Johnny really wants to play for Detroit
by Kurt Mensching on Feb 1, 2010 11:16 PM EST
in Detroit Tigers News
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PrintWhile we were busy discussing the advantages or disadvantages of Johnny Damon playing under the Olde English D, his agent was busy telling the Tigers just how much the caveman would like to spend a summer in the Motor City.
Lynn Henning of the Detroit News spoke to agent Scott Borass on Monday to find out his feelings on the matter (Big Al first linked to this in a FanShot).
"Johnny believes the addition of him to Detroit's lineup would make the Tigers a winner," Scott Boras, Damon's agent, said during a Monday phone conversation.
Boras agrees.
"He's batted .363 at Comerica Park, he has a .412 on-base percentage at Comerica," Boras said.
This episode reminds me of two things: The first is Pudge Rodriguez coming to Detroit because he knew he could make the Tigers a winner, or something along those lines. So Boras is dipping into his greatest hits quote box here.
And the second thing I keep thinking of is that commerical for America Airlines.
"Dave, we have teams on both coasts that are interested. But Johnny only wants to play for Detroit."
That stat Boras quotes is a bit misleading of course, because of the ... wait for it ! ... wait for it ! ... small sample size. Ugh, I feel like I need a shower now. Damon has had 189 plate appearances in Detroit's ballpark. That's not insignificant, of course. He's had sustained success in the park. But it's a number small enough not to bet the farm on the trend continuing at that rate.
Of course, Boras is just saying what had to be said. It has a slight smell of desperation to it. Hopefully that's a good sign, as another possible destination or two may have come off the rolls on Monday after the Reds and A's made a trade, and Oakland added Gabe Gross. If Damon wants to play baseball for the right deal and wants a possibility of making the playoffs, Detroit is as good a stop as any.
Anyway, nothing groundbreaking in Monday's events. The Tigers seldom show their hand, so we really know nothing more than we did 24 hours ago.
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Better a Johnny-come-lately
then no Johnny at all, right?
by Trysdor on Feb 1, 2010 11:58 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
GROAN
President, Vice President and Secretary of the Casey Crosby Fanclub.
by David Tokarz on Feb 2, 2010 12:22 AM EST up reply actions
Wait
Are you sobbing or calling Trysdor an son of a bitch? I’m lost.
President, Vice President and Secretary of the Casey Crosby Fanclub.
by David Tokarz on Feb 2, 2010 12:59 AM EST up reply actions
I actually chuckled, so I’ll rec in the faces of all the haters!
My old blog is Tigers By The Numbers.
Now I write at Bless You Boys.
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What about going after Russell Branyan?
Just a thought…………
Doubtful
The guy has been a mercenary since day one. He jettisoned Kansas City, who developed him into a star…then happily took the money to jump from one Evil Kingdom (Boston) to the other (NYY).
While I certainly wouldn’t mind him as a CHEAP platoon, basically as a sub for the Marcus Thames roster spot…I certainly don’t think he’s anything more than another selfish money grubber, despirately trying to squeeze a few more million $$ out of the end of his career. I also wouldn’t risk him stealing playing time or development from any of our young outfielders.
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Didn't he lose a huge chunk...
of cash in the Bernie Maddoff scheme? Him and Nady (before he went on the DL) were asking’ their teammates (no joke) with help paying their mortgages because of lost/frozen assets. Maybe he feels like he has no choice but to try and go for the highest bidder for his services?
That said, I don’t think there would even be enough ABs for him because of the logjam in the outfield. I’m on the Lopez train.
I don’t see what him liking money has to do with his on-field talents. He’ll help the Tigers and who’s he really blocking? Wilkin Ramirez and Casper Wells? It wouldn’t (hopefully) be a long term deal, either.
My old blog is Tigers By The Numbers.
Now I write at Bless You Boys.
Like music? See what I'm listening to at my Last.fm account.
What we are seeing . . .
. . . looks awfully like a publicity campaign by Boras and Damon to pressure the Tigers into signing him by generating fan support for the move.
