Much was said and written in the off-season about the New York Yankees' choice not to retain free agents Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. Yankees GM Brian Cashman decided not to pursue Matsui because he was heading into his age 36 season, and his bad knees made it nearly impossible for him to play the field. Cashman was willing to bring back Damon (also heading into his age 36 season), but only at the Yankees' price. Damon turned down Cashman's 2-year, 14 million dollar offer.
Did the Yankees make the right choice? At the time, I thought so. And now that two-thirds of the 2010 season has passed, I think it's fair to say they absolutely made the right choice.
Damon, who signed with the Detroit Tigers, had 24 home runs and 82 RBI with the Yankees in 2009. For the Tigers thus far, he's got just 7 home runs and 37 RBI. Also, he's been even worse in the field than last year, has been pretty much relegated to DH duty, and is no longer playing every day for the Tigers.
Matsui, who signed with the Los Angeles Angels, batted .274 with 24 home runs and 90 RBI for the Yankees in 2009. This year with the Angels, the numbers are .243, 14 and 57, a far cry from his usual output. Like Damon, Matsui is a DH only, and is no longer playing every day.
Many will point to the fact that the players the Yankees replaced Damon and Matsui with, Nick Johnson and Curtis Granderson, have also been disappointments. But that doesn't mean the Yankees made the wrong choice in letting Damon and Matsui go. It just means they picked the wrong players to fill their spots.
Will the Yankees miss Damon and Mastui come playoff time? Perhaps. But in the long run, the Yankees will be much better off sticking with their plan of getting younger and more athletic. Granderson, the poster boy for Cashman's master plan, may never be the player the Yankees thought he would be. But Damon and Matsui certainly will never again be the players they used to be.
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