Detroit offers Damon two years, $14 million (UPDATED)
Scott Boras reaffirms he is king among agents.
You can curse Scott Boras all you want and blame him (and his ilk) for baseball salaries spiraling out of control. But we just found out again why he’s the best agent in baseball.
According to FoxSports.com, Boras has coaxed a two-year, $14 million offer out of the Detroit Tigers for free agent outfielder Johnny Damon. If the report is accurate, you can forget about the Braves landing Damon for left field and, more important, the leadoff spot in their batting order.
Johnny Damon hit .282 and a career-high 24 homers in 2009.
The Braves’ offer reportedly was for one year for somewhere between $4 million and $5 million, including deferred payments, according to our David O’Brien.
After not extending an offer the entire offseason, general manager Frank Wren clearly was eager for Damon to sign, even having Chipper Jones make a recruiting phone call to the player in hopes of luring him to Atlanta.
But it’s doubtful the Braves would add a second year to their offer, especially with Damon being 36 years old. Part of the Braves’ pitch was that their spring training home in Orlando is near Damon’s offseason home, but the Tigers also train in nearby Lakeland.
FoxSports reported that Tigers owner Mike Ilitch authorized the two-year, $14 million offer, doubling Detroit’s previous offer of one year for $7 million. Damon has spent his entire career in the American League (Kansas City, Oakland, Boston New York).
Bottom line: It was a nice effort, even if belated, by Wren to improve the lineup. But he can’t be faulted if the Braves don’t match Detroit’s offer.
UPDATE: There’s no comment yet from the Tigers on their reported offer to Damon. But here’s a link to an interesting story from a long-time pal of mine, John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press. It seems when Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski was asked four weeks ago if he was interested in Damon, the answer was no. Things apparently changed only after owner Mike Ilitch got involved. That would jibe with the Fox report that Boras, “seemingly has succeeded in reaching out to Ilitch, who previously signed several of the agent’s other high-profile clients, including catcher Ivan Rodriguez, right fielder Magglio Ordonez and pitcher Kenny Rogers.”
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221 comments Add your comment
Hey "Juvenal"
February 11th, 2010
5:08 pm
Are you a lead off hitter that scored 100 runs last season? If not then no one gives two sheets where you live and where you wouldn’t live…
TNT
February 11th, 2010
5:09 pm
Jermaine Dye…
nyyankeefanforever
February 11th, 2010
5:09 pm
Sorry Tiger fans, but ol’ JD’s done like dinner. Boras the Liar has snookered your owner again and as a hardcore Yankee fan who would like to to thank you all for the Granderson deal, consider yourself warned. He is an overrated paycheck player who throws like a girl. His wheels are gone; our centerfielder Gardner had to cover left center all season for him. He only had 12 steals all year. His 2-bag theft in the Series was a double error; a bad throw from the catcher and then the pitcher’s failure to cover third. In the field, his slowing wheels and noodle arm inflated many an opposing batters’ RISP average. Without the sweet right-field porch in the new Yankee Stadium and Arod and Tex protecting him in the batting order, Johnny Spoiled Rotten will not see another season in MLB after this one, let alone another post-season.
For even more Yankee fun, check out “Joe’s Job – The Ballad of Terry Francona” at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvVZQnELQ9s
It’s a must-see for Yankee and BoSucks fans alike! Go Yankees! 28 in 2010!!!
Not again
February 11th, 2010
5:11 pm
I would rather see Heyward in left and Schafer in center and McClouth in right with Diaz the floater. Im sorry but I think Schafer can play and hit now that his wrist is good and Heyward is going to be tough. So let the kids play and take us where we need to be. Those baby braves did it once and these two are good. Add Freddy Freeman at 1st and we look good for a long time. Get a third base hot prospect ready for when Chipper blows out a big toe nail.
bvillebaron
February 11th, 2010
5:13 pm
Here is my thoughts about the Tigers 2 year $14 million Damon offer: a sucker is born every day and Boras sure played you guys like one.
