Law pulls no punches with Damon

In Keith Law’s ranking of the top 50 free agents, Johnny Damon was number 22.

Here’s Law’s profile on the World Series hero:

Damon might be the biggest beneficiary of the fact that the Yankees’ new stadium is a good home run park; his apparent performance boost was largely a product of the new environment, as Damon hit 17 of his career-best 24 home runs at home. He’ll play next year at 36, and age and a neutral park next year will lead to a big drop in his numbers. His swing is long and he bails out on anything down, away, or down and away. His reads in left field are poor, and his arm is a 35 on a good day. He’s probably a .275/.355/.440 hitter — if he doesn’t have a sudden age-related drop-off — who’ll cost a team several runs on defense, and that’s not worth anything close to what he earned from the Yankees on his last contract.

Obviously, it’s not exactly a glowing report. Law touches on all of the legitimate reasons—defense, age, eroding offensive skills, stadium-induced power, etc— for why Damon should not be offered a contract over the winter. Still, the Yankees may be willing to bite the proverbial bullet and sign Damon if he’s cheap and open to a two-year deal, as the move would provide short-term flexibility. However, Scott Boras, Damon’s agent, seems to have other plans in mind.

For those wondering, Mike Cameron is ranked ahead of Damon at number 12.

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