Damon Returning to the Yankees Unlikely

Brian Cashman made it clear today that the Yankees reaching out to Johnny Damon was just them doing their due diligence, and that they really don't have a need for their former outfielder.

"It was just part of our canvassing process," Cashman told Wallace Matthews of ESPN. "It's something we do with every free agent. I can't tell you if anything's going to happen there. There's not a clear role for him here.''

As I posted earlier, Damon would see limited play time if he did come back to New York, and that's not something I believe he is willing to do yet. The Yankees are stacked with young outfielders who will pretty much see playing time everyday, sans the occasional day off. At best, Damon would probably fill in to hit against a left-handed pitcher that Brett Gardner or Curtis Granderson have difficulty hitting against. And as far as DH goes, with less wear and tear from not being the starting catcher, Jorge Posada should improve on the number of games he plays which would be over 100 if he stays clear of any injury, so there's not much use for Damon there, either.

Cashman also debunked rumors of the Yankees' interest in pitchers Freddy Garcia and Brandon Webb. Webb has been of particular interest in the rumor mill throughout the blogosphere, being a former Cy Young Award winner. But he hasn't pitched in almost two years following shoulder surgery. Shoulder surgery is far worse than elbow (Tommy John) surgery, and most teams are skiddish about signing pitchers who've gone through it; they're never quite the same afterword.

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