Johnny Damon’s come to terms with the fact that he won’t return to New York, and he’s not being subtle about where he’d like to play with the Yankees out of the equation. Scott Boras says that his client came to him and said, “If I can’t play for the Yankees, I want you to let the Tigers know I want to play for them.” Boras, then, repeated this to a reporter from the Detroit Free Press.
Boras spared no details about Damon’s desire to play in Detroit, either. Not only does he want to sign with the Tigers, but Damon’s also a Red Wings fan — he admires Steve Yzerman, apparently — and as a result, “orders octopus” whenever the two go to a Greek restaurant. (We’ve been reading that quote over and over again, and we honestly can’t tell if that’s a joke or not. We’re leaning toward not.)
All of this raises a question, though: Should Damon be so honest about where he’d like to play? On the one hand, it’s refreshing to see a free agent (possibly) tell the truth about how he’d like things to play out. On the other hand, it’s probably not good for negotiations if a team knows a player wants to sign with them. And while we don’t so much mind that all this makes Scott Boras’s job more difficult, it’s bizarre to see Damon without a team as spring training is set to open.
Then again, there’s always the possibility Damon’s just flirting with whatever team will listen.