Damon Should Seek Abreu Type Deal
By Mike Silva ~ December 14th, 2009. Filed under: Offseason Speculation.
I hope Johnny Damon is not surprised by the fact he has yet to receive an offer from the Yankees. There are rumblings that Damon may be seeking as much as a 4 year $52 million dollar deal. Scott Boras is a great salesman, but he deserves to be canonized in the Baseball Hall of Fame if he can pull off that kind of contract.
Last year Bobby Abreu sat around and was forced to take Anaheim’s one year/$5 million dollar offer. Some in the industry believe Abreu was the victim of collusion due to the lack of interest he received after a 2008, a season that saw him put a similar line to Damon, at roughly the same age, with his 20/100/.282. Abreu decided to not take a chance this year and quickly signed a 2 year deal worth $19 million, with a third year option that vests based on plate appearances.
If Boras is smart he would put his ego aside and get a deal done with the Yankees along those lines. No way I give him a 3 year deal, but perhaps a vesting option based on plate appearances makes sense. The Yankees are concerned about Damon’s durability and Boras claims his client has more left in the tank. Make him prove it with a performance based option that would bring the deal’s value to around $30 million bucks.
Despite speculation, NYBD was told San Francisco has no interest in bringing Damon aboard. Earlier there were rumors the Mets would present Damon a 3 year/$31 million dollar deal, but right now they are tied up with “Bay Watch” and there hasn’t been concrete information about their interest anyway. One scenario is Boston, could Damon return home and become an “idiot” once again. If Bay signs elsewhere and Holliday is too rich for Theo Epstein, would the Sox consider bringing Damon back for a 2 year plus option deal? This is obviously speculation, but makes a whole lot of sense as a backup option. At least in Boston, unlike the Mets, Damon will have the luxury of the designated hitter.
Regardless, Scott Boras is about to learn about what happens to his clients during difficult economic times. Use the Abreu deal as a benchmark and get something done or perhaps Johnny Damon will be looking for a one year deal come February.
