SB Nation - Nick Johnson

Battle Royale: Johnson & Granderson vs. Matsui & Damon

Travis G — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 16:00:18 -0000

The Yankee offseason so far has begged one obvious question: which is the better duo - Matsui and Damon, or Johnson and Granderson?

To find that out, we need to divorce ourselves from emotional attachments to Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui (assuming Damon does not return). They were very good players while in the Bronx, and helped end a decade-long title drought, but to continue to be a perennial powerhouse, emotions can't get in the way of sound baseball and business decisions. It's the job of GMs to look to the future, not the past.

2009 saw Matsui and Damon post impressive numbers: .274/.367/.509 and .282/.365/.489 respectively.

Johnson and Granderson put up lines of .291/.426/.405 and .249/.327/.453 respectively.

At first glance, it looks like this will mean a drop in production. But let's dig a bit deeper.

M & D played in the new Yankee Stadium, also known as the most homer-friendly park in baseball (26% more longballs than the average park). The newcomers, J & G, played in gigantic parks: Comerica Park, Nationals Park and Dolphin Stadium, all of which are known as pitchers havens. We can reasonably assume M & D's power numbers will drop, only because they're moving to less 'left-friendly' ballparks. Conversely, J & G's power numbers should see an increase hitting toward the famous 'short porch.'

Johnny Damon is coming off one of his best offensive seasons, but the Yankees should be wary of players (1) in contract seasons having career years, and (2) having career years at 35. We can naturally expect Damon to regress. On the other side, Curtis Granderson will be 29, coming off an unusually down-year. 2007 was a career best, 2009 was (nearly) a career worst: we can naturally expect something in between (like 2008: .280/.365/.494, nearly identical to Damon's 2009, only Grandy did it in a pitcher's park).

Matsui is less unlikely to repeat his year, which was closer to his 'norm' than Damon's was. However, Nick Johnson's ridiculous .426 OBP is immensely valuable. I expect both Matsui's SLG and Johnson's OBP to decrease, only because they're rather out of line with their career averages. But I do expect Johnson's SLG to increase, what with the short porch in rightfield and the protection of Tex and A-Rod - he should see more hittable pitches and fewer walks.

Then there's defense, where J & D have, and should, easily surpass the aging duo of M & D. Matsui didn't play one inning in the field this year. It was the condition of his knees, not his salary, that gaves the Yankees pause. The Angels promised to give Matsui a chance to play the field at least once or twice a week. That's something the Yankees could not do. Damon played a passable leftfield, but every other outfielder on the team could play a better leftfield (yes, even Swisher), and are a minimum of seven years younger.

Granderson is a natural centerfielder, and wherever he plays he'll provide average to excellent defense. He'll also be playing in a significantly smaller centerfield than he's used to. Johnson is a solid first-baseman and will fill in admirably when Tex needs a day off. If Tex is going to last another seven years (while still bringing quality production), he'll need consistent rest.

Matsui was almost worthless on defense. Joe Girardi didn't even play him during the World Series - that's how little confidence he had in Matsui's ability to play the field. Damon is a mediocre leftfielder at best; a fulltime DH at worst.

Then there's health. Johnson has suffered from countless injuries in his career. He's played more than 130 games just three times in eight years. What will hopefully keep him healthy is a fulltime DH role. He's been in the NL the last five seasons, so perhaps not having to dive for grounders more than once a week will keep him healthy and productive all year. Conversely, can you really see Hideki Matsui playing the outfield several times a week? If he does, it'll only increase his chances of injury. Johnson and Matsui are pretty much even on the 'injury risk' scale: Johnson is incredibly susceptible to 'freak' injuries, and Matsui has chronically aching knees. Which is worse?

Damon and Granderson are also roughly equal in terms of health. There are no worries about Grandy, who's averaged 154 games over the last four seasons, or Damon, who's averaged 144 games over the same span. And do I need to mention that J & G are six years younger than their counterparts?

In terms of WAR, which takes into account all aspects of a player's game (offense, baserunning, defense, position, playing time), M & D were worth 4.8 WAR/season over the last three years. J & G were worth 5.9 WAR/season, and that's after giving Nick Johnson a zero for 2007 when he didn't play one game. So even if he stays just moderately healthy, it should be a net gain in wins.

