Welcome Back, Nick the Stick!

It looks as though the Yankees took my advice and are about to sign Nick Johnson, effectively ending Johnny Damon's time with the team.

There is a ton to like about this move. Johnson fits the Yankees lineup like a glove. A left handed, elite OBP guy to hit behind Jeter and in front of Teixeira is exactly what this team needed to make it go. Though Damon had a great year, he was not your typical 2 hitter. He got homer happy in the new Stadium, and his contact rates didn't benefit. Add to that the fact that he didnt hit a regular season home run over the last 5 or so weeks of the season, and you can really get an idea of why having a contact-oriented two hitter can benefit the machine that is the Yankee offense.

I have also heard the argument that Johnson has value tied to his glove. WILDLY inaccurate at the point in his career. His UZR/150 last year was -6.6. Terrible. He also made 12 errors at a position where Kevin Youkilis didn't make any two years ago.

In the end, this is just a savvy baseball move. A year of Nick Johnson at $5.5mm beats the shit out of 3 years at $30mm+ for a guy that was forced to leave the clinching game of the World Series with a fucking leg cramp. I know Johnson isn't historically durable wither, but being slotted in as the DH will help that, just as getting 30-40 games off to utilize the DH position as a "weigh station" for Jeter, A-Rod, Posada and the like will.

In short: Great move. Helps the team while saving that few extra dollars to make another sizable move **coughMattHollidaycough**.