Damon’s Value

Johnny Damon remains the biggest name on the free agent market, and it has become comical to listen to Scott Boras trying to sell the world on the outfielder’s prospects. We know Damon will sign somewhere over the next couple weeks, and it’s a pretty safe bet that the team who signs Johnny will hand him an every-day job.  Still, fantasy owners might be starting to seriously worry about the veteran’s value.

Don’t panic – yet. It’s easy to think delayed signing = MLB teams not sold on skills = Damon’s fantasy value should fall. But that’s not really the story here.

We’re seen this dance before. A year ago at this time, veterans like Bobby Abreu, Orlando Cabrera, and Garret Anderson were still on the market. Abreu signed with the Angels on February 12. Anderson signed with the Braves on February 24. Cabrera signed with the A’s on March 6.

All three of those veterans thought the market would be better for them, and it took the players a long time to accept their fates and accept lower, one-year deals. Damon is on the same path.

And, yes, part of the story is about fading skills, namely on defense. But Damon is no too different from Abreu or Cabrera. Nobody doubts that these guys can hit .280 in their sleep. They don’t run or field as well as they used to, but they can swing the stick.

Abreu ended up being a bargain in 2009, as he hit .293-15-103-96-30 despite the late signing. Cabrera batted .282-9-77-83-13 – decent numbers for a MI option in mixed leagues. Anderson posted relatively poor digits with the Braves, but his lower offensive production would have been expected no matter where he signed.

The point being: Our projections haven’t changed just because Damon hasn’t signed yet. We’ll make some adjustments once he chooses a team, but I still view him as a roughly .280-17-80-90-15 threat no matter what uniform he ultimately wears.

Tags: MLB