Then there's cost. J & G will make $11 million combined next year (plus potential incentives for Johnson). M & D will probably make about $15 million ($6.5 million for Matsui, probably about $9 million for Damon). That saved money can be spent on another starter (Sheets, Duchscherer, Bedard), which is more important, at this point, than another hitter. Also, not having to commit several years to Damon allows that money to be spent on the amazing free agent class of 2011 (Mauer, Lee, Beckett, Webb, Crawford,) and bring back fan-favorites Jeter and Rivera.

For a cost conscious club, which the Yankees are looking more like everyday, the recent moves make for a more efficient team going forward. Younger, cheaper, and at least as productive.

(With all that said, I do believe, for the record, that Cashman was surprised at how fast Matsui got snatched up. He didn't see much of a market for 36-year-old fulltime DHs. When Matsui signed with Anaheim, Cash had to act quickly or all the good hitters would be gone. There weren't many other options, but Nick Johnson was the best fit for the Yankees. I'm very happy he's with us and not against us (as in, on the Red Sox).

Regarding Damon, I believe part of the reason Cash traded for Granderson was (1) to get a good, young centerfielder allowing for the departure of Damon, and (2) to put pressure on Damon/Boras to accept a short-term deal. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, and it took negotiating with Nick Johnson to get them to cave, only by that time it was too late.)

Washington Nationals: Rumor Round-Up...

Ed Chigliak — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 16:45:46 -0000

More photos » by Mary Altaffer - ASSOCIATED PRESS

After years of damaging the Montreal Expos from the inside, NY Mets' GM Omar Minaya struck from the outside, signing the Expos' '02 1st Round pick Clint Everts to a minor league deal on Friday. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

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• Clint Everts, (the Montreal Expos' '02 1st Round pick taken 5th overall behind only Bryan Bullington (PIT?), B.J. Upton (TAM), Chris Gruler (CIN) and Adam Loewen (BAL), and selected before some names you might recognize like Zack Greinke, Prince Fielder, Jeff Francis, Jeremy Hermida, Joe Saunders and Scott Kazmir that year), was signed by the New York Mets Friday, agreeing to a one-year minor league deal. The 25-year-old right-hander out of Cypress, Texas completed what was arguably his best season in the Montreal/DC system last season, posting a combined (8-1) record and a 1.65 ERA at three levels (Class A Potomac, Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse) of the Nationals' organization, and collecting 68 K's in 60.2 IP, (10.2 K/9), while allowing 49 H, (7.4 H/9), 26 BB, (3.9 BB/9) and just 3 HR's, (0.4 HR/9) before becoming a six-year-free agent...No doubt Omar Minaya remembers Evert from the Mets' GM's time in Montreal...

• I had a hard time believing that Johnny Damon was a serious option for the Washington Nationals when I read in FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal's latest update of the ongoing "Buzz: Latest from the MLB offseason", subtitled, "Damon's Time With Yankees May Be Over", wherein Mr. Rosenthal wrote that, "The Nationals, Braves and Giants are among the teams that could be interested," in acquiring Damon now that the Yanks had signed Nick Johnson...So I tweeted about it...

federalbaseball: FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal list the Nationals as one of 3 teams interested in…Who? Johnny Damon?

And lo and behold, MLB.com's Bill Ladson (whether prompted by the Tweet or his own distaste for absurdities), made a few calls and not too long after the original post and my Tweet, Mr. Ladson responded via his own Twitter feed:

washingnats: "I just learned the Nats do not have interest in Johnny Damon. They are trying to improve their defense. Damon is a defensive liability."

Huh? Took care of that rumor!!

How about this one...In the lastest update of FOXSports.com's "Buzz: Latest from the MLB offseason", subtitled, "Tejada's Options Dwindling", FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal writes that free agent infielder Orlando Cabrera is, "...talking with two teams about playing second base," according to "one major league source". Could it be Washington? He was on the original list...Rumor ACTIVATED...

