The Johnny Damon era in the Bronx is all but officially over. Joel Sherman was the first to report the Yankees coming to terms on a one-year deal with veteran outfielder Randy Winn, pending a physical, for close to the $2 million the Yankees had allocated for a fourth outfielder.
Winn, 35, is your basic meat-and-potatoes part-time player who can provide reliable defense to all three outfield positions. At the plate he batted 262/.318/.353 with two home runs and 51 RBI in 538 at-bats last season with the Giants. A switch-hitter, Winn hit .92 against right-handers and only .158 versus lefties, though in his 13-season career he's .288/.280. Sherman added that the Yankees had Winn rated above Reed Johnson despite Johnson's .313 career average against lefties.
At the very least, Winn provides Joe Girardi depth and flexibility to give Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher the occasional blow. Whether he'll platoon with Brett Gardner remains to be seen. The only players I considered to fit within a workable platoon with Gardner was Johnson or Rocco Baldelli, with whom Sherman notes a Minor League deal remains a possibility. Time to give Gardner the long look he deserves.
Where does Damon go from here? Cincinnati? Tampa Bay? Do you like the Winn move? Share your thoughts here.
