Wouldn't it give the Red Sox more of a reason to trade Manny, not less? The Red Sox will now want to move Manny for two outfielders. Or, if the report is correct, it sounds like the Red Sox aren't willing to add much more money to their already large budget. It sounds to me that the Red Sox will want to shed Manny to afford two outfielders. What are the chances of the Manny, Clement for Abreu deal going through?

I would think the Red Sox would need to get more than just Abreu for Manny and Clement.

damon has always been a sell-out, but this just ices it. what a prick

re: johnny "demon" damon signs with yanks, betrays bosox

well, red sox nation, your worst fears are true. your best players, e.g. wade boggs, roger clemens, babe ruth, johnny damon, build up their careers and reputations with the red sox, and then sign for the big bucks with new york yankees. does anyone else see a pattern here?

plus the yanks are adding by substracting from their rival.

the yankees have had one truly bad deficiency the past couple of years--lack of a great leadoff man. Not to slight Derek Jeter, but he does not have the great On Base Average numbers of Damon.

With Damon leading off, and Jeter batting two, MVP Alex Rodriguez and the rest of the Yankee lineup will finally have some runners on base and keeping pitchers off balance with the running game ahead of them.

And to think world champions Damon and Jermaine Dye were both once KC Royal prospects in the same outfield.....

a fine move on the Yankees part.

--arthur john kyriazis, philly

As a die hard Yankee fan for 25+ years I think we should have held out for a younger prospect or 2 like Joey Gathright. Speed/Arm/Upside. To root for this guy is going to be strangely frustrating, even if he does well.

"Not to slight Derek Jeter, but he does not have the great On Base Average numbers of Damon."

You're right, Jeter does not have the great OBP numbers of Damon, he has far greater on base skills than Damon. Over their careers, Jeter has posted a .386 OBP versus Damon's .353. Jeter gets on base far more often than Damon, and it's not particularly close. I don't have their splits available, so Damon might post a higher OBP from the leadoff slot than Jeter, but overall Jeter gets on base more often.

"damon has always been a sell-out, but this just ices it. what a prick"

And if he'd signed with the Sox for 6 years, 80 mil this wouldn't have made him a 'sell-out'? Simply because it's with the same team?

MLB on XM is speculating the Sox dragged their feet on this - they could have offered a 5th year or a couple more mil in 4 and Johnny would have stayed. Perhaps they thought Damon was bluffing...

I can't wait to see opposing runners take extra bases on him. Damon's got the worst arm for a centerfielder since...... Bernie Williams!

This is just another example of George being George. They say they're cutting payroll, they're not going to keep signing veterans who are past their primes, blah blah blah.

George's ex-Red Sox fetish got the best of him, and he thinks nothing of dropping down $13 million an outfielder.

I don't want to hear about the Blue Jays spending all that dough on BJ Ryan, or the Dodgers and Furcal - the Junkees have $25 mill A-Fraud, $18 mill Cheater, $13 mill Shemp Matsui, $13 mill Sheffield, $15 mill RJ, Juice-On Giambi, etc. etc.

Increase the luxury tax! I didn't believe that garbage about "the Yankees lost $80 million dollars in 2005"!

I like the move (or lack of) for the Sox if they can make two more moves -- trade Arroyo or Clement for Reed and sign Millwood with the money saved on Damon. The biggest problem is that they needed to make the trade before Damon signed, so they still had some leverage with Seattle. Now Seattle knows they need to make a trade.

Reed will be at least as good as Damon by next year. Reed/Marte/Pedroia/Papelbon/Lester/Beckett/Hansen are a phenomenal foundation for the long term. It will look even better if Wells turns into Adrian Gonzalez. They still need to pick up a power hitting corner OF prospect.

I suspect the Red Sox are secretly ecstatic over this, as Damon isn't worth that kind of money particularly as he enters his serious decline phase.

As a Red Sox fan, I enjoyed watching the guy play. But I'd rather go with someone like Reed.

Everyone is making this out to be a big coup for the Yankees, but it doesn't address their big weakness, their aging starting pitching. They didn't really need more offense.

pete, i dont understand your question. yes, he is, has been, and always will be a sell-out. raping the redsox, a team he supposedly loves, doesn't change anything. yes, signing a big contract w/ boston still makes him a sell-out, but at least then his "f-u" to the boston fans wouldnt be so overt

This was another Steinbrenner blunder:

1) Jeter is statistically (though maybe not in actuality) a better leadoff hitter than Damon, AND, as Neyer points out, performs better when leading off.
2) In two years, the heart of the Yankee lineup will have an average age of 36.
3) The Red Sox got the best of Damon for less. The Yanks will get the leftovers for more.