Braves Sign Joe Thurston; Vazquez Won't Cross the Rocky Mountains

gondeee — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:18:30 -0000

More photos » by Bill Boyce - AP

Utility man Joe Thurston, formerly of the Cardinals, has signed a minor league deal with the Braves.

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A few tidbits of information today. First off, from Mark Bowman we learn that the Braves have signed light-hitting utility man Joe Thurston, who last year was with the Cardinals, to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Thurston is mainly a second baseman, but he's made himself more valuable in recent years be learning to play the outfield and most recently learning to play third base (though, not that well). He's played a tad bit of shortstop in the minor leagues, but mainly he'll be in camp competing for the second utility infield position.

In the same blog post, and later in a front page post, Bowman quotes a source who confirms that it is highly unlikely that Javier Vazquez would waive his no-trade clause to go to a West coast team. I tackled that rumor and debunked it last night, albeit with out a "source," I instead used logic. It's good to know that Javy is still interested in remaining in Atlanta beyond next season. I'd like to see that happen, but of course, all of this is predicated on the Braves moving Derek Lowe.

Speaking of Lowe, I expect that we'll begin to hear another team mentioned more frequently in trade rumors with Lowe -- the New York Yankees. They seem to be tackling one off-season priority at a time, and after acquiring Curtis Granderson and now signing Nick Johnson, many people expect them to focus on starting pitching. The Braves are rumored to have long been interested in Nick Swisher. If they can swing Lowe for Swisher, then that may free up the Yankees to go back and try to re-sign Johnny Damon, another move that is seemingly in the Yankees interest.

Another team that may be looking for more starting pitching is the Cubs, who just freed up a bunch of money by trading Milton Bradley. I'm not sure how they would match up in a trade with the Braves, though, as they don't seem to have any surplus at a position the Braves need to fill.

I also continue to hear that free agent Xavier Nady and the Braves are close to a deal, and that only lingering medical questions about Nady are holding up the deal. Getting Swisher and Nady would seem to wrap up the principal needs of the Braves off-season, and set us up with a good and deep team heading into spring training. One name that I haven't heard mentioned with the Braves, but one I'd like to hear mentioned is Troy Glaus. He's a year removed from a fantastic season, and while he would primarily play first base, he would be an excellent third base insurance policy against Chipper Jones getting injured.

The Braves front office also officially announced, via a press release, that the team has signed six minor league free agents this off-season. The list includes left-handed pitcher Mariano Gomez, catchers Orlando Mercado and J.C. Boscan, infielder Joe Thurston and outfielders Brent Clevlen and Mitch Jones. They join right-handed pitcher Scott Proctor, who signed in November.

MLB Trade Rumors: Johnny Damon to the Braves?

raygu — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:00:20 -0000

by Eric Gay - AP

about 1 month ago: New York Yankees' Johnny Damon breaks his bat grounding out to first to drive in a run in the fifth inning of Game 5 of the Major League Baseball World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies Monday, Nov. 2, 2009, in Philadelphia. Philies catcher Carlos Ruiz watches. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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Last night, we heard that the Yankees were closing in on signing Nick Johnson to be their DH in 2010. That begs the question? Is Johnny Damon's career as a Yankee over now? Some seem to think so. His agent Scott Boras has his work cut out for him for sure.

Newsday's Ken Davidoff seems to this so in a tweet last night"

Yes, I think this is the end for J. Damon and #Yankees. Cashman seems serious re: budget, youth, payroll management/roster flexibility.

This seems to support my theory that Jesus Montero will make his debut in Yankee Stadium this year,

So who are the list of suitors for Johnny Damon? I guess the Angels could be looking at Damon as they have lost Vladimir Guerrero and Chone Figgins this offseason. Damon could take Guerrero's DH spot, and play some left field on occasion.

Or how about the Braves? The Braves need a leadoff hitter, and a left fielder. Damon can do both. But he will cost them some money. I don't see Damon getting more than a two year deal from anyone this year. But he could fit in the Braves lineup nicely. Damon went 24-82-12-.282-.365-.489-.854 in 2009, but I don't see him hitting 20+ HRs anywhere but Yankee Stadium.

Poll

Is Johnny Damon a fit in Atlanta?

