Go, Go, Go... Go Johnny, Go!

Johnny Damon signed a big money deal to play with the arch-rival Yuckies. So what? There is no question that Damon has been a fantastic leadoff hitter for the Red Sox. However, it appears that his success may well be due in part to the friendly confines of Fenway park. Prior to coming to Fenway is OBP was around .340 and it jumped to .360 or so with the Sox. Since Fenway bumps offensive stats 10-20% that's not a big surprise. Nor is it considerably better than some other Sox, like newcomer Loretta whose lifetime OBP a dozen points better than JohnnyD.

Going into the offseaon the Sox were operating with a perspective (yes, even with Theo at the helm) that:

1. Every player is replaceable.
2. Every player has a certain value in terms of AAV and length of contract.

We knew that the Sox would fix a price on Damon and not go beyond that. Shoot, if they would do it to the one of the top 5 pitchers in the history of baseball they would do it with Damon. Maybe the comparison is not that far off. It's pretty obvious that both Damon and Martinez signed deals with their respective NY teams that will carry them well beyond their prime. By the end of their respective contracts the fans in the seats will be bemoaning their presence or simply reminiscing about the past. In both cases there will be considerable concern about their weakening arm leading to more runs for opponents. Hmm... maybe the Sox took all this into consideration (scroll down).

Listening to the Sox press conference one thing became clear: Damon decided that being wined and dined was more important than loyalty of any kind. He got an offer that Boras liked -- $13M for four years sound remarkably like Furcal's deal that Boras touted for comparing leadoff guys -- and he ran with it. He never got back to the Sox and offered them a chance to meet or beat the deal. Would they? Maybe or maybe not. They certainly have some additional cash now that they are no longer paying the Rent.

At this point there's no reason to panic. The Yuckies will finish first. Again. Their 2006 lineup has roughly $120M guaranteed to the aging starting nine before you get to the rotation. In a year they have to address Sheffield. In a few more years both Damon and Matsui are done. Who do they have in the ranks. Right now folks think... no one. That's why they can't make any deals for talent, only for salary dumps like the Womack deal.

The Sox will be in a dogfight to make the playoffs this year... or even to finish second... unless something else dramatic happens. But Ellsbury might be taking Damon's place in 2007-08 and be considerably less expensive. Next year's market will probably yield a long term SS solution if Pedroia doesn't move back to short. Papelbon and Lester will be fighting with Schilling and Beckett to top the rotation. Foulke will be on his way out as Hansen and Delcarmen blow folks away at the end of the game.

Think five year plan. The Pats have.