I agree
However, if the Tigers were to sign anyone to bring left handed power to the plate, I would prefer an infield position player.
Sign him for 5 - 6 mil....
….and then we will more then likely get a suplemental pick in the 2011 draft as well.
That's what I was thinking...
but someone else on this site sharply noted that probably wouldn’t happen, since he would probably accept arbitration, since no one would want to give up picks to sign a 39-year-old outfielder.
A lifelong Tigers fan
We could always pull a Billy Bean though and trade him at the deadline if things aren’t looking so good. What would-be contender wouldn’t want a guy with experience like Damon going into October.
by rif23 on Feb 2, 2010 9:52 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
please
sign him asap dd…if not to play then as hitting coach, nobody can grind out an at bat like jd, with patience and contact…exactly what this team needs at the plate a little discipline. i bet if you asked skip he would live to have him.
by jlamb13 on Feb 2, 2010 9:52 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
Johnny Damon COME ON DOWN!!!!
I think this would be a good move for the tigs. However, (Im guessing) in order to sign Damon another shoe would have to drop. Most likely that shoe would involve Mags or Carols. I dont forsee the tigrs paying 6-7 mil for a backup player. Damon would be a great outfiled insurance policy for jackson, guillen, or rayburn. The sad part is, we dont need another outfielder, we need another infielder who bats left handed. Santieogo (sorry about spelling) cant backup all 3 infield positions. I also think the Tigers are not going to head North with Bonderman, Robertson and Willis. One of these 3 will get thier walking papers this year. The Tigers will pay them anyways, but they will want to free up a roster spot for someone who can help the team. Good Luck Tigers. Come on DD, pull the string we need a left handed bat in the lineup.
add Damon
Guillen goes to DH or emergency backup infielder
Move a LH reliever down or trade a couple players (including a LHP) for a better one to free up a spot.
I don’t think the Tigers would be willing to eat that much salary in cutting a player. None of them would sign for anything close to their 10M-ish contracts.
Johnny wants a contract
and if it’s only available in Detroit, that’d be fine with him.
Maybe they get him on a Bobby Abreu special- one year, $ 5 mil.
Abreu is better, but he took the Angels offer and wound up extending for two years, $ 18 mil.
Abreu and Damon have been mirror images offensively the last 3 years and Damon’s better in the field. I’d rather have Damon than Abreu if all things were equal.
My old blog is Tigers By The Numbers.
Now I write at Bless You Boys.
Like music? See what I'm listening to at my Last.fm account.
by Mike Rogers on Feb 2, 2010 5:07 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
lol...in your dreams[Bobby Abreu] but good try! bud
by '' spiderman '' on Feb 2, 2010 12:46 PM EST reply actions
Bobby Abreu already sign a extending contact with LAA,anyway, he isn’t available, maybe in 2 years!
by '' spiderman '' on Feb 2, 2010 12:50 PM EST up reply actions
Let's do it
The more I think about this, the more I’m for it. If the price is right (and I bet it will be), what could go wrong?
The Tigers once said they weren’t in on Damon. Now they aren’t saying anything.
This reminds me of Michael Bluth celebrating the change of his company’s stock from “don’t buy” to “risky”. Risky!
It comes off to me as Boras is starting to sweat...
Everyone in MLB knows the Tigers’ offensive needs: LH bat with some pop who is preferrably a corner OF, and a leadoff hitter. The more I think about, after being very leery of taking on another aging OF, I can get behind a Damon signing, but only, I repeat, only, if it’s on the Tigers’ terms. (as Mike said in the comments of the earlier post, 1 year, $5M seems about right)
The Tigers are holding all the cards at this point. Scott Boras has done the math. He knows the Tigers are one of the very few teams where his client would fill obvious needs, he has developed a pretty good working relationship over the years with Dombrowski, and most importantly, spring training is less than a month away. Time is not on Boras’ side, he needs to get Damon a deal.
Boras may have come to the realization that a commission on a smaller, short-term contract is better than getting no commission at all.
I'm owner/editor of The Wayne Fontes Experience and a deputy editor at Bless You Boys.
