Monday, December 14, 2009

Damon squashes contract rumors


Johnny Damon squashed rumors that he and the New York Yankees have made any progress in negotiating a new deal. Despite rumors of ongoing talks and offers and counteroffers, Damon said neither he nor the team has even told the other side what it will take to get a deal done.

The speculation has to be incredibly frustrating for both sides, but it surprises me that there hasn't yet been even an opening offer. I would have imagined that the Yankees at least would be eager to get Damon's deal done so they can move on to other things.

Damon, after a solid regular season and a good World Series, is looking for a multi-year deal so he and agent Scott Boras have an incentive to try to get the Yankees into a bidding war with at least one other team. But I don't imagine the Yankees will bite. Although I think Brian Cashman would break the bank for the right player, I don't think Damon qualifies in his mind, especially now that he swung a trade for Curtis Granderson.

The Yanks should make the first move. Make an offer and see what happens. If Damon rejects it, then move on. But don't let this drag out. There are more important things to worry about, including filling out the starting rotation.

Thanks to Onetwo1 via en.Wikipedia for the photo.

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