Damon out of New York?

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Johnny Damon wont be giving a home town discount to stay in New York (he didn’t in Boston, and he was a god there), and will be asking for a 3-4 year deal.

What does this mean? Well, it means he’s probably not going to be a Yankee next year. Needless to say, this hurts his fantasy value. It kind of kills it.

First we can look at his power numbers. He hit 24 bombs in 2009, tying a career high at the age of 35. But this was in the new Yankee Stadium, a park perfectly suited for Damon’s left handed stroke. He wont repeat that in any other park.

You can also look at his position in the Yankees lineup, right in front of Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, and right behind Derek Jeter. It doesn’t get much better than that.

So assuming Damon isn’t with the Yankees next year, you need to drop him down your boards quite a bit. He wont come close to reproducing 2009 anywhere else.