The New York Yankees signed 35-year old free agent Randy Winn yesterday for a one-year deal worth around $2 million, completing the Yankees outfield for the upcoming 2010 season.  This deal leaves the Yankees’ left fielder from last year, Johnny Damon, out of the picture.  With contract disputes between the Yankees and Damon, the Yankees felt Damon was asking for too much money and, surprisingly, are keeping a lower budget this year than last.  Last year’s budget was about $208 million while this year’s is looking to be around the $205 million mark.  While this is still an incredible payroll that the Yankees are used to having every year, it’s still surprising that, somehow, Damon was “too much” for them.  Randy Winn, who batted .262 last year with 51 RBIs, 2 HRs and 38 extra-base-hits, will most likely split time with Brett Gardner in left field, while Curtis Granderson will be in centerfield and Nick Swisher will be in right.

Grade for New York Yankees: C ; Yes, the Yankees needed an outfielder to replace Johnny Damon if they weren’t going to go after him and yes I’m not fully confident in Brett Gardner being the everyday starter for the Yankees out in left, but seriously…RANDY WINN?!  I’ll give the guy the benefit of the doubt, he’s a decent ballplayer, but he won’t replace what Johnny Damon was able to do for the Yankees last year.  Winn had only one extra base hit less than Damon did last season, but Damon also hit 22 more home runs than Randy did.  However, Winn’s home run total may go up considerably because of the fact that he is a switch hitter and, more times than not, he’ll be hitting lefty with a short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium.  Home runs seemed to fly out of Yankee Stadium last year, especially with the lefties and Winn also isn’t going to have to hit the ball over a 25 foot wall in right field like the one in AT&T Park, where he played with the San Francisco Giants last season. 

What puzzles me is how Johnny Damon could be asking for the type of money that he was asking and wouldn’t budge from it merely because of the season he had last year, which I can’t deny was fantastic.  However, last year was his best season overall with the Bombers and he is WAY too injury prone to be asking the Yankees to invest that kind of money in him.  Without a doubt, if he stays healthy, he would be able to repeat the kind of season that he had this past year, but injury-free seasons are never guaranteed.  I think, however, the Detroit Tigers will end up picking him up because a lead-off, left-handed bat is what they need now that Curtis Granderson is gone.  Damon is going to need to lower his asking price, though, because if he is “too expensive” for the Yankees, he’s more than likely too expensive for any other team in the league.

I think the Yankees are just going to bite the bullet this season and take Winn because they need a fourth outfielder but I think he’ll only be on the team for just this year.  I really look for the Yankees to pursue Carl Crawford of the Tampa Bay Rays after this year, being that he is a free agent after the 2010 season.  With Crawford and Granderson in left and centerfield, I wouldn’t foresee many balls dropping in that outfield.