Thursday, November 12, 2009
Lohud.com - Jenning: Cashman uses GM meetings to gather info
Of the seven Yankees eligible for free agency, six have already filed. Andy Pettitte has yet to make it official but Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Jose Molina, Eric Hinske, Jerry Hairston Jr. and Xavier Nady have filed, and the Yankees have eight more days of exclusive rights to negotiate a deal with them for next season. After that, free agents are free to negotiate with any team.
I want to congratulate you all on your new endeavors and I’m sure you’ll do very well and good luck to you. Especially, if your interests don’t conflict with ours
The agents for both Damon and Matsui were in Chicago, but Cashman met with neither of them. Damon’s agent, Scott Boras, suggested to multiple media outlets that his client is looking for a multi-year contract, but Cashman has given no indication whether that would be a problem for the Yankees.
If multi = two, sure. If not, no thanks, although Scott Boras did bring up the valid point that “chronological age doesn’t play any part in his genetics.” One source told me Damon is actually getting younger every year. Look for the Curious Case of Johnny Damon, in theaters this winter.
Cashman did say the Yankees view Damon as a left fielder but see Matsui strictly as a designated hitter. If Matsui comes back, it would be to fill the same role he played this year. The outfield is out of the question.
“He may very well be an outfielder for somebody else,” Cashman said.
I’m not sure who’d take the risk on putting Matsui in the OF. Even if he was able to stay healthy, he was a bad defender before he became a zombie, and my human to zombie defensive translations are unkind.
Maybe it’s bad, but I still don’t really care about the offseason yet. Like several others mentioned in the last thread, I am still enjoying the WS afterglow.
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