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The Yankees signed outfielder Randy Winn to a one-year deal worth about $2 million, according to the New York Post.Winn, who played with the Giants from 2005-09, will complement Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner in the outfield mix, and his ability to play all three positions is likely what made him attractive to the reigning world champions.
But Winn's fit in the Bronx isn't the story here, it's what his signing means for fellow free agent Johnny Damon, who will officially not return to the Yankees after four seasons with the club.
Damon is quickly turning into this year's Bobby Abreu. Yes, he's 36. Yes, he has one of the worst outfield arms anywhere and overall seems to be a defensive liability. But he can still hit at the top of a team's order, can still swipe a bag and remains one of the more reliable players in baseball.
Damon had a .282 average, 24 home runs, 82 RBI and an .854 OPS last season. He's never played fewer than 141 games in a year, save for 1995, his rookie season.
Despite Damon's well known limitations, it's not entirely clear why the Yankees would opt for Winn. Though he's a switch-hitter, he does not hit left-handed pitching well (.158 average in 2009), a trait you'd figure the Yankees would place a premium on in the search for an additional outfielder with Gardner, an unproven left-handed hitter, the incumbent in left field.
Damon's price tag will of course be higher. He's worth more than $2 million a season from a productivity standpoint, but there's also pride at stake for a two-time All-Star and World Series champion.
With the list of suitors dwindling and spring training approaching, we're probably to the point where he's not going to make significantly more than Winn, wherever he winds up. All of which begs the question: since when have the Yankees eschewed a clearly superior player over a few million dollars?
Since now, apparently.All winter long we've heard Brian Cashman and other Yankees executives use a seemingly foreign word in the Bronx, "budget," when discussing potential acquisitions.
"I'm not having any discussions on [Damon]," Cashman told MLB.com Tuesday. "His abilities exceed the money that I have."
Maybe we should have guessed when the Yankees shied away from Matt Holliday and allowed John Lackey to sign with Boston without so much as a serious offer. Maybe we should have believed the words coming directly out of Cashman's mouth all offseason.
Now we know for sure. Yes, even the Yankees have a budget.
If that seems hard to believe, just ask the still unemployed Damon.
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