Johnny Damon signed with the Detroit Tigers for $8 million on Saturday. The question I have for Damon is: Was it worth it? What I mean by that is, was it worth the extra million to go a team and a city that is not in a positive position, when you could have stayed in New York for $14 million over two years?
Damon seems to believe that he is the type of player who can hit 25 homers and drive in 80 runs without the benefit of a cozy stadium that is tailor-made for his swing. Unfortunately for him, Scott Boras was the only person who agreed with him, as all 30 clubs wouldn't give him the $13 million he was looking for.
The Yankees offered a very reasonable two year $14 million deal which was rejected almost immediately. And while New York's decision to be frugal when it came to Damon has drawn criticism, it is unwarrented. Why should the Yankees have to overpay for a player they see as overvalued? And so the divorce proceeded and Johnny now ends up in Detroit. The Yankees might not have wanted to give up Damon, but they shouldn't have to break the bank for him.
If I'm either the Tigers or Damon right now, I can't be happy. Sure, Damon just signed a deal and he knows who he's playing for now, but he had to settle for much less than he orginally wanted, and he is going to a team that traded away one of its best players and doesn't have a bright future.
If I'm the Detroit, I just gave $8 million to a player who only put up the numbers he did because of his venue. But even worse than that, Damon has a no-trade clause so the Tigers can't dump him for prospects when they realize the team is out of it. And I know, there is no such thing as a bad one-year deal, but this isn't a good one.
Both sides don't come out looking or feeling good in this deal, and I doubt that will change into the season.
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