Debating Damon

The CTR staff got together last night and debated the wisdom of Jesus, or at least the wisdom of signing him to a four-year, $52 million contract…

Sean McNally: Am I’m only the person who doesn’t believe this isn’t the end of Yankee baseball as we know it?
RB: No, that’s definitely me as well
SG in ATL: I’ll get over it, but I’ll never embrace him
SJ: I wish instead of this deal, Brian Cashman would have driven to my home, knocked on my door, and kicked me in the groin.
Sean McNally: Why are you both so negative?
SG in ATL: 2004 ALCS, I’m so happy that I’ll get to see the face that helped lead the biggest collapse in baseball playoff history seven hundred times a year for four years
Sean McNally: Kevin Brown and Javy Vazquez are coming back to the Bronx?
RB: Yeah, but it might also be the face that leads them to another title. I’m more hardcore root-for-laundry than anyone here, I think
SG in ATL: Would you root for Varitek if he got traded to the Yankees?
Sean McNally: Eventually, but I would be salty about it for a while
RB: With great reluctance. But in the end, I’m happy when they win and sad when they lose. Maybe I’m happier when someone like Bernie helps them win, but in the end it’s still a happy/sad divide
SG in ATL: I don’t dispute that Damon was the best available option, but look at the holes that are going to be coming up
SG in ATL: They’re going to need a catcher and a RF next year
RB: But they have money coming off the books for a C and a RF
SG in ATL: Rodriguez, Jeter, Giambi, and Matsui have all probably had their best seasons
Sean McNally: I just try to think of baseball as rationally as possible
SJ: No you don’t, you’re a ridiculous homer
Sean McNally: And rationally this is a decent deal for the Yankees
SJ: Dude, all Cameron cost was Xavier Nady, a player the Mets didn’t need anyway
Sean McNally: And a better player than the Yankees had in their system
SJ: Xavier Nady is a piece of junk and the Yankees have pieces of junk like I have empty cigarette boxes
RB: But what could the Yankees have given for Cameron? Melky Cabrera? He’s not worth one of Cano/Wang/Duncan troika and the Mets wouldn’t take Kevin Reese or Crosby
SJ: Anything
Sean McNally: Transactions aren’t made in a vacuum.
SJ: We have tons ‘o junk
Sean McNally: In order to make that deal you need a piece of junk more shiny than the X-man
SJ: We could have worked a 3 way deal. Pavano to Tampa, Huff to the Mets, Cameron to the Yankees.
RB: But that wouldn’t work, Huff makes practically as much money as Cameron, the Mets were trying to lose the salary not the player.
SG in ATL: Imagine signing Bernie Williams at age 32
SG in ATL: Just in time for him to fall off the cliff?
Sean McNally: When did Bernie’s decline begin?
SG in ATL: He had one more good season at age 33, and then it happened:
333/.415/.493 at age 33
263/.367/.411 at age 34
.262/.360/.435 at age 35
.249/.321/.367 last year
RB: Right. And let’s face it, that age 35 season isn’t great. But AL CF hit .268/.322/.407 last year. So it’s better than that. This simply isn’t an end of the world signing by any stretch of the imagination
Sean McNally: Ok, but Bernie had the knee/back injuries
SG in ATL: Didn’t Damon have two shoulder injuries this year?
SJ And Bernie was better than Damon to start with, Bernie put up 9 seasons better than Johnny Damon’s best season.
Sean McNally: Contact injuries are less likely to recur then joint injuries
SG in ATL: And dammit, we paid Bernie back for years of excellence when he was underpaid
SG in ATL: We’re now paying Damon for screwing us over as a red sock
Sean McNally: Short-term, say the next two seasons, does this not improve the Yankees in 2006 and 2007
SG in ATL: They will win more games, but I will like them less
RB: Easily. In 2006, I say between 3-7 wins, probably closer to the 5-7 range.
Sean McNally: I would agree with Richard here
RB: And I think you’ll come around SG. If rLr can warm to Randy Johnson, I have faith you can to Johnny Damon
Sean McNally: Amen!
SG in ATL: Did rLr really warm up to Johnson?
Sean McNally: I think so
RB: Yeah, RJ’s run at the end of the season, culminating in the clincher at Fenway won rLr over
SG in ATL: The only thing that I think can save Damon is that by losing that stupid hair and beard I can stop associating him with the red sox
Sean McNally: Look, a haircut, a shave and some early April hitting will do a lot to help Damon’s acceptance among Yankee fans
Sean McNally: His top comp posted some attractive lines, ladies and gentleman, let me introduce you to Augie Galan:
32: .318/.426/.495
33: .307/.423/.441
34: .310/.451/.460
35: .314/.449/.416
Sean McNally: And his top comp through Age 31, Mr. Tim Raines
SG in ATL: Sim scores are not predictive
SG in ATL: Damon is a Fenway illusion
SG in ATL: He hits about 60 ops pts better at home than on the road
Sean McNally: I would take, and expect a line of .300/.400/.475
SJ: No one will score from second base on a fly ball
SJ: .475?
SJ: You are out of your mind
Sean McNally: Extra pops ‘round the pole
SG in ATL: You’d take a .400 OBP from a guy who’s NEVER HAD IT?
SG in ATL: Career high OBP is .382
Sean McNally: I think you guys are fairly reactionary
SG in ATL: I would like to change my c- to an f+
SG in ATL: Add declining defense in there
SG in ATL: We need Larry’s input. I bet he likes this
SJ: He is a closet Damon fan
RB: Is he likely to be more bullish on this than any of us?
Sean McNally: No, I doubt it
Sean McNally: Now that we have our new toy, what should Torre do with him?
SG in ATL: They still need another bat, by the way
RB: Honestly, I don’t like batting Damon lead-off, but I can’t see a situation where he doesn’t
SG in ATL: Damon will hit leadoff, and it shouldn’t make a ton of difference, really
RB: Well, it will result in Jeter bunting fifty thousand ####### times which is going to get me banned for swearing
Sean McNally: Damon-Jeter-Giambi-ARod-Matsui-Sheffield-Posada-Cano-Phillips
SG in ATL: They can’t hit Sheffield 6th
Sean McNally: Larry says great move!
RB: I think I’d do Damon-Jeter-ARod-Giambi-Sheffield-Matsui-Posada-Cano-Phillips
Sean McNally: I like that too
SG in ATL: I like Giambi ahead of Rodriguez
RB: I could flip/flop Jason and Alex that works for me. I like the R-L-R in 3-4-5 but I’m not endeared of it. Too early to say what it does with Boston, but I agree with what it does for us
SJ: That’s what he is going with
SG in ATL: Get your best on base guy in front of your best power hitter
Sean McNally: Larry says it makes the Yanks “five games better”
SJ: And Boston 5 games worse, a 10 game swing
SG in ATL: Well, Boston now has money to play around with
Sean McNally: And they have exactly what to spend it on?
RB: Finley!
Sean McNally: Ha
SJ: But when the braves are out of it and Andruw Jones is available......
Sean McNally: Naysayer
Sean McNally: Bottom line, Damon addresses the Yanks most obvious and vital need in a good way
SG in ATL: If good means overpriced, bloated, and risky, then I agree
Sean McNally: And at least we didn’t sign Jeff Conine or Jacques Jones
RB: So, let’s try to be somewhat rational. Give it a final grade for the deal
RB: B-
SJ: D
SG in ATL: C-
Sean McNally: B+ for 2006, B- for 2007 and a C+ for the final two years. Overall, B-
Sean McNally: So I think we average out to a C, not bad.