One other note: the only team slow enough to probably not run on Damon's arm? The Red Sox.

Depending on what the Sox do with the Damon $, and in CF... this could still blow up in Steinbrenner's face (like everything else lately).

People. If you think Jeremy Reed is the foundation of a dynasty you are delusional. Short term this will hurt the Sox and help the Yanks. Long term, sure, eventually the Red Sox could be the...uh...what 2001 A's? Yanks will always outspend and overspend, sometimes make bad moves sometimes good. This one was good, as their options were limited. Sox won't make the playoffs next year.

" yes, signing a big contract w/ boston still makes him a sell-out, but at least then his "f-u" to the boston fans wouldnt be so overt"

Agreed, but I don't think I'd be seeing the words 'sell out' being tossed around if he simply re-signed for more money with the Sox.

I understand the rationalization of this move from a Sox point of view, because for the most part it's Sox fans who read this site. At the very least, it's mostly Yankee haters. But to hear someone claiming Reed will be 'as good or better' than Damon next year is almost laughable - and so the Mariners would give him up for Matt Clement WHY?

Maybe not the ideal solution for the Yankees in CF, but the guy covers a lot of ground - much more than Bernie - and the fact that his arm isn't that great never seemed to affect Bernie when he was winning his gold gloves or winning his 4 championship rings. The Yanks also haven't been the same since their last true leadoff hitter (Knoblauch) split - if Damon can get on base and wreak some havoc the way a true leadoff hitter should, that lineup is downright scary.

The move makes more sense than not - Damon will be at Bernie's age (36-37) when the contract ends, and arguably will be in decline the same way Bernie is now. But the best part is that the contract will then be up - we won't have to then endure 3 *more* years of Damon. The salary is also reasonable enough that if they need to deal him, they could definitely do so and pay part of it in the process.

To address the 'aging pitching' comment - who's 'aging' besides Johnson and Mussina? Mussina's contract is up (CMIIW) after 2006, and Johnson's only signed through 2007.

Good riddance Johnny Damon. You have lowered yourself to Pay-Rod's level. All in the name of a selfish fat check. Who cares about the fans that treated you so well. Who cares about the team. Money can buy anything...including a championship right? I relish the day there is a true salary cap, and the playing field is leveled. I guess we can hope for an early demise to Steinbrenner, because it won't happen until then, or the fans and owner's stand up to him, which is an unlikely scenario! They can count me in. But Johnny...you can count on me to boo!

I love hearing the fans of the league's second highest payroll cry out that the league's highest payroll is "buying championships". Or is LA the second highest now? Either way, it's the pot calling the kettle black.

See ya Johnny! Was fun rooting for you - but can't root for anyone that plays for the Yankees, at any time, under any circumstances.

Signed,
Atlanta Braves fan

Moe: You do know that a salary cap would affect the team with the second highest payroll in baseball as well, right? I mean, don't pretend that the Red Sox don't burn through money as well.

"But to hear someone claiming Reed will be 'as good or better' than Damon next year is almost laughable - and so the Mariners would give him up for Matt Clement WHY?"

Because the Mariners already have a better CF named Ichiro Suzuki, who's out of position in RF. And I think people value pitching over another position player. (The Mariners might have someone in the minors ready, I dunno. Corner outfielders are typically easier to replace than a CF, too.)

Reed isn't a franchise player, but I suspect he'd perform about as well as Damon (.700-.750 OPS). Defensively, he'd reach as many balls and have a better arm. And he'd be a stopgap--the real CF I'd like to see is Vernon Wells, who's a free agent next year.

Another option is if the Sox can trade Wells back to San Diego for Dave Roberts. You'd see another .700-.750 OPS, speed, and as good or better defense.

"To address the 'aging pitching' comment - who's 'aging' besides Johnson and Mussina?"

Well, everyone's aging. But when your #1 and #2 are likely to decline--Johnson's a freak to continue at his age and with his bad knees, and who knows what Moose has left--it's a pretty serious issue. You also have unknown injury issues with Pavano and Wright, Chacon's success may have been a fluke, and I'm not sure why Yankee fans are so keen on Wang. If he was on any other team, they'd be skeptical of his age (26, I believe) and ridiculously low strikeout totals. That's not a recipe for a good starter. Who else do they have? (I honestly don't know at this point.)

So I think the Yankees will score zillions of runs, but the starting pitching is suspect for 2006. They'll probably win the division by outslugging everyone, but will they have the starting pitching to win a playoff series? Hard to say. At least their bullpen looks pretty good.

