Around the Horn: DH and bench

If healthy, Johnson can make big impact  with Yanks in 2010

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

With the start of Spring Training just around the corner, the time  has come to start sizing up the 2010 Yankees, piece by piece. MLB.com  will go around the horn and break down each area of the Yankees,  continuing with the designated hitter and bench positions.

NEW YORK -- Though Nick Johnson's teams ultimately didn't sniff the  postseason in 2009, it would be difficult to pin the early winter upon  his shoulders. In at least one statistical category, he did his job  better than almost everyone in the game.

Johnson's .426 on-base percentage followed only Joe Mauer of the Twins  and Albert Pujols of the Cardinals in the Majors, and those two players  eventually won the MVP Awards of their respective leagues. For Johnson,  it opened the door to a contract opportunity with the Yankees.

"I'm really happy to be back and put the stripes back on, and to be with  a great organization," Johnson said. "It's all about winning. That's  something that I want to get back to doing."

After splitting last year between the Nationals and Marlins, Johnson is  heading back to where it all began for him, agreeing to a one-year, $5.5  million contract with the Yankees in December.

When word filtered to the 31-year-old that the Yankees had interest in  him serving as their designated hitter in 2010, replacing Hideki Matsui,  Johnson made sure to let his agent know that the opening would be his  No. 1 choice of destination.

"There's nothing like playing in New York," Johnson said. "Right field  is inviting and it's short. I saw all the home runs on TV, but you can't  really go up there thinking about that. I need to get on base, and if  you pop one, you pop one. I'm not going to be going up there just  swinging for the fences."

A career .273 hitter who spent his first three years with the Yankees  before being traded to the Expos in December 2003 for Javier Vazquez,  hitting -- and walking, with a 17.8 percent base-on-balls percentage,  best in the Majors last year -- has never been the issue for Johnson.

The concern has been keeping him on the field, as his career has been  plagued by numerous injuries. After seeing the results of an extensive  physical examination, the Yankees believe that operating as a full-time  designated hitter will help Johnson stay in the lineup, with only  limited fill-in chances at first base headed his way.

"It's clear to dream about what he does and what he can provide if he  stays healthy," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "Certainly,  at the same time, I recognize and can't ignore the risk that comes with  his trying to stay on the field and stay healthy. This was a decision  that I was willing to make, recognizing that there's risk that comes  with it because of his health history."

Projecting Johnson as batting in the No. 2 hole, between Derek Jeter and  Mark Teixeira, the Yankees know that he won't run nearly as well as his  predecessor in that lineup spot, Johnny Damon. Yet the thinking is that  Johnson will be on base so much, Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez can't help  but drive him in.

"The big attraction here was how nicely he actually fit the two-hole,"  Cashman said.

The Yankees' bench should appear younger than it did during the 2009  postseason, with several veterans having shifted to other locations.

With Jose Molina apparently moving on as a free agent, the backup  catcher role is likely going to be entrusted to Francisco Cervelli, who  hit .298 with one home run and 11 RBIs in 42 games over two stints with  New York last year. Cervelli, who will be 24 by Opening Day, clicked  well with the veteran members of the pitching staff and drew rave  reviews for his defensive skills.

Ramiro Pena appears to be a front-runner to lock up a job as a utility  infielder, coming off a rookie campaign in which he played 69 games at  the big league level, making starts at third base, shortstop and second  base. Pena, 23, made the 2009 Opening Day roster despite not having  experience above the Double-A level, hitting .287 with six doubles and  10 RBIs in three stints.

The Yankees signed 35-year-old outfielder Randy Winn to a one-year, $1.1  million contract in January to compete with Brett Gardner for playing  time, and Winn could fit as a switch-hitting fourth outfielder while  serving as a mentor for Gardner, who is trying to prove he can be an  everyday big leaguer.

"We signed [Winn] so we'd make sure we have depth and make sure that we  have competition," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "If someone gets  hurt, we have enough people to fill the spot. He's been an everyday  player for a long time. We're comfortable with him in that spot."

For other reserve outfielders, New York also plans to consider Jamie  Hoffmann, a former hockey prospect who was a Rule 5 Draft selection from  the Dodgers, and non-roster invitee Marcus Thames, a former Yankee with  eight years of big league experience and a .243 career batting average.

Other players who could compete for reserve roles include infielder  Kevin Russo, who hit .326 in 90 games at Triple-A last year; non-roster  catcher Mike Rivera, a .244 lifetime hitter who played the past four  years with the Brewers; and Greg Golson, a speedy defensive standout who  was acquired from the Rangers in a Minor League trade back last month.

Bryan  Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to  the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=2010021...

BUSTER OLNEY  ESPN

Moves, deals and decisions

Damon

1. Heard this: While a two-year  offer might be on the table to Johnny  Damon, at least one team which might have extended an offer has no  expectation that he would actually take a two-year offer; rather, part of the  negotiation with that team is that he would take only that one year. Seriously,  it's been a long time since we've seen machinations at this height.

