. Bummer City

I'm putting all my 2006 fan energy into the Albuquerque Isotopes.

Go Topes !

Screw the Bigs. Too many freakin flip flops - I dunno who I'm rooting for anymore.

I will go to my deathbed, though, wearing my 2004 Red Sox World Series Championship T-Shirt.

[PDittie]

2. This one has to hurt

The Red Sox were smart not to go that high with Damon, but now they're left with no quality free agents to spend the money on. Unless the new GM duo can pull off a couple of smart trades, the Sox will enter next season with a significantly weaker team.

As for the Yankees, it's not much of a problem for them that they're overpaying by $3 million per year. Damon will still have some value in 2008-09, though he may need to be a left fielder by then.

http://www.rotoworld.com/includes/topblurbs.asp?sport=MLB

[Mojambo]

6. As a Mariner fan I'm scared

Now the Red Sox are likely to up their efforts to land Seattle's CF Jeremy Reed.

Reed for Clement might be okay, but the money behind Clement is so high!

If they end up trading Reed for Arroyo I'll be mighty dismayed.

[MessiahRp]

13. I still think Reed is a gamble..

I don't mind dumping Clement's salary but if we're saying we're (Red Sox) going after Reed and hoping he just blossoms into our starting CF, that's a hell of a step in a division where we're rivals with New York and Toronto spent a considerable sum of money to upgrade this offseason.

Rp

[DaveinMD]

19. actually

even with the Damon signing, the Yankees have lowered their payroll by about 20 million.

[MessiahRp]

22. To what $190 million?

Not that impressive really.

Rp

[DaveinMD]

24. to 180

and they will reduce more the following year when Mussina's contract is off the books. They have a goal of spending less and this was the only big money move this year. They are trying to be more efficient. This move was really done to protect their key assets in the minors. When those guys are ready, the payroll will really drop.

[rinsd]

18. Our LF is solidified by Matsui...he's younger than Damon. (nt)

[DaveinMD]

3. I hate this move

hate it hate it hate it.

[rinsd]

20. Why?

Other than overspending what is the issue?

On edit: I just read Rob Neyer's article on the confines of Fenway vs. the Stadium...is that what you mean?

[DaveinMD]

23. emotion

is part of it. Damon was the face of the Red Sox and I hated that face.

I also think its too much money for a guy who is average defensively and is likely to decline by the third year of that contract.

[Redneck Socialist]

4. Well that sucks

He will be missed. :cry:

[Indy_Dem_Defender]

5. Damn Yankees

Not really Boston Fan, just a fan of baseball, but I hate the yankees and don't like when this happens every off season.

Instead I say
Support Little League Baseball
&
Support Minor League Baseball

[ticapnews]

21. No way

There is no way you can make me support the Kansas City Royals. I simply won't do it. Although Minor League Baseball is cool...

;)

[KitchenWitch]

7. GRRR

This Twins fan is very unhappy.

[matcom]

8. we knew he was gone

but the YANKEES?

he'll have to cut his hair :eyes:

[kanrok]

9. Damon is a good hitter

is fast, and can field pretty well, but he throws like a girl.

[feminazi]

28. hey, i'm a girl

and i throw pretty damn well!!!!

:hi:


well, i did until i needed shoulder surgery from too much softball.

[kanrok]

31. Okay...you got me

Damon throws like a girl with a rotator cuff.

[MaineDem]

10. Yeah, do you think George will go for the Jesus Damon look?

I'll miss him but the move is probably good for his wife. NYC is much better suited to her. :evilgrin:

[erpowers]

11. Wife

Who is his wife and why is New York more suited for her.

Does anyone think Steinbrenner will ever learn that he cannot buy a World Series Championship? Will he ever get tired of losing to teams that have a payroll that is $100 million dollars less than his team?

I am not sure Damon is the solution to Steinbrenner's problem. It seems he has to many overpaid players that he needs replace with players that have better skills or are younger.

[MessiahRp]

15. He has to cut his hair and get rid of his beard

Yankees have had a clean cut rule for years.