For the Sox, Schilling is an unknown, and age and injuries are an issue. Beckett, while an injury risk due to his blister history, is a stud entering his peak years. Wakefield could decline, but knuckleballers are curious beasts. I thnk trading Arroyo makes more sense than moving Clement, because if he'd ever throw more strikes, Clement is a tough pitcher to hit. Arroyo is probably as good as he'll ever be (which is to say, he's pretty average). He's cheap, though, which should make him attractive to a team like Minnesota (should Torii Hunter be available). The Sox also have a bunch of kids of varying stages of MLB readiness, from Papelbon to Lester, to fill in the rotation or bullpen.

So if the East is still a battle between the Sox and Yankees, I think the Yanks easily win the division but if the Sox are able to make it to the playoffs, I'd take their pitching.

I can't believe how quickly people got down on Reed. 8 months ago he was Baseball Prospectus's #10 prospect in all of the minors and he was Baseball America's #33 prospect. BA had him as the 9th best OF prospect in baseball, BP as the 2nd best OF prospect. He was a popular pick this year for ROY predictions.

One struggling year and he is no longer a good foundation? If the Sox make the Adrian Gonzalez and Jeremy Reed trades, he will be the 3rd or 4th best young positional player on the team in 2007. That is a strong foundation, especially when combined with 3 top young pitchers and one of top young relievers.

When you have a core of 8 good to great players all in their early to mid twenties and money to complement those players, that is a phenomenal foundation.

Spare me the "betrayal" nonsense. How many people if offered 30% more money to go work for their company's competitor doing the same exact job wouldn't take it?

I was just reading the blog on BaseballCrank.com. For some reason the following post was unacceptable, however, I post it here to note my thoughts: My largest problem with people who address trades and free agent signings is they do not address items which may have played a role in the player's signing. The one item I would like to see is the player's history in the park of the team that has acquired him. Yankees Stadium may be a harder park to hit in, but how did Damon do in that park over the years? Of course, he hit against Yankees pitching, not other teams pitching, but I still think it gives some detail of how he could perform. Another thing is the player's statistics minus facing the team he was acquired by. How did Damon do against the rest of the league besides the Yankees? Again this can show how well he has performed in the past. Likewise, with numerous series being in Fenway Park, he will still have an ability to post big numbers. Now we could talk about his career against Red Sox pitchers, too. There are so many intangibles that cannot be shown by mere numbers alone. I am not a large fan of the Yankees, and I have vistied an unnamed Yankees rouse site numerous times even though I am not a Red Sox or fan of the Mets either, but I cannot second guess this move. He is in his early thirties. Not every player does worse in his early thirties. He is also signed to the age of Thirty Five. Numerous other players have not hit the wall until that age. His last year under this contract may be bad, but the Yankees have added much hustle and heart to a team that has not had much lately. Though it may decrease the need for Williams, who had great heart, I think the Yankees made a smart move.

hahha "another pete" makes a great point......if i were offered more money from a team that seemed to be managing itself more competantly, i'd throw up a big middle finger on my way over there too......

......just one thing, i don't have millions of screaming fans, and no-one has bought the long-johns i endorse.

I'm sure with all that money it won't matter to him, but I'll tell you, there's no more surefire way to destroy your legacy as a Red Sox than to leave to sign with the Yankees. JD might has well have taken a huge dump in CF and flipped off the fans with both birds flying.

He'll be persona non grata in Boston for the forseeable future. His legacy in Boston tarnished, although perhaps not beyond repair given the WS. Time will tell.

All I know is you can do a Pedro and sign with the Mets and come home again. Sign with the Yanks? Uh uh.

Traitor! I hate this loyalty to the almighty dollar rather than a team. Give me the Cal Ripken Jr.'s of the world any day. I think these overpaid, mid-level talented players should fend for themselves. Get rid of all the high priced agents who scarf up millions on these overblown contracts and get the price of taking your family to a ballgame back down to earth. No MLB player on this planet is worth over $10,000,000 a year! I'm sorry, the leader of the free world and owner of the toughest job on the planet (I really can't stand Bush either but...) pales in comparison with his salary. What makes it worth it to spend the gross national product of some countries on say a centerfielder with a weak throwing arm, declining speed and a wife who requires surgical updates yearly? Baseball is out of control. Ever since A-scrod & Manny got their megadeals the average joe has been priced out of attending games in person. It makes me sick to see any Red Sox player go to the evil empire. I just hope he doesn't haunt the Sox all 19 times that they play each other in 2006! Go Varitek!!!!