Bobby Cox
February 11th, 2010
5:16 pm
Oh, boy. Maybe Frank can bring back Greg Norton or Kelly Johnson. Kelly knows leftfield !
Jeff Schultz
February 11th, 2010
5:18 pm
Duh — probably right but you never about Boras. He might’ve dragged it on for a while.
Jim
February 11th, 2010
5:18 pm
Hey “Not again”, if we want to see a MINOR LEAGUE TEAM we can go to Triple A
Jeff Schultz
February 11th, 2010
5:20 pm
ITP Brave — I know a lot of fans have been pushing for Dye, but he hit only .250 last year. Not sure what he has left.
MiaBchBravesFan
February 11th, 2010
5:21 pm
AR: “This is a bad time in baseball to be old, especially if your defensive skills are poor. Ask Jermaine Dye, who also still doesn’t have a job, despite hitting 27 home runs last season, and Brian Giles, who took a minor league contract with the Dodgers.
Jermaine Dye’s declining defense included a -24.5 Ultimate Zone Rating in 2009, which has scared off potential suitors.”
*Jermaine Dye: Age-36 2009: HR-27 RBI-81 OPS-.793
AR, the funny thing is that I think Dye has a better arm than Damon, and is a more serviceable LF’er than Damon. Now, if Verducci thinks that Dye is going to drop like a rock from 27 to oblivion in one mid-thirties year, then he knows something particular about Dye that you or I don’t know.
Now, since Verducci wrote an article about aging ballplayers that have not been offered contracts, the perspective gets skewed. Verducci even tried to draw a parallel with Luis Gonzalez; fact is, Dye JUST turned 36, and will be 36 for the entire 2010 season. Dye is not Raul Mondesi, he is not Garrett Anderson, he is not Dale Murphy in Colorado, he is not Ken Camaniti (rest his troubled soul).
From 2004, Dye has hit 23, 31, 44, 28, 34, 27 homers during those six seasons, while averaging 90 RBI’s during that same span. If the Braves can sign Dye for $4 million, I’ll take late game LF subs, 24 HR’s, 80 RBI’s – which are better numbers than any of the names I mentioned above COMBINED ever did with the Braves.
Fed Up With Wren (Again)
February 11th, 2010
5:21 pm
I’m not overly upset that Damon will not be a Brave, but it reinforces the fact that the Braves have not upgraded at any position except the lucky charm/first pinch hitter off the bench job. Not saying I was a big fan of signing Hinske, but he’s got to be better than Norton. No upgrades = no playoffs.
Joe
February 11th, 2010
5:22 pm
I like pancakes and jam.
GTI in Chicago
February 11th, 2010
5:23 pm
I kind of felt it was a bad sign of ultimate success when the Braves put out the first offer for a Boras client. Especially when it seemed they’d made an offer somewhere near the top of their limit on the outset. Boras normally uses that first offer as a pivot point to get other clubs into a bidding war, something the Braves never seemed all that interested to engage in.
Who know? Maybe I’ll still be surprised. Either way, I remain optimistic about ‘10.
Elliot Garcia
February 11th, 2010
5:25 pm
I will not buy Braves tickets because running out a bunch of 38+ year olds is not a championship team ….just a team of has beens…..
MiaBchBravesFan
February 11th, 2010
5:26 pm
Of course, Dale Murphy is excluded from the last statement in my last paragraph!
Jim
February 11th, 2010
5:28 pm
I sure hope Damon signs with Detroit. There is no reason at all to block Heyward and Schafer which you would be doing if you signed this guy to a two year contract. It makes more sense for Damon to be a DH anyway. I already saw a 37 year old guy play left last year.
Vito Corleone
February 11th, 2010
5:29 pm
you mean to tell me these guys only play for the money? I thought it was the love of the game? he would have been a great addition, and he’ll be a great addition to the Tigers. unfortunately, the market says he’s worth $14 million for two years, and he earned that offer (not that pimp Scott “Tataglia” Boras)
All I'm Saying Is...
