Yankees Daily

I know you have to think about the future but I’d rather have Damon than Granderson.

Cashman holding off on next move

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

12/10/09 2:48 PM EST

INDIANAPOLIS — The Yankees have used the Winter Meetings to move closer to the finish line of the offseason, but they will still have ground to cover if Johnny Damon is to return for the 2010 season.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said that he is leaving Indianapolis with nothing necessarily close either on the trade front or the free-agent market. That countered a published report that had the Yankees moving forward with the 36-year-old Damon.

“I am definitely not in a position right now where I feel like I’m ready to do anything,” Cashman said. “The next step isn’t ready to happen now, based on my conversations. There shouldn’t be another shoe to drop immediately.”

The Yankees do have some interest in Damon, but only at their price. Scott Boras, Damon’s agent, held court on Wednesday at the Indianapolis Marriott and said that the Yankees’ trade for Curtis Granderson should not preclude them from pursuing Damon.

Rather, the Granderson addition enhances Damon’s value, Boras said.

“Johnny’s legs are still good. He runs well,” Boras said. “You’re going to have certainly a defender out there that has a little more range than the Yankees had before. The other thing is you have a left-handed power component that’s going to drive in more runs.

“So I think from Johnny Damon’s point of view, with him being more in the upper part of the lineup, it allows Granderson to be where he’s better situated — probably lower in the lineup, behind [Mark] Teixeira, behind A-Rod, behind [Jorge] Posada.”

Cashman said that the Yankees line up well defensively right now, with Melky Cabrera in left field, Granderson in center field and Nick Swisher in right field. Brett Gardner is also on the roster as a reserve, and Rule 5 Draft selection Jamie Hoffmann will also receive a look in Spring Training.

Beyond Damon, Cashman has acknowledged interest in free agent Mark DeRosa this week, and ESPN.com has noted the Yankees are likely to look at Mike Cameron, a player they nearly traded Cabrera to the Brewers for last winter.

Damon batted .282 with a career-high-tying 24 home runs, 82 RBIs and 107 runs scored for the Yankees in 2009, his fourth year with the team after signing a $52 million contract.

Bryan Hoch also has some great transcripts from his blog Bombers Beat on Jim Leyland and his feelings on Granderson and Cashman’s take on the Granderson trade.

Tags: Johnny Damon, new york yankees, Yankees, yankees may pursue damon but only at right price, yankeesdaily

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