Bob,

I am not sure where I stand in team loyalty v. family loyalty. What I do understand however is that I am tired of players complaining that they need to feed their family and that is why they need to make more than $x Million a year. Numerous players do it, and sometimes lose in the long run (Sprewell in basketball, Ricky Waters in the NFL), others get the money they belive they deserve (Alexi Kovalev in the NHL). The players feel they deserve the money because of the struggles to make it to the level they are at and because of the shortness of their careers. My problem is that an average American worker makes $40,000 a year (average American home income - this takes into account all the million dollar players and CEO's too). To make $1 Million dollars, it will take an average person 25 years. An average person only works 30 years. Over that time an average person will make $1.2 million dollars, which will afford them usually a home, two cars, and to provide for children (even college). What is the difference between $10 Million and $15 Million? How materialistic do you need to be. The problem however, is that money talks. If I were faced with that decision (aka Billy Wagner of the Phillies, too), I would take the extra money, even though it is not necessary. We live in a materialistic society. I think however, it speaks great deals about a person who would stay for less money (or willing to take less every year to make his team better - ala Brett Favre). Cal Ripken is a different person. He moved his position to allow a player to come in. He took less money to stay with the Orioles, who showed him respect (but he wasn't short changed either). Players do not possess that anymore. Most people don't except in chat rooms or blogs. In reality, this could turn out and be good for the Red Sox, who could acquire a CF to help their team in the long run. It could hurt, too. But players egos have ruined the image of professional sports, and we as fans support it by paying what we pay to go to games. If you don't agree with it, boycott the games, don't watch them on TV and the money will go down. Players do not need multi-million dollars and then complain that they do not make enough, when us as fans are working hard to afford one ticket (or in my case, cannot even afford a ticket). That is what money does, I guess.

Red Sox currently holding press conference to address
Johnny Damon move. Larry Lucchino & the 2 co-gm's
take questions.

The Yanks did the same sort of pre-emptive strike with Mussina. Simply put it's good negotiating. Mussina told the O's that he'd let them match his best offer and the O's sat on their hands. The Yankees made him an offer that he had to answer without comparing it. So, of course, Mussina took it.

If the Sox wanted to keep Damon they did a bad job of it. If they secretly wanted to let him go, though, well they played this precisely right.

Bob,

Ticket prices are not raised because of high salaries. Ticket prices are in a completely different market. Why do the the owners raise prices? Because people are willing to pay for them. It is the same as any other business. Why would the Yankees lower prices if they knew they would sell out every game. It would be a stupid business move to lower prices and still have the same attendance, because this would be giving up a larger profit. You cannot blame the high ticket prices on high salaries just becuase you think they are related. Think about it. They are not.

Tim is right. You raise ticket prices because the market for your tickets is good. That allows you to sign better players.

"I think the Yanks easily win the division but if the Sox are able to make it to the playoffs, I'd take their pitching."

Why, because of Beckett and Schilling? We'll see - it's a lonnnnnng season, and there's only so much blister cream and clean socks to go around... ;-)

I expect the Yankees to be worse in 06 than in 05 and the Sox to be better. Despite the Damon signing.

With every position player except Cano in the decline phase, Damon as opposed to Williams should about make up for the inevitable age decline to be seen by at least some of the position players.

On the other hand, does anyone expect Small, Chacon and Lieter to repeat last year? If you don't expect fall off from that trio, you are dreaming. And I don't see much room for improvement much of anywhere else.

Mussina and Johnson each had the middle year of the last 3. Either could be better, but either could easily be worse.

Pavano, when healthy, pitched right about where his league, park, defense and DH adjusted history expected him to pitch.

It is impossible to predict what Wright could do, but counting on him seems foolhardy.

Rivera had the best year of his career.

They added Farnsworth and Myers to the pen, but lost Gordon, who had a very good year. Hard to imagine the 2 of them could be more valuable than he was.

Sox on the other hand, have a much improved bullpen and replaced the infield, with an upgrade at every position except third, where Youk is roughly equivalent to Mueller. No one on the Sox last year had what could be considered a career year, with the possible exception of Timlin. If Schilling can come back to be a solid #2 starter and they don't take any major injuries/collapses, the Sox should win 100+.

Hey, if the Sawx really need a center fielder, I'd be willing to GIVE them Steve Finley. I'm sure the Angels wouldn't mind - they've been giving away lots of guys lately!

angels could send finley to soxs or maybe the padres can now sent dave roberts straight up for wells.

hehehe.

i wonder if torii hunter is on the move this winter. i would not mind him wearing padres colors next year