Spring Training Has Finally Sprung!

Well, not officially. Games don't begin until March, but pitchers and catchers reported for camp this morning, and I'm just as giddy as Alex Rodriguez:

Adam Hunger/Reuters

Once players begin reporting to camp, the days seem to move a lot faster, and before you know it, our boys in pinstripes are hitting the field to play their first game.

I was following some interesting tweets from Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork this morning. Here are two that caught my attention:

Cashman spoke, said Pineda not No. 2, Mo will be late to camp and loves the wild card.Check the blog today for details.
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) February 19, 2012

Just landed in Tampa. On my plane, none than Brian Cashman. Said Damon called him yesterday about DH job. Told him he is not first choice.
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) February 19, 2012

Since the Michael Pineda trade went down, a lot of noise throughout the blogosphere has been of the possibility that he might be the no. 2 starter behind CC Sabathia. Well, Cashman confirmed what my belief has been, and that is that Ivan Nova will most likely be following CC in that rotation. He's earned it by proving he's a big-game pitcher that doesn't fall under the bright lights of Yankee Stadium.

And I think it's safe to say that Johnny Damon's time in pinstripes officially ended forever after the 2009 season. It doesn't make much sense to me why Cashman would prefer Raul Ibanez over Damon; in all the categories that count for a DH (RBIs, HRs, SLG and OPS), both players are neck and neck. But what you'd get from Damon is more speed on the bases and a player that has been there before, and was beloved in the Yankees clubhouse. My personal opinion on the DH situation is that the Yankees already have a DH in Andruw Jones. But if they want to spend money that they claim they don't have, then Damon would definitely have been my choice here.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

No, No Guerrero

A few hours ago, ESPN's Buster Olney posted this tweet:

Vladimir Guerrero has made it known to the Yankees that he wants their DH spot. IMO, Raul Ibanez still the frontrunner to sign w/NYY as DH.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) February 13, 2012

Via wikipedia.org

It's typical for players to reach out to teams like this, especially now, when Spring Training is just around the corner, and they have yet to sign a deal. Knowing that the Yankees are in need of a reputable DH that can provide power and play everyday, it makes sense that Guerrerro, of all the hitters left in the DH pool, would make himself available.

He's wise to the Yankees' reputation of signing stars; there is no question that Guerrerro is a future and possible first-ballot Hall of Famer, the stats speak for themselves. He's also wise to the fact that the Yankees offer the best situation for him to play and get back to the postseason, since many of the true contending teams in the AL (Red Sox, Tigers, Angels, Blue Jays, etc.) are in no immediate need for a designated hitter.

But Guerrerro's offering comes a bit too late in his career. He is coming off of a season where his power numbers dropped significantly enough from the year before. In 2010 with the Rangers, Guerrero's slash line read .300/.345/496 with 29 home runs and 115 RBIs. With the Orioles last year, those numbers dropped to .290/.317/.416, with only 13 homers and 63 RBIs. Guerrero also seems to have lost some speed on his bat. The graph below is a measurement of Guerrero's ISO or Isolated Power.

Via fangraphs.com

US Presswire

The drop from '10 to '11 is an indication of the decline in his bat speed. Power is what makes Guerrero marketable. He has nothing else to offer that the Yankees could possibly be looking for. He has no speed on the bases, and no longer possesses the powerful arm that made him such a threat as a right-fielder. As the DH spot will see many players from the Yankees lineup throughout the season, it makes more sense for the Yankees to have a DH that can be a reliable platoon player. From the pool of Yankee possibilities, Johnny Damon, Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones are not as far removed from playing the outfield as Guerrero is, and possess more speed on the base paths.  They are better options to relieve the Yankee starting outfielders when necessary.

Adam Hunger/Reuters

Olney seems sure that Ibanez will be the winner of the Yankees DH sweepstakes. Ibanez didn't have a great season with the Phillies last year either, but was able to post 20 home runs and 84 RBIs, which is exactly what the Yankees need. As a lefty, Yankee Stadium is an ideal ballpark for Ibanez who should make great use of the short porch in right field. The same could be said for Damon, who has been there and done that.

