The Yankees want a lefty-swinging designated hitter. Johnny Damon — New York and championship proven — is available. His agent, Scott Boras, insists “this is not a dollar decision.”
At first look, Damon would appear the best fit, especially since he has retained enough athleticism to remain a threat on the bases. Yet he hardly appears the priority, falling behind at least Raul Ibanez on the wish list.
There might be 3,000 reasons why.
Damon has done nothing in recent years to hide his obsession with reaching 3,000 hits, in part because he believes it will elevate his Hall of Fame chances. He is 277 hits shy of the milestone.
However, executives from three teams that had interest in Damon expressed concerns a fixation with 3,000 has diminished an attribute that greatly contributed to the perception of Damon as a winning player: patient, tough at-bats. And statistics appear to confirm the criticism.
Damon’s batting average dropped 10 points from 2010 to 2011, but his on-base average fell a more dramatic 29 points to .326 from .355, his career average entering last year. His walk percentage fell to 7.9 per 100 plate appearances after he had averaged 10.7 over the previous five years, never falling below 10.0.
And the detailed data at Fangraphs.com shows in 2011 Damon was chasing a far greater amount of pitches out of the strike zone, and pitchers noticed because they responded by throwing fewer strikes.
Damon, historically a disciplined hitter, swung at 31.3 percent of pitches out of the strike zone. That was, by far, his worst mark for the 10 years Fangraphs has tracked the stat and marked the third straight year he incurred a significant increase. There is a belief he is trying to raise his hit totals to draw closer to 3,000 and it is coming at the expense of those tough, patient at-bats.
Asked about this via text message, Damon wrote: “I think the OBP (on-base percentage) went down because in 2011 I felt like there were tough calls on me so I was a little more aggressive. I liked the results with production better because of it.”
Some executives also are worried Damon, historically a positive clubhouse influence, would grow unhappy if he did not get the kind of full-time at-bats he needs if he is going to reach 3,000 hits by the end of next season.
The Yankees’ job opening is mainly to be the DH against righty pitching. Against lefties the Yankees mainly envision putting Andruw Jones in the outfield, using Eduardo Nunez at either short or third, and DHing Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez.
Damon, like former Yankees player Hideki Matsui, who also is available, performed better against lefties than righties. Ibanez had a .747 OPS vs. righties in 2011, nothing special but better than Damon’s .715 and Matsui’s .654. Righty-hitting Vladimir Guerrero, also a free agent, had a .743 OPS vs. righties.
For what it is worth, now-retired Jorge Posada had an .814 OPS vs. righties in 2011.
The Yankees are looking to finalize this decision before camp opens Sunday. However, nothing will be done with the DH until the A.J. Burnett trade negotiations are complete because the Yankees have to make sure they do not obtain a DH in that deal.
In all likelihood, the Yankees will send Burnett and about $20 million of the $33 million he is owed over the next two seasons to the Pirates for two middle-rung prospects. If that trade is finalized, the Yankees will look to re-sign Eric Chavez as a backup for A-Rod and add a DH, with Ibanez appearing the leading candidate.
But I was told at least one Burnett trade scenario would return a lefty-swinging DH type. The Indians, for example, could trade Travis Hafner. Between 2012 salary and a 2013 buyout, Hafner is owed $15.75 million, so by taking on that burden the Yankees would have to eat less of Burnett’s actual salary. In addition, Hafner had an .886 OPS vs. righties last season, second in the AL to David Ortiz among DHs.
The Yankees also had talked to, for example, the Pirates about a lower-cost lefty-DH type such as Garrett Jones, though that move is unlikely.
For now, the Yankees look as if they will purchase a lefty-swinging DH on the free-agent market and — unless there is a change in strategy — Damon’s hunt for 3,000 will have to continue somewhere else.