The current expectation among some executives involved in the negotiation is  that Damon will eventually accept a one-year deal with the Tigers for something  around $7 million, with some deferred money, and his camp will indicate he  turned down a two-year deal.

The early talk of a three- or four-year deal for  Damon raised expectations unrealistically, Jon Heyman wrote. Well,  those expectations came from his agent, Scott Boras; what he indicated in this piece is what he told the Yankees, too.

Drew Sharp wonders if the Tigers are being played by Johnny Damon. Landing Damon would fill two needs for the Tigers, writes John Lowe. The  Tigers are better with Damon, says Bob Wojnowski.

2. Felipe  Lopez, also unsigned, has fired  Boras.

Lincecum

3. Tim  Lincecum settled his arbitration case and signed a two-year, $23 million  deal -- a smart move for both the pitcher and the team. Both sides had to  consider the worst-case scenario; if the Giants had lost the case, a new  arbitration benchmark would have been set, and if Lincecum had lost the case, he  would not have gotten the first mega-payday of his career. Both sides can walk  away feeling good about this.

Lincecum's deal has ramifications, writes Susan Slusser. There were no winners or losers in this thing, writes Ray Ratto. Isn't life  grand, writes Tim Kawakami, after the settlement.

Katie Sharp of ESPN Research looked at the question of why a team might not  have invested in a five-year deal in Lincecum: "Perhaps they were concerned  about Lincecum's workload and its effect on his ability to maintain his pitching  dominance in the coming years. Consider the decline in his fastball since his  MLB debut in 2007: Not only did his fastball velocity decline by nearly 2 mph  from 2007-08 to 2009, but he also used [his fastball] far less in 2009, as the  pitch was much less effective in generating swings-and-misses and much more  hittable last season compared to his first two seasons in the majors."

Lincecum dropped in the first round of the draft because of concerns about  his body and whether he would hold up -- and I think this is a perception that  he could be fighting his whole career, right up to the point he becomes eligible  for free agency. I hear it from rival evaluators all the team: They worry  whether Lincecum will be able to maintain a high level of performance.

4. The Orioles settled their arbitration case with Jeremy  Guthrie, writes Dan Connolly and Jeff Zrebiec. Boston's equipment truck left for Florida, as Daniel Barbarisi writes.

5. Brett  Gardner has added bunting to his arsenal, writes Anthony McCarron. Which is  great, but begs a question, along the same lines as what you could ask after  news came out that Daniel  Murphy is being tutored by Keith Hernandez: Why wasn't this happening  before? It would seem like bunting would have been a great tool for Gardner  throughout his journey to the majors, because of his speed.

6. The Rays are waiting to hear whether they won  their arbitration hearing with B.J.  Upton, writes Marc Topkin.

Thomas

7. Frank  Thomas took the high road on the day he announced his retirement. It was the best possible answer from  him; he doesn't need to say anything else. He will be voted into the Hall of  Fame, and others who I assume he thought cheated will struggle to do so, and  Thomas will be in a position to let that turn in history speak for him.

Thomas's refrain was that he did it his way, writes Toni Ginnetti.

8. The Brewers were stunned  in losing the Hart arbitration hearing, writes Tom Haudricourt.

9. The Reds' bullpen spots are all but filled, writes John Fay.

10. Mike  Sweeney re-signed with the Mariners.

Other stuff

• The truth can now be told: Adam  Wainwright wasn't thrilled that either he or Chris  Carpenter failed to win the Cy Young Award, writes Joe Strauss.

• Tom Gage runs through the resumes of some future Tigers.

• Kyle  Blanks is leaner and keener this season, writes Tim Sullivan.

• The Padres are trying to alter the in-game experience at Petco Park, writes Dan  Hayes.

• Zack  Greinke is not resting on his laurels.

• It was Nick Punto  Day on the web.

• Theo Epstein's Red Sox look like a team in transition, writes John Tomase.

• The A-Rod turnaround is a good example for the Mets, writes Joel Sherman.

• Chipper  Jones thinks Jason Heyward is a lot like Fred McGriff.

• Otis Nixon is a born-again Brave.

• Vanderbilt can't afford to take LSU lightly today, writes Jeff  Lockridge.

• Happy birthday to my Dad, Ed Lincoln, who, along with the rest of our clan  got great news yesterday -- doctors are extremely pleased with the progress of  Amelia Lincoln, my sister, after her first round of chemo. The notes and good  wishes for her from here and other corners have been a great source of help and  comfort.

And today will be better than yesterday.

Yanks looking at Cuban SS Adeiny Hechevarria

By Joseph Pawlikowski

River Ave Blues

VIDEOS  Click Link

riveraveblues.com/2010/02/yanks-looking-...

Posted on Saturday, February 13th, 2010 at  5:00 pm in Asides.