Yankees Upgrade DH, Replace Matsui with Johnson

Satchel Price — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:43:37 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

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Yesterday, the Yankees came to an agreement on a one-year deal with an injury-prone position player turned designated hitter. No, they didn't steal Hideki Matsui Dodgers-Furcal style. Rather, they added another offensive force to their lineup in the form of OBP machine Nick Johnson, coming to an agreement to bring the former Yankee prospect back to the Bronx on for a reported $5.5M.

While the move would initially seem to be a downgrade, given that Matsui showed a surge of power last season, it appears that the Yankees have further fortified an already terrifying lineup by adding one of the best on-base guys of the past decade, a guy with a career OBP of .402. Johnson, 31, was traded to the Expos in the deal that sent Javier Vazquez to New York before the 2004 season, and became one of the best first baseman in the game after the team moved to Washington for the 2005 season. Considering his offensive upside, youth, and cheaper price tag, it appears that the Yankees may have actually have been better off when Matsui signed with Los Angeles.

Injury questions have always been the issue with Johnson, but during the 2005 and 2006 seasons he managed to stay healthy for a total of 278 games, posting 1175 plate appearances. He posted wRC+ marks of 139 and 152, respectively, while playing plus defense at first base. The marks made him a star-level player, as he posted WARs of 4.6 in 2005 and 5.3 in 2006.

In 2007, the injury bug returned and he missed the entire 2007 season while playing only 38 games in 2008. But in 2009 he returned to post 574 plate appearances, posting a .426 OBP and a 130 wRC+. His power showed a major dip, his ISO dropped from .230 in 2006 to .114 in 2009, but that was likely partially a function of a low 6.2% HR/FB. He showed his regular patience at the plate, walking in nearly 18% of his plate appearances. UZR indicates that he's not quite the defender he once was, and the Fan's Scouting Reports seem to agree.

This makes for a good situation in New York, where Johnson should be able to stay healthier as he won't have to play the field, and the Yankees just landed another impact bat for a lineup that's loaded with them. Johnson is likely to see a slight increase in his power production next season (the new Yankee Staidium certainly shouldn't hurt) as he gets fully healthy and his numbers regress back to the mean, making him one of the better hitters in the game, and a solidly above average designated hitter if he can stay healthy.

While Matsui's power surge from 2009 was shocking not a function of the new Yankee Stadium (.462 SLG at home, .567 away), he seems likely for some regression as his 17.0% HR/FB ratio was unusually high, and hitters generally don't show major increases in power when they're 35, at least not since the end of the supposed Steroid Era.

Considering that Johnson is likely to be the better hitter next season, his projections are superior than Matsui's essentially across the board, it appears that the Yankees have made another great move, landing another high-upside hitter for just $5.5M, less than Matsui has reportedly agreed to go to the Angels for. It's the kind of financial hit that the Yankees can take if he gets hurt, and realistically if he's not playing the field then it wouldn't be surprising to see him get a similar number of plate appearances as last season.

With the additions that the Yankees have made this offseason, I'm not sure if there's a better offense in baseball. I wonder how pitchers feel about going against a lineup of Granderson, Jeter, Teixeira, Rodriguez, Cano, Posada, Johnson, Swisher and Cabrera/Gardner.

Post your 2010 lineup

Travis G — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:00:31 -0000

Nick Johnson looks to be the final addition to next year's lineup. The odds of Johnny Damon coming back are pretty slim right now. How do you set the lineup?

I'll go first (against a RHP):

1. SS, Jeter, R - one of the game's best leadoff hitters.

2. DH, Johnson, L - .402 career OBP is exactly what you want at the top of the lineup. He'll force pitchers to pitch to Tex and A-Rod.

3. 1B, Tex, S - great hitter from both sides of the plate. Perfect for the three spot.

4. 3B, A-Rod, R - no-brainer. The top slugger in the AL.

5. C, Posada, S - this is a toss up between Swisher and Jorge, but I'll go with Posada because of a slightly higher slugging average.

6. LF, Granderson, L - another toss up, between Cano and Grandy, but Grandy gets the nod because of a slightly higher OBP, and his SLG should improve with the short porch in RF.

