After being claimed off waivers today by the Boston Red Sox, it appears that Tigers’ OF/DH Johnny Damon isn’t ready to leave 
“That’s my feeling right now,” Damon said after the Tigers beat the Royals on Monday night, “and I don’t want to go home tonight and talk to my agent and talk to everyone who’s involved and change my mind. I’m definitely leaning towards staying. That’s the fortunate thing, having until 1:30 [p.m.] on Wednesday.”
Furthermore Beck states that Damon’s contract specifies that he can veto a trade to any major league team with the exception of eight. Those eight teams are believed to be the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants and one other NL team. The Red Sox are not on that list.
If Damon would accept the trade the Tigers would send him back to a team where he really saw his career take off from 2002-05 including a World Series Championship in 2004. Yet he doesn’t seem very fond of Beantown…
“Obviously they claimed me to go out there and play left field and lead off for them,” Damon said. “They have a lot of big games with Tampa Bay coming up. They have six more games with New York coming up. That’s why they’re trying. What a scene that would be, playing for the Red Sox while the Yankees go there, and everybody there hates me. That’s the craziness that’s involved.”
Damon’s issue with Boston appears to be the way things ended after the 2005 season. He signed with the Yankees as a free agent after that season, but his issue seems to date back before that decision was made.
“What we had in Boston — I stress had, from 2002 to 2005 — we had a special bunch of guys,” Damon said. “And after the 2004 season, guys started leaving, the [Pedro Martinez’s] and Derek Lowe’s. And in 2005, how [Mark] Bellhorn left, how Alan Embree left, how Kevin Millar was being treated there. That’s something that sticks with you. It was a totally new team.
“I know they have a very good team, possibly the best rotation around. They inched a game closer today. [Jason] Varitek knows what I brought to the table night in and night out. [David] Ortiz does, and [Tim] Wakefield. So obviously I know they want me. But I love it here in Detroit, and I love my teammates here.”
Damon has expressed his desire to stay with or return to the Tigers next year if he were to be traded. He signed a one year contract prior to this season worth about $8 million. He roughly has about $1.8 million left on this years deal.
