ESPN’s Buster Olney heard from Scott Boras today and quoted the agent as saying that Johnny “Damon will be signed by May 1st; just don’t know where.”
Olney also said that Damon is looking for at least 450 plate appearances, which would be enough to get him at least 100 hits closer to 3,000. Damon is sitting at 2,723 hits right now.
There’s been much speculation that Damon’s quest for 3,000 has made him a less attractive option as a free agent, but while it’s true that Damon is no star, he’d be an upgrade for several teams in left field or at DH. He hit .261/.326/.417 with 16 homers, 73 RBI and 19 steals for the Rays last season. With Tropicana Field playing as such a pitcher’s park lately, that was good for a 110 OPS+. It’s surprising the Indians haven’t made a play for him, given their interest in a pretty similar player in Bobby Abreu.