7. RF, Swisher, S - Swisher really could hit sixth, but I don't want two lefties (Grandy and Cano) hitting consecutively.

8. 2B, Cano, L - What a #8 hitter! .306/.339/.480 for his career.

9. CF, Melky or Gardner - that's a damn good ninth spot, and both hitters are entering what should be their primes.

With a lefty pitching, the only differences would be switching Granderson and Cano (who hits lefties significantly better), and maybe playing the righty Hoffmann in CF.

MLB Trade Rumors: Nick Johnson Signs with the Yankees; Could Jesus Montero Be His Platoon Partner?

raygu — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:00:32 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

3 months ago: Florida Marlins' Nick Johnson strikes out against Cincinnati Reds pitcher Arthur Rhodes in the seventh inning of a baseball game, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009, in Cincinnati. Cincinnati won the game 3-2. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

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Yesterday, the Yankees were very close to signing DH Nick Johnson to a one year $5.5 million deal. This sends a loud message to Scott Boras and Johnny Damon to look elsewhere for work. But, I think the louder message is that the Yankees are leaving an opening for mega-hitting prospect Jesus Montero to either make the ballclub out of spring training, or he will be the first hitter called up once Johnson hits the DL.

Johnson is a great hitter, not great power, but he's an OBP machine. In 2009, Johnson went 8-62-.291-.426-.405-.831 in 457 ABs between Washington and Florida. He has a career OBP of .402, and his OBP% was actually higher than his SLG%. He has never had more than 500 ABs in a season, but he did have exactly 500 ABs in 2006. This tells you that he gets hurt alot.

As for Montero, he has been described as one of the best hitters amongst all minor league prospects, and some say he has 80 power on a scouting scale of 20 being the lowest and 80 being the highest. I never could figure out why 80 is the highest, but anyway, he has pretty good power.

Between High-A and AA in 2009, Montero went 17-70-.337-.389-.562-.951 in 347 ABs.

Here is what Baseball America had to say about him in their Top 10 Yankee prospects list:

Strengths: Montero doesn't have a classic swing or textbook rhythm, but he's gifted with hand-eye coordination, keen pitch recognition, a knack for barreling balls and tremendous strength. He can be out front or off balance on a pitch and still crush it. He covers the plate well and makes excellent contact. Montero hasn't delivered completely on his raw power, but he's close to projecting as an 80 hitter with 80 power on the 20-80 scouting scale. One veteran scout called him the best young hitter he has seen in years.

He's expected to catch at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2010, mixing in time at DH and perhaps first base. He's prime trade bait but also could be a complement to the New York's veteran sluggers in short order—if the Yankees can find a lineup spot for him.

In his ESPN chat yesterday, here is what Keith Law had to say about when Montero will hit the big leagues:

Mike (New York)

Keith 2011 is a plausible debut for Montero, right?

Klaw
(2:26 PM)

Yes. Could see him this year.

I think the Yankees have found a lineup spot for him, but may want to see how he produces in AAA before calling him up, once Johnson gets hurt. Is Montero part of the Yankees plan to reduce payroll? They let Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon go, and sign Nick Johnson to be their DH.

I will not be surprised to see Montero playing in Yankee Stadium in 2010.

Poll

Will Jesus Montero get called up in 2010?

New York Yankees notes: All things Johnson

Ed Valentine — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:44:53 -0000

More photos » by Henny Ray Abrams - AP

Nick Johnson

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What does the Nick Johnson signing mean for the New York Yankees? Perhaps the best assessment comes from Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.

Losing [Johnny] Damon will hurt. Even General Manager Brian Cashman acknowledged on Thursday that Damon is "the perfect two-hole hitter for this place." The Yankees will miss Damon’s speed, his quality at-bats and his ability to put the bat on the ball. And they will miss his personality, of course. But the Yankees priced Damon at about $9-10 million per year, for two years at the most, and they believe they can live with Johnson.

Johnson’s assets and drawbacks are obvious. The good: he’s a left-handed hitter, he knows the Yankees and he got on base at a better rate last year (.426) than everybody except Joe Mauer and Albert Pujols. The bad: he’s slow, he’s prone to injury, and he plays a position already occupied by Mark Teixeira.

