I was surprised to hear a loud contingency of Yankees fans on talk radio upset about the Nick Johnson signing. I think he fits everything this lineup needs out of a #2 hitter. I heard some make the argument that Hideki Matsui would have cost a half million more and could DH like Johnson. That is true, but not how I believe the Yankees arrived at their decision. I was more about position in the lineup, injury risk, and money.

- Position in the lineup: It became clear very early into free agency that Johnny Damon was going to play hardball with his negotiations. He should have seen his market and came back much earlier with his two year proposal. Johnson is more a replacement for Damon in the lineup than Matsui. Brian Cashman needed a solid #2 hitter and apparently they don’t believe Curtis Granderson fit that mold. In all fairness batting him lower diminishes his issues against LHP and puts him in a spot to drive in runs.

- Matsui’s injury risk: You’re laughing because Nick Johnson isn’t exactly Lou Gehrig when it comes to staying in the lineup. It’s true that Johnson gets hurt, some are very freaky (I was at the Saturday afternoon game when he broke his leg at Shea), but I believe Yankees are looking for him to play about 120 games. The chances of injury are far less if he is just taking four at bats a game. I wouldn’t be surprised if Johnson looked at it that too since there was interest in him from National League clubs. I believe at this point in his career Matsui is just as much an injury risk as Johnson, and the Yankees have hinted how surprised they were that he held up. Remember, he looked awfully gimpy at times during the first half before he picked up his performance the final 100 games.

- Payroll: Yes this is finally a concern for the Yankees. There was too much “smoke” about investors wanting a better return from the ballclub and perhaps Hal is finally listening. I don’t think the Yankees will make payroll an issue with a big free agent (i.e. Joe Mauer), but they aren’t going to overpay for declining veterans like Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. The era of Yankees “greed” is over. In the old days they would simply pay for Matt Holliday or Jason Bay to play left field. Now they are choosy about what stars they splurge on, and are willing to be like every other team and complement their stars with role players rather than secondary elite players.

I can’t get crazy over the Nick Johnson move. I had some doubts about Granderson, but those are quickly disappearing the more I talk to people about the deal. Personally I would have traded for Halladay, but deep down I think Anthopoulos didn’t want him in the AL East.

In the end the Yankees wanted Johnny Damon. He misread the market so they turned to the next best choice to hit # 2 in their lineup. Nick Johnson in many ways fits the Yankees lineup like a glove. I predict, if healthy, he will have a very nice year.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

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Tags: Curtis Granderson, Hideki Matsui, Jason Bay, Johnny Damon, Matt Holliday, New York Yankees, Nick Johnson, Roy Halladay