Damon Won’t Waive No-Trade Clause, Deal Dead
Despite recruitment effort for David Ortiz and Jason Varitek, Johnny Damon has opted to not waive his no-trade clause and remain with the Detroit Tigers for the rest of the season. If you have read my post on the subject, then you know exactly how happy I am that this deal didn’t go through. It wasn’t worth the Sox giving up a prospect to bring in a hated 36-year old outfielder whose defense is shaky and offensive numbers are not great in 2010. On top of all that, Damon would only have been a 2-month rental because his contract is up at the end of the year, making it even more difficult to give up a player in exchange for the lefty.
What was surprising to me was the outpouring of support for bringing back Damon. I understand fans letting the past slide and not caring about the way he left Boston, but do people honestly think an okay defensive outfielder with a terrible arm and just decent numbers at the plate will help the club win? Am I the only one who would rather see youngster Ryan Kalish play? He has virtually the same batting average (.268) and is far and away a better defensive player. I understand he is lacking post-season experience, but as of now, the playoffs are still quite a ways away. In the poll on this site, 55% of you voted that you would like to see Johnny Damon don the Red Sox uniform again.
Since Damon nixed the offer, I guess we will never know if would have helped or hurt the club, but I am sticking to my belief that it would have done more damage than good. If Theo wants to bring in a solid bat, then do so, but don’t bring in a new face just to bring in a new face, especially with the likelihood of a post-season berth slipping away. At very least, the Damon story got the Red Sox media and it’s fan base excited about something, even though it didn’t happen. Damon created a buzz and re-invigorated the sense of passion and energy that makes Red Sox nation so unique.
The Sox look to take the 1st 2 games of the Seattle Mariners series tonight and extend their win-streak to 4 games, barring a weather issue. It has been raining all day in Boston, but the last thing the Sox want to do is have to make up a game later in the season or tomorrow when the forecast calls for more rain. Josh Beckett will toe the rubber looking to turn his poor 3-3 season around and lower his terrible 6.67 era a point or two against the light-hitting Mariners. Without Johnny Damon, the Sox look to continue to make a push towards an improbable playoff berth.