Abreu & Damon DFA

A little over a week ago Hideki Matsui was designated for assignment by the Rays. Now, two other former Yankees have met the same fate, Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu.

Damon was DFA by the Indians yesterday:

On Friday, August 3 the Cleveland Indians said farewell to veteran outfielder Johnny Damon, designating him for assignment. Like MLB.com's Jordan Bastian noted in his coverage the veteran outfielder foresaw the end coming, commenting back on July 21 "If we're not in contention I'll be the first one they drop." A week-long losing streak pretty much ended any reasonable playoff hopes the Tribe possessed.

... In 64 games he put together just a .222 batting average while garnering four home runs and 19 RBIs.

And thanks to their acquisition of Shane Victorino, Abreu lost his roster sport with the Dodgers:

Two-time All-Star Bobby Abreu has been designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Dodgers to make room on the 25-man roster for newly acquired left fielder Shane Victorino.

Abreu was signed as a free agent on May 4 after he was released by the Angels. He batted .251 with two home runs and 17 RBIs in 70 games as a part-time left field and pinch-hitter.

I enjoyed rooting for all three of these guys so it's kinda sad to see their careers end up like this, but it is what it is.

See you all on Old Timers' Day.

Hideki Matsui DFA By Tampa

From The AP:

Hideki Matsui was been cut by the Tampa Bay Rays.

The 38-year-old Japanese star was designated for assignment on Wednesday to clear a roster spot for infielder Ryan Roberts. The Rays have 10 days to trade Matsui, release him or place him on waivers.

He is hitting .147 with two homers and seven RBIs in 95 at-bats.

I feel bad for Hideki. A player as good as he was never should go out like this, but sometimes you just hang around way too long.

Polishing a Turd with Raul, Johnny, and Hideki

The following post is being syndicated from The Yankee Analysts.

There has been much ado about the Yankees designated hitter situation yesterday, with Buster Olney tweeting that the team was "in position to add" one of Raul Ibanez, Johnny Damon, or Hideki Matsui within a week. Ken Rosenthal stoked the coals a bit (or, perhaps, took a book of matches from 7-Eleven), adding that the team was in "serious discussions" with Ibanez. Rosenthal further added that Ibanez was willing to take a discount to play in the Bronx, though I am unsure that he is in a position to be terribly picky regardless. Many would argue that far too much ink and effort has been expended on behalf of Messrs Ibanez, Damon, and Matsui, and that may be true ... but if a move is truly forthcoming, it makes sense to look for a silver lining and preempt at least a bit of the inevitable gruff.

Ibanez managed a slightly above-average 101 wRC+ against righties last season, batting .256/.307/.440 with 16 HR in 437 PA. While that may be below even the marginal standard set by Posada in 2011 (.269/.348/.466 with 14 HR in 316 PA), it is worth noting that Ibanez's numbers in lefty-friendly Citizens Bank Park were solid - a .278/.316/.516 slash line with 15 HR in only 273 AB is quite easy on the eyes. While Yankee Stadium's right-center isn't quite as appetizing as Citizens Bank's, it does seem like Ibanez would make fine use of the short porch without sacrificing too much elsewhere. This is all guesswork, to be sure, but Ibanez's power hasn't slipped all that much. And, if optimism is to rule the day, might I suggest that a rebound from his career-low BB% is well within the realm of possibility?

At face value, Johnny Damon appears to be the best option for the Yankees. He was able to eke out a reasonable 109 wRC+ while playing half of his games in an extreme pitcher's park, on the strength of a .261/.326/.418 line with nineteen steals (in twenty-five attempts). Damon's 99 wRC+ against righties may not instill a great deal of confidence, though, and the former Yankee has not displayed much of a platoon split in recent years. While that may normally be a positive, it doesn't really help the Yankees at this juncture. However, a bit of polishing reveals that Damon did quite well away from the Trop, batting .280/.345/.463 with 10 HR in 296 AB. An optimist should also note that Damon has raked to the tune of .270/.370/.524 and 19 HR in 311 AB in New Yankee Stadium. He also survived 84 innings in LF last year ... so, there's that.

Matsui, sadly, featured a curious reverse platoon split in 2011, with a solid 118 wRC+ against southpaws and a decidedly ugly 82 wRC+ figure against righties. He did manage a 137 wRC+ and 14 round-trippers against righties in 2010, which is more in-line with expectations, and, like Damon, he enjoys hitting in NYS (.268/.353/.485 with 17 HR in 299 AB). Additionally, on the heels of a late-July Godzilla sighting in the Bronx (including a 5-for-5 game on 24 July), Matsui managed a respectable .289/.345/.414 over the last third of the season. Could the short porch entice an awe-inspiring swan song? Even a pragmatist would say ... maybe.

While none of these players met the Posadian baseline set in 2011, it does stand to reason that all could enjoy a bit of a rebound in Yankee Stadium - particularly if platooned properly. Ibanez's righty killing (flicking? pinching?) may be a bit more appealing, particularly with Jones likely to do the heavy-lifting against lefties, but Damon and Matsui (and most any lefty) would benefit from the ubiquitously mentioned short porch. This may not be an ideal set of candidates by even the most flexible stretch of the imagination, but it would be somewhat inane to ignore the potential for a reasonable bit of success here.

Besides, with Spring Training right around the corner, shouldn't optimism be fostered?

Follow me on Twitter - @DomenicLanza

Damon for DH?

From Dan Martin:

With the Yankees in the market for a designated hitter now that Jesus Montero is heading to Seattle, they are looking at a number of options and reportedly already reached out to Johnny Damon and Carlos Pena.

Since they already added $10 million to the payroll with the signing of Hiroki Kuroda, they don’t expect to spend a lot to sign another bat and both could be relatively low cost.

Damon, 38, made $5.25 million last year with the Rays, but since Tampa Bay doesn’t want him back, he’ll likely have to settle for less in 2012. And Pena, 33, told MLB Radio the Yankees had made contact with him, according to their twitter account.

Another former Yankee, Hideki Matsui, is also still around after spending last season in Oakland. The 37-year-old slugger hit .251 with 12 homers and 72 RBIs in his lone season with the A’s.

The team could also opt to give 29-year-old Jorge Vazquez a shot.

I'm not sure how much guys like Damon, Matsui and Pena have left in the tank, but you'd have to believe their offensive numbers would get at least a little bit of a boost playing in the Bronx for 81 games.

Who would you like to see as the opening day DH?