New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said on Tuesday that the club wasn’t interested in pursuing free-agent outfielder Johnny Damon, according to Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com.
Matthews tweeted on Tuesday:
Cashman on Johnny Damon II: It’s just not something that we’re going to pursue
— wallace matthews (@ESPNNYYankees) February 26, 2013
It was revealed on Sunday that the Yankees would be without outfielder Curtis Granderson for 10 weeks after he fractured his forearm, which brought up talk about Damon potentially rejoining the club he played for from 2006 through 2009.
The 39-year-old told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News that he would be open to joining the Yankees again.
But there doesn’t appear to be much interest from the Yankees. Damon is a two-time All-Star and a two-time World Series champion (with the Yankees and Boston Red Sox), but many believe he is past his prime.
After hitting .261 with 16 home runs, 73 RBI, 79 runs and 19 stolen bases with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011, Damon hit .222 with four home runs, 19 RBI and 25 runs in 64 games with the Cleveland Indians in 2012. He cited a lack of regular playing time as the main reason, per Feinsand.
The Yankees lineup is a mess right now—as pointed out by Bleacher Report’s own Zachary D. Rymer on Monday—but apparently Damon is still not an option for them.
It’s going to be interesting what the club does moving forward after not making it past the ALCS since winning the World Series in 2009. With Alex Rodriguez on the 60-day disabled list, it’s not looking great for the former world champions at this point.
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