Jesus Johnny is gone.

Rp

[erpowers]

12. Yankees

Why do so many players want to play for the Yankees. I know the Yankee havea great championship history, but why the Yankees especially since they have not been able to win the championship for five years dispite having the highest paid team in the league. Is it the pay?

[MessiahRp]

14. It sucks, but I don't think the Sox will stand pat...

I think the names I've heard out there (Jeremy Reed, Corey Patterson) might have been in play more if Damon had signed somewhere else, but he signed with New York and Boston management is taking a hell of a lot of flack for the move.

My thought is this, neither Reed or Patterson is exactly a proven commodity. Patterson in particular has been exceptionally disappointing.

The next possible solution I see is this: The Sox go after Vernon Wells and Dave Roberts.

Follow me here.

You could conceivably place Mark Loretta or Tony Graffanino in that slot. Neither provides much speed but they get on base. If Roberts were picked up he could spell the injury prone Trot Nixon, play some Center and DH. He's speedy and gets around the basepaths. And considering that David Wells wants to go to the West Coast a deal could be fashioned with San Diego involving those two.

Wells contract is up after this season and Toronto has been shopping him actively. Wells provides the big counter to the Yankees making them look foolish and provides another serious threat in an already deep lineup.

For Boston to acquire Vernon Wells they'd have to ship off a prospect or two but Wells is still young enough to contribute for a long time and provides middle of the order insurance in case the Sox still need to deal Manny malcontent. Actually acquiring Wells makes the Ramirez trade much easier to do. If they made the deal with Baltimore for Tejada (although I hear that's all but dead at this point, who knows what Boston does in response to this signing) and ate some of Manny's contract in the move you could make Loretta the utility guy and the middle of your order still has Wells, Ortiz, Tejada, Varitek which certainly is a threat with guys like Graffanino, Loretta/Roberts, Nixon, Youkalis and Marte in the rest of that lineup.

Just a hunch but they don't settle for Patterson or Reed and consider that good enough at CF. The media will drive them to go after someone bigger. Now that it's the Yanks that signed Damon they will respond.

Rp

[HuckleB]

27. The thing is...

signing Corey Patterson would be a sign of desperation. He ain't all that.

Reed has great potential, but potential ain't much -- yet.

[MN ChimpH8R]

16. That sucks

If he wasn't going to stay with the Sox, why not take someone else's money. The Yankees?!?!? I used to like Damon a lot. I despise ANYONE in a Yankees uniform on general principles because I hate George Steinbrenner almost as much as I hate Chimpy and for the same reasons - rich asshole with a gigantic sense of entitlement.

[El Supremo]

17. When I read it in the paper this morning...

it ruined my whole day. Another curse, just when they finally got rid of the old one.

[HuckleB]

26. No curse.

No Babe. Damon's just a good center fielder who stopped by Boston for a while and helped them win a Series. Nothing more, nothing less.

[HuckleB]

25. Interesting.

It does seem scary to look at that line-up. Still, the Yankees have reminded everyone of one thing the past few years: The Washington Redskins of the early 1970s. Big, talented and old, but without enough to get the job done. I'm not sure that this will change that. I admit that it might. It looks good on paper, anyway.

[NJ Democrats]

29. This is great!

Fixes the Yanks only hole, and hurts the Red Sox.
Speed, contact, defense. And so what if he can't throw? He can still throw better than Bernie can. And even with the signing the Yanks payroll is still at its lowest since 2002.
Maybe they can get rid of Pavano too...

And in response to a couple of posts ago, The Red Sox don't have a chance at Veron Wells. Toranto has a very good chance at passing Boston this year, and have money to spend. So why would they go trade he to the Sox? And they have no more propects to trade besides Marte...

I hated Johhny Damon up until I picked up the paper this morning. Now I love him!
Go Yankees!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sniffa]

30. scientists at NASA have determined that johnny damon...

scientists at NASA have determined that johnny damon may end up Looking Like this: