Jays Looking at Johnny Damon

It seems Alex Anthopoulos is an avid reader of Jays Journal, as I had mentioned he should bring Daniel Farquhar in for spring training – done, and also that the Jays should take advantage of Johnny Damon’s situation and give him a chance to “get back” at the team that has shunned him. If they make this deal and make Erik Bedard their next target I may have to get a crystal ball and new head gear. lol. As reported by MLBastien and relayed by MLBTR, the Jays are remaining quietly optimistic that they can land him and place him at the top of the lineup, but have told fans not to get excited too quickly as nothing is certain. With Johnny’s price coming down every day, it seems more team will jump into the fray, but if the Jays are willing to pay a little more than most are currently offering – say 7 million, they could land the left fielder. After all, if the A’s can land Sheets, why can’t the Jays land Damon?

If Alex Anthopoulos and the Jays can land Damon at a decent price, the lineup may actually produce more than the 2010 edition, which could prompt him to look for that 1 pitcher who can step in and make the Jays more competitive than most of us expect. Damon would basically be replacing Scutaro at the top of the lineup which would provide the Jays an excellent lineup.

Johnny Damon – Aaron Hill – Adam Lind – Vernon Wells – Lyle Overbay – Edwin Encarnacion – John Buck – Travis Snider – Alex Gonzalez

Most would then ask, what happens with Jose Bautista? Well, that’s the great thing about Jose, he has experience at a ton of positions. He’s played lots of all OF positions, 3B, 2B, and 1B. With Snider being a lefty and Jose being a righty, Gaston could use Jose when strategically viable during games and gives him a good bench option. He can give Edwin, Aaron, and Lyle some days off. Or, they can decide to deal him if they can get decent value for him, but a great bench role is more likely.

Again, I really hope the Jays can pull this one off and give us fans more hope that the Jays can pull off one of the biggest surprise seasons in history to get a wild card win. I’m not holding my breath, but it’s getting closer to becoming reality. If it doesn’t  and the Jays are out of it before the trade deadline, Alex can deal Johnny to a contender for a hefty price or get some decent draft picks.