February 11th, 2010
5:29 pm
I’ll wait until the deal is officially announced before I believe it but even if its true then so be it as Damon was not worth $7 million per guaranteed for two years. Just another example of owners doing stupid things and why people should never blame a player for being over-paid. I mean, geez, what are they supposed to do turn down a deal because an owner is stupid? Only someone as flaky as LaRoche does something like what he did where he turned down more money and a multi-year deal from San Francisco ($17 million for 2 years) to sign a one year deal (for $7 million) with the Diamondbacks.
I say bring back Jermaine Dye and go with Prado and Escobar at the top of the order.
LET’S GO BRAVES!
BravesFanLostInOhio
February 11th, 2010
5:31 pm
Elliot, I don’t think you’re looking at the whole roster.
MiaBchBravesFan
February 11th, 2010
5:31 pm
I remember in the early 90’s, 1B was the revolving position until the Crime Dog and the Big Cat showed up for their all-too-brief stints; it still the revolving door position.
Recently, with the likes of Mondesi, Anderson, et. al., screwing up the works, LF has become the NEW 1B.
If Wren The Idiot gave up Javier Vazquez for someone who may not even start regularly in the OF, let alone LF, then they need to fire his sorry pasty ass and string him up for stupidity.
Al Kaline
February 11th, 2010
5:31 pm
Boras played the Braves like Charlie Daniels fiddle
PN
February 11th, 2010
5:35 pm
Meh, would have been nice to have him, but he would not have hit better than .280 10hrs for the Braves. Though his OBP would have been nice atop the order, I don’t think the Braves lose much by not gaining Damon.
JabboRockefeller
February 11th, 2010
5:36 pm
Wonder if Glavine will use a manual or electric pencil-sharpener on JS’s pencils?
MiaBchBravesFan
February 11th, 2010
5:37 pm
My 2010 lineup, if I were calling the shots (w/o J. Dye, folks; I’m a realist)
CF – McLouth
2b – Prado
SS – Escobar
1B – Glaus
C – McCann
3B – Jones
LF – Cabrera*
RF – Diaz/Hinske platoon*
* – Heyward gets called up in June to take over a OF position for the next five years – hopefully longer.
chris
February 11th, 2010
5:38 pm
I think the braves should offer 2 years 10 million and make the same pitch close to his home in spring and during most of the season, have a much better chance to make the playoffs and if he accepts, we can always trade him at the end of the year
# 24
February 11th, 2010
5:38 pm
Until someone else buys the Braves and spends money, the glory years are gone…
Marsha
February 11th, 2010
5:39 pm
Why does Obama freak out over CEOs making this kind of money, but athletes and entertainers are okay? Someone please explain that to me.
Mark
February 11th, 2010
5:41 pm
According to the blurb below the pic of Johnny, He hit .282 and a career high 24 homers in 1989. In 1989 he was 16 years old. Why do we care what his stats were when he was 16 years old?
I’m guessing that’s a typo. Doesn’t anybody proof read anymore?????
nique
February 11th, 2010
5:45 pm
trade for juan pierre and count yourself lucky you didn’t sign damon.
nique
February 11th, 2010
5:46 pm
Marsha – probably because taxpayers have not bailed out any sports franchises or film/tv studios….yet.
dicGT
February 11th, 2010
5:47 pm
Great editing AJC! from the picture caption above.. Damon is a lot older than i thought!!!
Johnny Damon hit .282 and a career-high 24 homers in 1989.
MiaBchBravesFan
February 11th, 2010
5:47 pm
Marsha: Beacuse when you earn BONUSES in that amount, while you are working for, let’s say, a bank, and that bank tanks, then that is theft and malfeasance.
When you sign a weak-armed, slow, OF’er who hit a phoney 24 homers in 2009 for two years at $14 million, that just makes the GM and owner of that team stupid and moronic – but not thieves.
You have a mortgage at that bank? You’re paying for his stupidity.
You live in Detroit? You DO NOT have to buy a ticket.
Glad I could clear it up.