Who do you think should be the Yankees DH? Add your comment below.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

Rays Sign Damon and Ramirez

If this were, say, even 3 years ago, I might be a little intimidated and unnerved by this move.

According to this report from SI.com, the Rays have signed OFs Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez to 1-year contracts for $5.25 million and $2 million, respectively.

Wow. What has the baseball world come to when Johnny Damon earns more money than Manny Ramirez?

Besides the subject of pay, I'm assuming that the Rays may be looking to make Damon their everyday left-fielder or platoon him with rookie Desmond Jennings, who now will probably have to show his moxie in Spring Training. Manny will probably assume the role of everyday DH.

Both players still have life left in their bats. Damon hit for .271 and had an OPS of .756 in 145 games with the Tigers last season. Manny's .311 and .261 BAs with both the Dodgers and White Sox, respectively, combined for a .298 AVG. However, in the 24 games Manny played in Chicago, he only hit 1 homer with just 2 RBIs.

I would say that it could be just like old times for both players when the Rays play the Yankees at the stadium, but I'm almost certain that Damon will receive a far warmer reception than Manny will.


Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

Yanks Closing In On Jones; Damon Still An Option

This came from a report this morning by Brian Costello of the NY Post:

"The Yankees and [Andruw] Jones continue to talk about the 33-year-old becoming the team's fourth outfielder. The sides remain apart on the contract terms right now, but a baseball source said the sides were moving closer."

The Yankees and Jones are reportedly stuck on the terms of an agreement as I'm sure Jones' agent, Scott Boras, wouldn't be doing his job if he weren't asking for more money than his client is actually worth. It's probable though that the Yankees will "step up" their talks with Jones, especially now that Marcus Thames has reached an agreement with the Dodgers, as per this article from the LA Times. With Thames definitely gone, the Yankees will need Jones to fill the 4th outfielder spot and back-up DH duties. If they can't get Jones, the Yankees are still said to be considering Johnny Damon for the position.

Damon is also being pursued by the Angels and Rays. The Angels are looking to fill the hole left by Hideki Matsui for DH/back-up left-fielder duties and the Rays are in need also of a DH and possible replacement for rookie left-fielder Desmond Jennings, in case he proves not ready for the big leagues. Both teams would offer Damon the regular playing time that he's looking for which would be a problem for the Yankees, as they can only use him part-time.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

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.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

Johnny Damon Back to the Yankees?

This from Ken Davidoff of Newsday:

"While the Yankees' primary focus remains pitching, they have been communicating with free agent Johnny Damon about a possible return to the Yankees for 2011, Newsday has learned.

"Four sources said that Damon and the Yankees were talking about a role in which Damon, 37, would get occasional at-bats as a designated hitter and fill in at leftfield, allowing starting leftfielder Brett Gardner to either rest or shift to fill in for centerfielder Curtis Granderson or rightfielder Nick Swisher."

I'm not sure how I feel about this. Johnny Damon was an integral part of the 2009 WS team with the Yankees and during his tenure in the Bronx, we witnessed him come up big many times in key situations. He can still hit and he's beloved in the clubhouse and by the New York media. But Damon is in decline offensively and defensively and it just isn't smart for the Yankees to bring another aging player back into the fold.

Consider what Damon did last year with the Tigers in comparison to '09 with the Yankees. His batting average from '09 to '10 dropped from .282 to .271 with 13 fewer plate appearances in Detroit, 11 fewer at-bats and 26 fewer runs. His SLG percentage dropped from .489 to .401, his lowest since slugging .396 in 2007. And, his OPS took a big dip from .854 to .756.

I like Damon, but there's no real upside to bringing him back. Posada will probably play a lot more games at DH than he has the past few seasons as catcher, and unless Gardner, Granderson or Swisher suffer any significant injury, I don't see where Damon will get much playing time. Besides being a back-up outfielder or DH, he may be called in to pitch hit against a left-handed pitcher, but that still won't amount to the kind of playing time that he probably wants. All-in-all I doubt that the Yankees will bring him back.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper