Brian Cashman has made some great improvements to the Yankees this off season. He bolstered the pitching staff with the acquisition of Javier Vazquez, and added an element of speed and defense with Curtis Granderson. Although the failure to resign Johnny Damon may fall more on ownership than Cashman, this move will undoubtedly come back to haunt the Yankees, especially if Damon goes on to play for a reasonable contract in Tampa.

 The new obsession with runs saved, a dubious stat if I ever saw one, will lead to many praising the acquisition of Winn despite his offensive shortcomings. There is no doubt that he can play defense, as Winn put up a UZR/150 of 20.1, but he doesn’t hit left handed pitching, and has declined offensively over the last three years to where he was significantly below average (OPS+ of 75) in 2009.

If not Damon, than Xavier Nady or Reed Johnson would have been better choices for the Yankees. I also think the failure to land Damon or Nady could be part of a larger rift with agent Scott Boras. Yesterday, Joel Sherman of the NY Post stated that Nady was offered to the Yanks for $5 million dollars, ultimately signing with Chicago for just over $3 million, but Brian Cashman and company were never given a chance to match the final offer. That tells me that Boras is upset about how the Damon negotiations have been handled.

 I am not siding with Boras. Personally, I think he misread Damon’s market and annoyed the Yankees with his insistence on a 3 or 4 year offer. Losing out on Damon doesn’t take the Yanks out of the playoff picture, but I just don’t get the sense they have enough depth in the outfield. If Gardner doesn’t cut it, Swisher gets hurt, or another slugger has a down year, there is nowhere for the organization to turn. Their best offensive prospect, Jesus Montero, just turned 20 years old!  I haven’t event mentioned the leadership that will be missed with the departure of Damon.

 I am not shocked the Yankees passed up on Damon, but this is a move that shouldn’t be understated, especially if he signs a reasonable one year deal elsewhere.

Tags: Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson, Javier Vazquez, Jesus Montero, Johnny Damon, New York Yankees, Randy Winn, Reed Johnson, Scott Boras, Tampa Bay Rays, Xavier Nady