Boras: Damon wasn’t given a chance to return to NY
January 6, 2010, 4:00 pm by iYankees · 8 Comments
Scott Boras was recently on the MLB Home Plate channel (SiriusXM) and had a few interesting things to say to host Jim Bowden about the Yankees and Johnny Damon, a client of his that has struggled to find a home this winter.
Via Bryan Hoch’s Bombers Beat Blog:
Bowden: “Is the door left open for Johnny Damon to return to the Yankees or has that door been closed?”
Scott Boras: “Well, you know, I think, you know, when you talk about Johnny’s performance and being the top #2 hitter in the game and hitting 24 home runs and scoring 107 [runs] and driving in 82 [RBIs] I just don’t know how a lineup, particularly that has the #3, #4 and #5 hitters that the Yankees have, can not want that player. The Yankees’ position is that they have a budget and certainly I’m not here to fault them. Obviously they make great commitments to their payroll and to their team and their fans. And in the instance of Johnny Damon it was just a situation where, you know, for whatever reason he really wasn’t given an opportunity to return to the Yankees and, you know, he’ll have to just move forward.”
Boras’ closing comment seems to echo the words of Sports Illustrated scribe, Jon Heyman, in his latest piece on the free agent market. “The Yankees never made Damon one offer until they were said to be ‘down the road’ with [Nick] Johnson,” writes Heyman, adding that Brian Cashman “casually threw out a figure of $14 million for two years after agent Scott Boras requested $20 million over two.” Though Heyman has been described as Boras’ lackey, stirring up interest in Boras’ clients in exchange for breaking news, his report is inline with what we have generally heard.
Based on this information, then, it would appear as though the Yankees played a tough game of hardball with Damon. However, there seems to be an easily identifiable reason for this approach. Basically, the team knows Boras maneuvers in a very effective manner when seeking a deal for his clients, as he is an excellent contractual strategist. Need proof? Take a look at the Matt Holliday “sweepstakes,” which really featured no legitimate suitors outside of St. Louis, yet, somehow, despite the lack of demand, Boras still managed to secure a $120 million payday for Holliday, from the Cardinals. Perhaps the Yankees, in their pursuit of Damon, thought it best to simply remove themselves from the bidding early on in order to wait for the left fielder’s price to plummet like Bobby Abreu’s did a year ago.
If so, guess what? The strategy has worked remarkably well, right? Damon is currently muddling through free agency with what can only be described as lukewarm interest from both the Braves and Giants, who like his offense and fear his defense. In all likelihood, he won’t receive anything close to the $13 million per year he originally had hoped for this offseason — he probably won’t even receive $9 million per, either — and appears to have overplayed his hand.
While Boras seems to signal that Damon’s pinstriped tenure is all but over, Jon Heyman, in the piece cited earlier, indicates that there is still a chance the Yankees and Damon can come to an agreement. Brian Cashman, Heyman writes, “is said to only want to do a one-year deal at this point and believed to want to spend no more than $6 million.” This is inline with the figure I put forth yesterday as the number is small enough to be viewed as big value buy for the Yankees. Heyman, however, acknowledges that the team might have to “stretch” that figure a bit in order to land the 36-year old. Maybe a $6 million base with an extra $2-3 million in incentives could get the job done? Incentives are not included in the opening day payroll, so the Yankees, in an effort to adhere to their budget cutting principles, could still maintain that the signing has not put them over the $200 million mark by a large margin. Plus, they could always trade Chad Gaudin, who could possibly earn close to $3 million after arbitration, in order to free up payroll resources.
Basically, despite Cashman’s admission about Brett Gardner being the everyday left fielder, the Yankees are still in a very good position to land Johnny Damon at their price. The patient approach which they have employed this winter has worked wonders, as Damon’s demands have fallen dramatically. He may not be amenable to a one-year deal and an incentive-laden contract (which is my suggestion), however, at this point, it could end up being his best option.
Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
scott bore-ass is an even bigger money whore than johnny damon so I think they deserve each other…we may not be know the whole story behind the damon – yankees GM relationship. the answer may be as simple as the GM does not really like damon personally & decided that he was excess drama baggage not worth the trouble of re-signing…one player does not a whole team make
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I wouldn’t think it has anything to do with a personality conflict between player and management. Simply that the player is a 36 year old LF with declining defensive skills, so much so that he was not only moved out of CF because of lack of range, but now his play in LF is limited. Not to mention his arm. His only value to the NYY is that of a #2 hitter.
Right now, the Yankees have more options than Damon does. So if the Yankees want him, it will be at their price and not at Boras’. If not, they put a guy with a career .402 OBP in the 2-hole (.426 last season). Clearly more options than Damon has.
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I really like Johnny Damon and hope he returns to the Yankees. Hopefully they can work this out, but if not I will still rrot for the Pinstripes. The business end of this equation is always very touchy…..
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First matsui then Damon, now I hear David cone is not returning on yes network. Three pepole I enjoyed thoroughly. It’s a sad offseason.
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Boras is a large reason why it costs so much to go see a ball game. In a time where the majority of baseball fans have hit hard times, Boras continues to drive up the price of ball player salaries. As a fan who would find it hard to afford to see a ball game, I have been disgusted with the amount of millions that are spent, and the more this seems to go on, the more the game loses its appeal. I personally like Damon but he needs to realize the Yankees hold all the chips.(if he wants to stay a Yankee)
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Maybe I’m wrong, but I thought I read just after the season ended that Boras told the Yankees that unless they were ready to offer Damon 3 years at 10-13 mil per, not to even bother making an offer. And after Cashman turned to N. Johnson, Boras called offering 2 at 20, Cashman countered with 2 at 14 and Damon/Boras refused. That’s how I thought it went.
Anyway, it would be a mistake to pass on Damon for 1 year at 6-8 mil.
Just sayin’
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It has since been reported that the “don’t even bother unless it’s $10-13M per” info was likely false. The exact way in which the convo unfolded is still a bit hazy but it seems like Cashman offered $14M and it was rebuked by Boras, who wanted $10M per and then Cashman immediately turned his attention to Johnson. I believe that’s how it went down. Heyman’s account is slightly off, but the offers are correct.
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I was startled when I read this about two weeks ago -” Damon wants $13 million a year, his salary on his recently expired contract, and has indicated to the Yankees, through a conduit, that he doesn’t even want them making an offer if they’re going to propose less” . It was hard to believe that Damon would make this statement, knowing he was getting no younger, was a poor defender, and that the Yanks were not going to be manipulated. It smelled of Boras and his bungled negotiation with ARod in 2007. Boras doesn’t know when he has lost leverage. He talks himself and his clients into thinking they are more valuable then they are, which is a dangerous game when the buyers have other options.
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