i am not advocating this, but if the yanks are serious about getting granderson and they don't want to give up TOO much, they can take ordonez back and he could form a DH platoon w/ posada. they would have to keep magglio from vesting another killer $ in 2011 and this could limit Posada to a reasonable # of games behind the plate.

i hate the idea of paying ordonez and not paying matsui and/or damon, so i would not go down this path until matsui and damon reject reasonable 1 and 2 year deals respectively.

dye... not crazy, but i sure hope it doesn't come to that.

Jermaine Dye is certifiable talk!

Not crazy, but not ideal either. I like Dye, but isn't he in decline? That's not a younger option either.

Aside from 20-something hrs, the rest of the numbers were pedestrian from what I recall. I guess if they re-sign Damon, Dye could platoon. Have a lefty-righty switch.

"Damon — when not throwing the ball — gives the Yanks plus defense in left..."

And since throwing is part of defense, Damon in fact does NOT give you "plus" defense. What a moron.

Dye seems like a real risk: he hit .179/.293/.297 in the second half, which would make me worry that his surprisingly successful battle with age and injuries may have finally been lost.

[5] So, he can play LF and not throw the ball. Duh. What's your problem? Johnny seems to have figured that out himself and had begun implementing the policy last year. Try to pay attention.

(jk jk jk jk jk)

[5] Of course throwing is part of D but it's a much smaller part then getting to balls and catching them. Johnnie still did a good job at that (despite looking like he suffers from vertigo at times) and certainly gave us plus D in the post-season.

I would prefer to keep Matsui over any of the other DH alternatives because he's "our guy" and it just seems (awaiting any real stats) that he comes through with much fewer opportunites than the others. It's also cool to have a Japanese guy. Of course any deal should be capped at 2 years.

Never been a Jermaine Dye fan. Certainly not an old Jermaine Dye fan

[8] I agree about keeping Mats as opposed to the other guys mentioned for another reason:

He's proven he can do it here. And in a big way.

We've seen some guys wilt coming to the biggest stage on earth, particularly in their first year, or first half of their first year. If we're talking about 1 year, 2 years max for Mats or ANY of these guys, then that transition year issue is material.

Not sure why you'd sign any of these guys over Mats. For what - to save a couple million? Given everything, that's more pound foolish than I care to contemplate.

[10] Oh, and before you answer "to play D" to that I say 'bah.'

A Japanese newspaper (the Mainichi) reported yesterday that Angels GM Tony Reagins has expressed serious interest in signing Matsui and is even open to playing him in LF for 20 to 40 games next season.

Anybody seen this reported elsewhere?

Do you know who would be a great LH bat for DH? Former Yankee Nick Johnson. I wonder if you could convert him to a LF. He's played 7 innings in left in 8 years. That's...something.

damon is not a good fielder whatsoever. his range has decreased incredibly and he misses a lot of balls at the wall even when he's in position to catch them. why should the yankees prefer to sign a bad fielding left fielder who might need a platoon partner over a better hitting dh who definitely doesn't need a platoon partner? i like damon, but matsui's offense is definitely harder to replace, and replacing damon could mean a big upgrade on defense.

love the baseball card trading title by the way. brings back memories.

why does everyone assume Matsui will be more expensive than every other avail DH on the market? I believe he, of all people, values winning more than $ at this point. He's already ridiculously famous, already has ridiculous amounts of $. I just can't see him going to Angels or somewhere else just as a money grab. NY is just a perfect fit for him at this point.

[8] I disagree that throwing is a "much smaller part" of outfield defense than getting to balls. And I can remember quite a few extra bases taken by opposing runners on Johnny's arm this year, including from third to home in the WS.

[16] I'm sure you are right if you remember it, but I am actually always surprised how little other teams seem to make the Yanks pay for Damon's poor arm. I do remember him making some nice plays (heads-up back-up on Mariano's error) and sliding catches though. The defense would certainly improve even if we just stay in-house and put Brett in center and Melky in left but is that really worth what we would be losing without Johnnie's offense?

[17] I think it is worth it, because I think the Yankees will remain a top offense even without Johnny. But that's obviously a judgment call. I would be prepared to start the year with Melky in left and Brett in center because this year's crop of outfield free agents probably won't be worth the money. Ultimately, I would like to see Melky traded, and it may be that better options come available during the season, then a trade may turn on that and how the offense is doing. I think Granderson could be a good move.

[18] I agree that if we do not sign Damon for whatever reason we should also pass on the current free agents and stick with Brett & Melky for now. I think we all agree that Granderson is more attractive then the free agents but who knows who we would have to give up for him.

I realise others have commente don this, but anyone who suggests that Johnny Damon is (apart from throwing) a good major league leftfielder either has an extremely dry sense of humor or no business writing about baseball.

Look, we all love Johnny, that swing he can lay on anyone's inside pitch and his strong offensive numbers. He's a great #2 hitter and would be sorely missed if he walked. But, his defense is beyond average, it's scary (his UZR is prob kind).

With no better options and/or limited risk, would I re-sign him? In a heartbeat. That said, I'm a Mike Cameron fan on a short-term deal, let Jackson get ML ready.

Yeah I kind of doubt Matsui will really be all that expensive.

Speaking about Johnny D's defense, is it me or does he seem gun shy around the outfield wall? And didn't we used to get all over Abreau for that? As long as we're talking fantasy scenarios how about this one if Damon doesn't come back; a decent prospect to Toronto for Doc and offer to take Wells along with him, maybe throw in a few more lower tier prospects. Maybe Wells needs a change of pace and would be rejuvinated in NY. Just thinkin' out loud :-)