And Now Johnny Damon

This is basically a throwaway post on a nothing rumor that isn't even a rumor at all, but I'm in kind of a throwaway mood and I'm hungry to the point of being delirious, which has oddly given me a second wind. Jon Heyman!

#orioles, #mariners, #a's among potential players for damon. if balt or sea get him, thatll make it 7 diff. AL teams for jd

This is not Heyman saying the Mariners are interested in free agent Johnny Damon. This is Heyman saying the Mariners could be a fit for Johnny Damon. Different. So, anyway.

The Mariners might still be in the mix for Prince Fielder. I don't know anything about the current state of the sweepstakes, but I don't think the Mariners have dropped out. The Mariners might sign Prince Fielder. Or they might not. In the event that the Mariners don't sign Prince Fielder, some people have wondered where that money might go instead.

Maybe that money doesn't go anywhere. Maybe it goes to one player. Maybe it goes to a few players. Johnny Damon would be a possibility.

I know it sounds weird. Damon is 38 years old. Last year he posted a .743 OPS. The year before that, he posted a .756 OPS. He's no longer much of anything in the field. On the surface, Damon seems like a bad fit.

But he'd really...well he wouldn't be a horrible fit. Damon has spent the last two seasons in home parks that are tough on left-handed hitters. He could split time with Casper Wells, or he could allow Mike Carp to split time with Casper Wells. Damon would take what's currently Trayvon Robinson's roster spot, and while either Damon wouldn't get a full season, Carp wouldn't get a full season, or neither of them would get full seasons, that would be an improvement. Robinson isn't much.

Dave is really big on Will Venable, and I like the Will Venable idea. Venable has a lot more to offer in the field than Damon does, and he's been solid away from Petco's draining grasp. But I don't know what Venable's price might be, and Damon could be rather affordable. He made $5.25 million a year ago, and then he hit .261 while getting a year older. The market's thin. I'm just saying.

I'm not all about Johnny Damon, but if the Mariners don't sign Prince Fielder and still want to spend that money, Damon wouldn't be a disaster. Incidentally, he's represented by Scott Boras, just like Fielder is, so there's that to consider.

To be honest with you I really just wrote this post so I could use that picture.