Then again, by keeping Johnson off the field, the Yankees can limit his risk of injury, and there is no rule that says Johnson would have to be the starting D.H. every day. The Yankees could use Jorge Posada, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Teixeira there as often as they like. Johnson, a happy-go-lucky guy, has been itching to play for a winner since the Yankees traded him to the Montreal Expos (remember them?) after the 2003 World Series. Also, there is this: next year’s free-agent class could be the best ever, with Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Cliff Lee, Joe Mauer, Brandon Webb and Jayson Werth -– not to mention Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. The Yankees figure to spend an awful lot of money in that market, and they want to save payroll and keep commitments short wherever they can.

In the big picture, the Yankees are replacing Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui with Curtis Granderson and Johnson. So they swap two older left-handed hitters who made $26 million in 2009 for two younger left-handed hitters who will make about $14 million in 2010. They replace a speed guy and a slow guy with another speed guy and slow guy.

My take: I will miss Matsui and Damon, but I like the reasoning behind this. To me, that money is key. Both in terms of being able to bring in another starting pitcher this off-season and -- perhaps more importantly -- setting themselves up for a big splurge next winter.

About Damon

The apparently now former Yankee outfielder has no idea what will happen next for him. But, he is not bitter.

"I have nothing but great things to say about the Yankees. If the Nick Johnson thing works out, it will be good for them," Damon told the Daily News last night. "It's part of baseball.

"I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do. I know there are some teams interested, but the Yankees are the best organization I've been a part of so far in my career. I wish them all the best."

With the Yankees out of the picture, it will be interesting to see what kind of deal the 36-year-old Damon can get.

"I guess we'll have to see now if (agent Scott) Boras gets Damon a three-year contract," said a baseball official, who suggested the most likely landing spot for Damon will be San Francisco, although the Giants are unlikely to give him three years.

Granderson's day

The Yankees formally welcomed Granderson, in a news conference Thursday at Yankee Stadium. One of last season's big off-season prizes, CC Sabathia, was in attendance and his comments might have been the most intriguing of the day.

"I think earlier in his career, when he first came up, he was driving balls to left field, and I think he was tougher on lefties then," Sabathia said. "He was hitting the ball in the gap in left-center.

"Then he started hitting a few home runs and got a little pull-happy. I think that's why lefties were able to stay away from him and throw slower stuff and have success against him."

To help fix the situation, Granderson said that he'd like to talk to Sabathia about the way he was pitched -- two-seamers in and plenty of outs away, Sabathia said -- and also check with Robinson Cano, who has hit lefties well in his career.

But the most important advice will come from hitting coach Kevin Long, with whom Granderson spoke on Monday and is planning to see after he completes working out with outfielder Nick Swisher.

Did The Orioles Reach On Garrett Atkins?

Tommy Rancel — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:00:16 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

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In addition to Mike Gonzalez, the Orioles have reportedly inked corner infielder, Garrett Atkins, to a one-year deal believed to be in the neighborhood of $4 million dollars. Andy MacPhail is easily one of my favorite GM's after Andrew Freidman, but in a market that has multiple cheaper alternatives, I question the signing of Atkins at $4 million dollars.

It's no secret that Atkins's numbers have declined in each of the last four seasons. It's also not a secret The Rockies have been trying to ship him out of Colorado for quite some time before finally non-tendering him last weekend. After posting a career high wOBA of .410 in 2006, Atkins bottomed out last season and finished with a .291 wOBA. Accompanying that wOBA dip, is a dip in ISO. Once again, after a career high in 2006 of .228, Atkins' ISO was a dismal .116 in 2009. It's true, his HR/FB rate was down around three percent from his normal 10%, but for a player that just recently turned 30, a rapidly declining ISO is not a good sign.

His 2009 BABIP shows there is some regression due for Atkins, but that wouldn't explain all of the power outage. It might produce some more doubles, but hard to see it justifying the major collapse. The good news is Atkins does show a decent batting eye. He will collect a walk nearly 10% of the time while keeping the strikeouts around 15%. Defensively, he is on a rare upward UZR swing for a player headed into his thirties, but a sample size warning; he has played less than 1,000 innings in the field each of the last two seasons.

