Tony DeMarco

The Toronto Blue Jays spent $102 million on A.J. Burnett and B.J. Ryan. Everybody except Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera went in the Florida Marlins’ fire sale. The Chicago White Sox didn’t let a World Series sweep stop them from making three dramatic moves to get better. And all the while, the New York Yankees did little more than hire a bunch of ex-managers for Joe Torre’s remade coaching staff.

But when they finally made their big move, the Yankees knew exactly where to strike. Losing Johnny Damon is bad enough for the Boston Red Sox. Losing him to the Yankees is a psychological blow for a franchise already suffering through a winter of upheaval. And on the field in 2006, it can only tip the delicate American League East balance of power the Yankees’ way.

For four years and $52 million, the Yankees solved their two biggest position-player problems with one signing, and ripped away the face of the Red Sox’s recent rise to prominence in the process. Sounds like money well-spent for George Steinbrenner; well worth a couple months of relative inactivity.

The benefits are obvious. The Yankees needed another top-of-the-lineup table-setter, and desperately had to upgrade their center-field defense. Damon, 32, fills both at an All-Star level, and should for at least a couple more years. Last season, despite playing with a sore left shoulder, he hit .316 with 10 homers, 75 RBI, 117 runs scored, 197 hits, 18 stolen bases, 35 doubles, six triples and a .366 on-base percentage. In four years in Boston, he reached single-season highs of .304, 20 homers, 94 RBI, 123 runs scored, 197 hits, 31 stolen bases, 35 doubles, 11 triples and a .380 on-base percentage.

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Now, the first five hitters in the projected Yankees order — Damon, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui — all scored at least 104 runs last season. The bottom half of the lineup will include Jason Giambi, Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano and a DH/1B type to be named, so it’s logical to assume the Yankees will score more runs than the 886 they did a year ago, when they trailed the league-leading Red Sox by 24 runs.

Granted, you have to figure Damon’s numbers will be negatively affected by the switch in home ballparks to Yankee Stadium from Fenway Park, where he had hit 40 points higher than his road output over his four-year stay with the Red Sox. And Damon’s arm is going to be an even greater liability in Yankee Stadium’s spacious center field. But the Yankees were looking at untenable center-field options on their roster – a Bernie Williams best-suited for part-time duty, and journeyman Bubba Crosby. They looked into trade possibilities – Juan Pierre being the most appealing – but they are trying to hang onto their top prospects for a change, and don’t have enough depth to deal.

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So once Damon was amenable to a four-year deal — after previously seeking as many as seven — the Yankees wisely gave him essentially the same contract they handed out to Hideki Matsui earlier this winter. And faced with the Red Sox’s lesser four-year offer as his other top alternative, Damon correctly jumped into pinstripes. All he has to do to make the deal official is pass a physical, shave his beard and trim his locks.

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