There was a deal to be made between the Yankees and Johnny Damon and it wasn’t completed. The club decided Hideki Matsui’s knees were too much of a risk.
So two productive players left the Yankees after being key cogs in winning the 2009 World Series.
And because they had to beef up the rotation, starting center fielder Melky Cabrera was dealt to the Braves for Javier Vazquez.
Now, the Yankees try to defend their 27th title with a buffet of names, some familiar, others new.
The trio of Brett Gardner, Randy Winn and Marcus Thames takes over for Damon in left. The designated-hitter spot, which could have been Damon’s, is manned by Nick Johnson. It’s the oft-injured Johnson’s second tour in The Bronx. Curtis Granderson takes over in center.
Gardner will get the first shot to play every day in left, but Thames was signed ($900,000 if he makes the team) to provide a right-handed bat against lefties.
Gardner, possibly the fastest runner in the game, was the starting center fielder at the opening of last season but lost the job to Cabrera when he didn’t hit. Gardner finished the season batting .270 with 100 games and swiped 26 bases in 31 attempts.
Considering they get home runs from second base (Robinson Cano hit 25) and catcher (Jorge Posada hit 22) and plenty of power from Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira, the Yankees don’t need power from Gardner. If he hits .280, steals bases and provides solid defense, he will be a plus.
Granderson essentially replaces Damon.
Granderson’s speed allows him to overcome occasional bad jumps, and after hitting 30 homers a year ago for Detroit the lefty swinger could tack on 10 hitting in homer-friendly Yankee Stadium.
He could hit second between Derek Jeter and Teixeira or down in the lineup.
Johnson for Matsui will be interesting. Hitting at the Stadium will spike Johnson’s home run totals, but will the on-base machine be as productive as Matsui, who swatted 28 homers, drove in 90 runs and exited as the World Series MVP?
There are more issues facing the Yankees, who open camp this week in Tampa.
Who is the No. 5 starter? Will Vazquez feel more comfortable in his second stint? Can Nick Swisher duplicate last year’s solid season, or improve on it? Will stud prospect Jesus Montero display the power that has many believing he is a can’t-miss big league star?
The Yankees won’t admit it, but the No. 5 spot is Phil Hughes’ to lose. The Yankees limited Joba Chamberlain’s innings last year to prepare him as a starter this season, but voices inside the organization believe having Chamberlain in front of Mariano Rivera provides the strongest bullpen.
Even if Hughes doesn’t win it, Chamberlain isn’t a lock for the rotation. Hughes and Chamberlain in the bullpen would give Joe Girardi late options. Sergio Mitre, Chad Gaudin and Alfredo Aceves are the other candidates.
When the Yankees acquired Vazquez following the 2003 season they believed they had an ace. He was gone after one season in which he was an All-Star, but awful in the second half, finishing with a 14-10 ledger, a 4.91 ERA and giving up a grand slam to Boston’s Johnny Damon in Game 7 of the ALCS.
Since leaving the Yankees, he went 64-61 and topped 200 innings in each of the past five seasons. He was 15-10 with a sparkling 2.87 ERA last year for the Braves.
“The stuff he had last year was as good as I have ever seen him pitch,” an NL scout said of the 33-year-old right-hander, “even when he was younger with the Expos.”
Swisher introduced himself to the Yankees’ universe as a zany character, and when Xavier Nady got hurt turned a chance to play into a sensational season.
Can he duplicate 29 homers and 82 RBIs?
Montero has no chance to make the team, but what provides for better spring training fodder than the stud prospect flexing his muscles early in camp? Montero is a 20-year-old, 6-foot-4, 230-pound catcher whose bat is alive. Be prepared to read about power that Rodriguez didn’t have at the same age.