Much like the Gonzalez deal, the Orioles aren't taking a big risk here; however, is this move really necessary? We know Joshua Bell isn't ready, but I don't see the reason to pay Atkins $4 million dollars to be the stop gap; especially in this market. The going rate on a win in this early market seems to be around $3-3.5 million. Nick Johnson, a likely 2-win player, is about to sign a one-year deal worth around $6 million. For five or six potential wins, the Orioles have spent at least $19 million dollars on Atkins, Gonzalez and Kevin Millwood. That is not much over the market's current rate, still given their likely standing in the division, I don't see the need to pay sticker price in what is shaping up as a buyer's market.

If the Orioles really wanted a corner infielder who could impact them winning the pennant in 2010, this guy is a free agent and can be had for less than $4 million.

Way To Go, Jack

Jeff — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 02:02:34 -0000

Rumors everywhere suggest that Nick Johnson's on the verge of signing a one-year deal with the Yankees, worth something like $6m or so. Johnson's .402 career OBP and status as a high-reward player whose risk diminishes his cost had made him a candidate to end up in Seattle from the beginning of the offseason, but now - as with Rich Harden - it appears we're looking elsewhere despite the player in question signing a pretty cheap deal.

That sarcastic "way to go" doesn't stem from frustration that we're missing out. I agree with Dave on this one - when we all freaked out over Harden, Z turned around and landed Cliff Lee for pennies (albeit shiny pennies, not those nasty ass ugly corroded pennies), so it's safe to say the front office has earned the benefit of the doubt on these matters. If they didn't want to meet Johnson's entirely reasonable demands, it's probably because they have something else in mind, something equivalent or better.

Rather, it stems from the fact that Z has set our standards too high. A week ago, none of us had any idea what he was going to do to address the starting rotation. We were clueless, and though most of us didn't put much stock in the Doug Davis or Jarrod Washburn rumors that were floating around, we didn't know what to think. Then Jack got one of the best pitchers in baseball for a low low price. So what's the consensus reaction now that we've missed on Nick Johnson? "Guess they must be hot after Adrian Gonzalez." "They've been talking to Milwaukee. What about Prince Fielder?"

The Cliff Lee trade has caused people to start looking for other Cliff Lee trades. And one of my favorite things about the Cliff Lee trade - one of the reasons it earned such a glowing reception - is that it came completely out of nowhere and blew away out expectations. Now that people's expectations are raised, they're talking about all the big names, and that makes it considerably more difficult to be taken by surprise. More difficult to be taken by surprise, and more likely to be unmoved. "We only got Mat Gamel?" "We gave up how much for Gonzalez?"

Good going, Jack. Due to the awesomeness of your most recent acquisition, you've all but guaranteed that whatever you do next is going to be seen as a decent deal at best and a letdown at worst. On a 1-10 scale of transaction perfection where 10 is trading a PTBNL for Albert Pujols, 2 is trading Ichiro for a knife that you use to stab Chone Figgins, and 1 is the Carlos Silva deal, you've set expectations around a 9, and that's about as high as any realistic deal can go. Because of your own doings, we're going to be next to impossible to impress. Which means you're going to have to be really creative if you want to keep raising your stock.

Of course, I've said that before.

SB Nation - Nick Johnson

Battle Royale: Johnson & Granderson vs. Matsui & Damon

Washington Nationals: Rumor Round-Up...

Braves Sign Joe Thurston; Vazquez Won't Cross the Rocky Mountains

MLB Trade Rumors: Johnny Damon to the Braves?

Is Johnny Damon a fit in Atlanta?

Yankees Upgrade DH, Replace Matsui with Johnson

Post your 2010 lineup

MLB Trade Rumors: Nick Johnson Signs with the Yankees; Could Jesus Montero Be His Platoon Partner?

Mike (New York)

Klaw (2:26 PM)

Will Jesus Montero get called up in 2010?

New York Yankees notes: All things Johnson

Did The Orioles Reach On Garrett Atkins?

Way To Go, Jack

Klaw
(2:26 PM)