New York Yankees

He's baaaaack.

Johnny Damon (.282, 24 HR, 82 RBI), who spent the 1995-2000 season with the Kansas City Royals, is returning to the AL Central after signing a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers.

Damon, who turned 36 last November, was also rumored to be negotiating with the Atlanta Braves, but ultimately decided to sign with the Tigers, who offered him more money.

Over about the last month or so we here at Bronx Baseball Daily have been looking at the players expected to be on the 2010 Yankees Roster. We’ve been evaluating their 2009 season and trying to lay out what the Yankees should expect out of them this season.

Make sure you check out all of our previews. Expecting big things out of a certain player? Don’t agree with our assessment of some of the players? Check out our player pages and let us hear your opinions.

After a long winter of speculating about where Johnny Damon would play in 2010, it appears that the two-time World Champion has finally made a decision.

The Detroit Tigers have stepped in with an offer that apparently was to Damon's liking. It is reportedly a one-year deal worth about $8 million.

All is pending a physical, which sources say should be taken today or tomorrow.

The deal makes sense for both sides:

Yesterday our very own Brian Burkhart wrote a great article pointing out how Jorge Posada’s catcher’s ERA is misleading and that he wasn’t necessarily a liability behind the plate. Shortly after Brian wrote that, Yankees manager Joe Girardi addressed the media about Posada and said that he will be catching AJ Burnett this year.

During an appearance on the Scott Garceau show on MASN and 105.7 RM, the Fan, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman had some nice words to say for the usually pathetic division rivals the Baltimore Orioles and their GM Andy MacPhail.

“Andy is doing exactly what Andy does best,” Cashman said. “He is as sharp as they come. Patience is the biggest key. He made such an astute trade with Seattle and now he has a collection of talent. Getting Adam Jones to play with Markakis was remarkable. Now he has one of the bright young outfields.

Justin Milo is a little talked about Yankee outfield prospect and if you have heard of him it’s probably not because of what he’s done as a baseball player. Milo is a two-sport athlete who also plays hockey for the University of Vermont...Until recently.

Here is the scoop from the Kevin Kernan of the NY Post :

Since the late 1990's dynasty years, and well before high walk totals and high on base percentages were fashionable, the New York Yankees lineup was known as a patient group, working the pitcher to drive pitch counts up and getting to the opponents bullpen early.

Often they would get to the bullpen by the fifth, sixth, or seventh innings.  And when it became a battle of the bullpens, the Yankees always had the advantage with hurlers like John Wetteland, Mariano Rivera, and Jeff Nelson.

The World Champion New York Yankees will not look the same when the new season starts in Boston on April 4.

Gone from the championship team are designated hitter Hideki Matsui, left fielder Johnny Damon, center fielder Melky Cabrera, relief pitcher Brian Bruney, and relief pitcher Phil Coke.

Jo Bydin was a young baseball fan when the Yankees 18-game winning streak was broken by the St. Louis Browns on June 16, 1953.

Jo rooted for the New York Giants, and any day that the Yankees lost was a good day for Jo Bydin.

The St. Louis Browns

The New York Yankees had high hopes of becoming contenders in 1966 after their disastrous sixth place finish the previous season.

On April 4, the new baseball season will open on a Sunday night in Fenway Park. The visitors will be the New York Yankees, renewing the greatest rivalry in sports against the hometown Boston Red Sox.

Most baseball analysts will tell you that the key to winning in baseball is pitching.