Big J Unit
February 11th, 2010
5:58 pm
I like frogs!
lanier
February 11th, 2010
5:58 pm
thats why the tigers are the tigers and the braves won 14 pennants in a row. swim back from Hawaii johnny quick before the Detroit gm sobers up
Jimdawg
February 11th, 2010
5:59 pm
This may be the dumbest blog I have ever read.
tlj
February 11th, 2010
6:00 pm
Based on information provider by MLTR it appears Detroit increased their offer to $ 4 mil 500 K ($ 500,000 higher than Atlanta), then increased it to $ 7 mil for one year and then increased it to 7 mil for 2 years. I’m sorry but I don’t understand Detroit’s negotations stragety. If Boras waits another day they may increase it again. They probably could have had him for 5 mil for one year.
The winners and losers are as follows:
Winners – Obviously Damon and Boras: Other winners – Atlanta, Chicage White Sox, Tampa and any other team that did not sign Damon.
Loser – Detroit
unknown hinson
February 11th, 2010
6:00 pm
@ juvenal-
How’s your winter going so far? I’m going to the beach this weekend, since it’s only a 4.5 hour drive. You can keep your region.
Ben
February 11th, 2010
6:02 pm
I would almost bet this is a war we will be glad we didn’t win. Let’s see what Damon does for the Tigers before we cry. This gives some of the young guys a better shot at making the team.
Ted Striker
February 11th, 2010
6:10 pm
That’s a nice suit Scott Boras is wearing in his photo. But if he gets ketchup on the sleeve over lunch, it’s going to Goodwill, not the dry cleaners.
Conyers Braves Fan
February 11th, 2010
6:11 pm
Good. Let the Tigers have him.Nothing else to say about this non event.
Art Vandalay
February 11th, 2010
6:12 pm
The guy who said he won’t buy tickets because the team runs out 38+ year old players, good! we don’t want you there, your obvious lack of Baseball IQ is what embarrasses this city’s baseball fans. The Braves are one of the YOUNGER teams in MLB. Escobar, Prado, Mclouth, Heyward, McCann, Hanson…thats just the core players that are under 30, then you have guys like Infante and Medlen who are also under 30, look at the Yankees now that’s an old timers team.
Mixxo
February 11th, 2010
6:15 pm
McLouth is a joke at the top of the order.
No Damon?….:(
*looks forward to 2011*
Art Vandalay
February 11th, 2010
6:16 pm
also I forgot Melky, who is also well under 30
gayle
February 11th, 2010
6:17 pm
Seems like a call from Chipper can be the kiss of death if you’re trying to land some free agents? And how about that manager? Isn’t the privilege of playing for the “best manager in baseball” enough reason to come to Atlanta? Isn’t that what all you Cox lovers on here constantly harp about – the best manager in baseball? The free agents knocking on the door here are only looking to get leverage elsewhere.
The 11th hour move to go after Damon exposes two things – his public declarations notwithstanding, Wren knows how weak this lineup is – especially at the top – and the Braves have not been very successful going to Daddy (Liberty Media) for a bigger allowance. $5 million for a year with some deferred? That is even worse than what they offered Garret Anderson last year.
Suck it up, play the kids, take your lumps and continue building. Four years and counting out of the postseason – it can’t go on forever.
GaDawgsInDC
February 11th, 2010
6:18 pm
The braves WILL NOT win more than 86 games this year. The team is worse than it was last year..goodness….
shane
February 11th, 2010
6:28 pm
Thank God
shane
February 11th, 2010
6:31 pm
We didnt need anymore pop gun arm 47 year old outfielders who cant run anymore and cant hit a HR out of Yankee Stadium.
Ghost of Moose Granger
February 11th, 2010
6:34 pm
Don’t take this as a concession of the 2010 season, but this makes the outlook for the 2011 team a bit brighter.
fordcobra
February 11th, 2010
6:38 pm
I sure hope the Braves don’t pin their hopes on Heyward he is UNPROVEN, potential is one thing but…..
anyway don’t look for the Braves front office to look for anyone else unless they can get someone for a ml or 2 at the most.
John OTC
February 11th, 2010
6:41 pm
Looks like we got Furcaled all over again. I bet we’ll be just as glad we didn’t sign our target the second time.