I have been saying thats for years,as far as,contacts goes, I would to see every tiger having one year contact not long term, if a player perform that player should be extendted another year for another one year contact…that way it solve all problems, but tigers organization won’t to that, it smart way, that what i would if I was the owner of the tigers..my huge opinion!
I agree
The way free agency is set up, one (or a couple good) year(s) can pay off big. The current situation is proof of that (Mags, Carlos, Dontrelle, Robertson, etc.). A series of one year deals would put the Tigers at a huge disadvantage when other teams offer more financial stability for the players.
Please try to condense your thoughts into actual replies
and 1 or 2 comments, instead of cluttering the thread with several in a row. Thanks!
by allikazoo on Feb 2, 2010 1:45 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
So, in essense, you want every single player in baseball to become a free agent every year?
What stops the Yankees from simply fielding the previous year’s all-MLB team every year then? Nothing. Not a good idea at all.
I know financing & economics, i used to be college professor of math & science,going for my masters maybe a PHD so, I know alot of economic & math!
Why would one year contracts make baseball better?
I thought that is one of the reasons the NFL is in such a greivance with its veterans due to the fact that any NFL team can pretty much drop a player and keep the money whenever it wants? How does one year contracts lower team Salary? People with one year deals now a days usually accepts them because they weren’t good enough to get a multi-year deal. If someone like Pujols wanted only one year contracts, then they would not be for the “bargain” prices of a multi-year deal.
by Fien SHOULD CLOSE on Feb 2, 2010 2:02 PM EST up reply actions
If it was not for that horse, I would have never gone to college...
Don't drive angry!
by Dan Gurney on Feb 2, 2010 2:49 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Beard policy
Not to get ahead of ourselves, but let’s say the Tigers do bring in Mr. Damon. Do you think he grows the beard back out? Do you want him to grow the beard back out?
I say he doesn’t but I would really like to see him go Benjamin Harrison in the outfield.
I root for the Tigers, Pistons, Red Wings and yes, the Lions.
www.twitter.com/zajareich
If he can hit the ball
he can do whatever the hell he wants. We seem to have a way of bringing out the animal in our players in the D. Would be nice.
Welcome to Detroit, NO sissies allowed
Yeah, I’d go with the beard!
Welcome to Detroit, NO sissies allowed
by Detroitchik on Feb 2, 2010 2:30 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
He looks like a Geico caveman.
President, Vice President and Secretary of the Casey Crosby Fanclub.
by David Tokarz on Feb 2, 2010 2:56 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
I was going to mention that Beck was on mlb.com
the hot stove show talking about this, but he didn’t really have anything to say at all, as I expected. The front office must be in hiding somewhere.
Signing Damon could actually blindside Scott Boras.
The move could take some precious PT away for Ordonez, enough so that his 2011 option won’t vest. If Guillen is the primary DH, then Ordonez will be blocked from getting AB’s at DH and will sitting more often. Raburn (or whoever we use as a sub) should get the playing time he deserves from RF.
Magglio needs 135 starts or 540 PA’s. Last year he had just 131 starts and 518 PA’s. If Mags sits just one game a week, he’s down to 136 starts.
So signing Damon now, could save the Tigers some significant money next year. Management would also have a legit excuse for sitting Magglio, so they wouldn’t have to worry about a grievance being filed.
by linuxit on Feb 2, 2010 2:57 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
I am for signing
Damon, but against sitting Magglio, for obvious reasons
Welcome to Detroit, NO sissies allowed
what if you got to sit next to Magglio during it?
by Kurt Mensching on Feb 2, 2010 7:46 PM EST up reply actions
hahahahaha
well, then that’s completely different, Kurt. It’s like comparing apples and oranges
Welcome to Detroit, NO sissies allowed
speaking of Magglio..
did you see this BLS post comparing Maggs to Mario Lemieux? The resemblance is pretty uncanny.
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The only thing I wonder
is who would be most impacted on the Tigers with a Damon signing.
Because signing Damon in and of itself would be a tremendous move by the Tigers.
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