Not that I want to pay Damon more than $7-8 million for 1 year, with an option for another, and a small buyout for declining the option. That seems reasonable to me.

Then, we can do Steve a favor…make the outfield Damon/Granderson/Melky/Gardner/Hoffman-Whosis, and trade Swisher for another good part or a prospect or two…Texas might need an outfielder, but probably not…the Royals in a deal for Gil Meche, if he’s healthy?

To repeat what I said in the prior thread:

Nick Johnson doesn’t suck. He can hit some. He’ll do OK, if he can stay healthy.

He’s a decent puzzle piece, but, except for salary, I don’t see how he fits into the Yankee puzzle better than Damon. He’s slow for a #2 man, although he’ll certainly be on base a lot. He’ll also set up a lot of RBI and GIDP for Tex and A-Rod.

I could see batting him #5 or 6 against righties, and hoping he can take advantage of the short alley in right and right-center as Damon used to. His power’s a little short for #5.

See what I mean? He’s a good piece, but he doesn’t…quite…fit.

I don’t think I understand this signing. Certainty? Cost? I dunno.

BOHAN wrote:

im not sayin he cant pitch in NYC im saying he cant pitch in the AL. his ERA in 4 yrs in the AL are 4.91 w/ NY and 4.84 3.74 4.67 with chicago. so its not just ny its the AL. its much easier to pitch the NL then it the AL so him coming back here just isnt a good diea.

Each of those ERA’s was league average:

2004 ERA+: 92
2008 ERA+: 98
2007 ERA+: 126
2008 ERA+: 98

That’s league average. No one’s arguing that the NL isn’t easier but if you re-read my comments the fact remains that 200 innings of league-average performance for $11.5M would be a very good investment.

butchie22 wrote:

Raf wrote:
butchie22 wrote:
when Tino first went there they were patient with him, even though he followed Steroid Brain McGuire. In Yankee Stadium, he was treated like an enemy player by many obnoxious Yankee fans!

when tino first got here he was booed a bit but it was because he wasnt producing one bit. once he started porducing he became loved and when he came back here when he was with stl he got a standing ovation. dude was loved here, he was actually my favorite player, and he will forever be loved here.

MJ wrote:

BOHAN wrote:
cause jazy vasquez worked out in new york once already right????
198 IP, 92 ERA+, 6.8 K/9, 1.28 WHIP. We’d be talking about a #3 starter, not the #1/#2 he was supposed to be in 2004. Different set of expectations altogether.
If we suspend disbelief for a moment (since it’s doubtful that such a trade would ever occur), the Yanks picking up the remaining $11.5M on Vazquez’s contract to get a pitcher that is better than what he showed in 2004 would clearly be worthwhile. The Red Sox are paying Lackey $17M to be their #3 starter. We’d be paying $5.5M less with a reasonable expectation of fairly similar results.
You may not like Vazquez and you may be one of those guys that buys the BS that he can’t pitch in New York but you can’t make a credible argument that a minimum of 200 league-average innings would be a bad thing for the Yanks to add to their rotation on a one-year basis.

im not sayin he cant pitch in NYC im saying he cant pitch in the AL. his ERA in 4 yrs in the AL are 4.91 w/ NY and 4.84 3.74 4.67 with chicago. so its not just ny its the AL. its much easier to pitch the NL then it the AL so him coming back here just isnt a good diea.

@ YankCrank:

Wasn’t the Yankees’ terms around $7 million per year?

http://twitter.com/KenDavidoff/statuses/6806669427

Kepner just tweeted that late Thursday night Damon went to the Yanks and said he’d do 2 years $20 million but by then, Yanks had already agreed with Nick Johnson.

I don’t know the validity to what these NY sportswriters are saying, but if Johnny came back to the Yanks at their terms last minute, why not sign him anyway?

I know I spent most of the day arguing against signing Damon, but that’s only at his demand for 3 years and $13 mil per year. But if that report is true and he came all the way down to the Yanks terms, I wish they would have brought him back.

Too bad.

If The Sox deal Ellsbury in a package for another player it’ll always free up left field in Fenway

If Damon doesn’t sign with NY, Atlanta should be his next option.

butchie22 wrote:

The bottom line reagrding The NO STAR is that he couldn’t hack it here, you can’t explain it away with stats or anything tangibl, HE WAS A MESS IN THE SECOND HALF OF 2004!

Yes he was a mess in the second 1/2. THE STATS SHOW HE WAS A MESS. The stats also show that wasn’t the case the 1st 1/2 of the season. You never answered the question. Was he productive because pressure only applies to the 2nd 1/2 of the season? Better yet, does the “Z0MG PR3zzUR3″ apply since the Red Sox didn’t see 1st place after June?

Do you remember how ‘great” JV was in game 7 of 2004? Absolutley shitastic! as a Yankee fan I bet you are effing proud of his steelar performance in that game,correct?

Not proud of his performance, not simple enough to have a couple of games OVERRIDE A 12 YEAR CAREER

Weaver? You are making me laugh now…I might spit out my coffee. Weaver couldn’t hack it here either,mate! He screwed up here because he has no pressure in Tigerville and came here and couldn’t hack it.

So how do you explain the bad years he had with other teams? He couldn’t handle the pressure in St Louis, Seattle or Anaheim?

I remeber one game that was televised on 9 and the crowd let him have it and he looked like his entire family just died!

You can’t be serious…

BTW.Seattle is down the road mate, he went to LA after the Yankees. Perhaps by the time he reached seattle his stuff diminished AND his psyche wasn’t right.

Weaver was lit up in LA as well. Guess he couldn’t handle the pressure and sunshine in California.

But I’ll say this about weaver, he has a ring,though! He got one in the town where ballplayers love to play ,St Louis.

Oh yeah, he sucked as a Cardinal too. 5.18 ERA woo-hoo! I think the pressure got to him out there too…

Igawa?HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAAH! That was a horrific example, he pitched in another bloody country,mate! Different league, different country, different traditions etc so on.The Japanese are so respectful and polite in the stands.

Obviously you are unfamiliar with the Hanshin Tigers and their fans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNizL09ypzQ

Not only did his stuff now translate , did you see his awkward body language on the mound. The guy looked perplexed to be here!

Kinda like here?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW0YtOxxmXk

That’s in JAPAN, by the way

Raf, keep on deluding yourself about how players are stats first THEN human beings second. To actually deny that fact is sheer insanity. And if you think anyone can pitch or play here bring headcases like Greinke, Milton Bradley OR Khalil Greene here …that would be rich!

*facepalm*

Even Cash Man admitted that there is a consideration on whether or not a player can play here in NY with the Yankees. It’s not a no pressure atmosphere like KC or Shittsburgh is , it’s a tough place to play.

Doesn’t make Cashman correct, and players have sucked in KC and Shittsburgh. Guess players couldn’t handle the media pressure there either?

How did the obnoxious and animalistic Yankee fans treat Afraud for how many years? They booed at him, criticized him…do you think that helped his psyche? Rudy Giuliani had to come out and defend this effing guy for chrissakes from all the rubes that were savaging him almost every time he came up. Oh, but I forgot Arod is a stat off of Fangraphs not a person…..

Since you brought up Fangraphs

WAR – Wins Above Replacement

Alex Rodriguez
09: 4.4
08: 6
07: 9.6
06: 4.6
05: 9.4
04: 6.7
03: 9
02: 9.8

Seems a clear pattern to me, Rodriguez can’t handle pressure in even numbered years…

I say that with much too much sarcasm ,mate.

No problem, doesn’t make you any less correct. I’ve already shown my work, let’s see yours…