MLB Free Agency: Johnny Damon is still interested in playing
By Hayden Kane
At age 40, Johnny Damon still has not closed the door on his Major League Baseball career. He was out of the league in 2013 after a limited 2012 season with the Cleveland Indians.
Retirement might be in sight, but he’s not there just yet. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes the following:
"Boras said he asked Damon to let him know when he was all done. So far, Boras hasn’t heard those words from Damon, meaning Damon would love to resume his career after missing last season. Damon has remained in shape and would be willing to hook on if someone called.”"
That would be agent Scott Boras, of course.
Damon’s skill set at this point restricts him to designated hitter duty. If he garners interest it will be exclusively from American League teams. There figures to be minimal interest, however, unless teams believe they can get the same spark from Damon that the Tampa Bay Rays got in 2011 when he batted .261/.326/.418 with a .743 OPS in 150 games.
The problem is you might get the 2012 version of Damon, who batted only .222/.281/.329 with a .610 OPS. He did not even hit well enough against right-handed pitching (.227/.292/.331) to make himself a viable platoon candidate.
There likely is no more baseball in the future for Johnny Damon. But if a team is seeking some clubhouse leadership and thinks there’s still life in that bat, maybe he’ll get an invitation to Spring Training in 2014.