Johnny Damon Says Yankees Might Have 'Dodged A Bullet' In Juan Soto Deal, Here's Why

TMZ

The Yankees will head into next season without Juan Soto, but fear not, New York fans ... Johnny Damon tells TMZ Sports they might just be better without the star slugger!!

Transcript

00:00Your initial impression of Juan Soto ruling the Yankees for the Mets was what?

00:07Oh man that was tough because I know how much the Yankee fans loved Juan Soto and I thought

00:12they were going to do everything possible but I guess the hold up on the sweep was a

00:18big deal and we know the Mets are out there, they're playing to their fans, they're doing

00:26everything they can to have a great team and their owner, Stevie Cohen, he's the type of

00:33owner you want.

00:35He wants to pay for the best, he wants to get the best and unfortunately he's failed

00:40a couple of times when trying to bring Verlander and Scherzer, great pitchers but they just

00:45didn't get it going yet.

00:47So Juan Soto, he's been one of the best players in the league for the past seven years.

00:54The money that's out there, it's incredible.

00:56I love it for the players, I hope Juan Soto the best.

00:59I think his numbers over 15 years in New York or with the Yankees would probably push him

01:07to the 600-700 home run mark.

01:10The Mets stadium is a lot bigger, I've got to see a decrease in home runs unfortunately

01:16but the leadership skills, the at-bats that he drives pitchers crazy on are going to continue.

01:24I'm just not sure if the numbers will ever live up to what the expectations of signing

01:30that huge contract is going to be because it's impossible to live up to those.

01:37But at least he's trying, he's trying to live up to it and hopefully he brings a championship

01:43to the Mets.

01:44So do you think this pressure could get to Juan, I mean you've seen Juan in seven, eight

01:49years in the league.

01:50Do you think a seven, he doesn't strike me as a guy that would be affected by $760 million

01:54whether or not, but do you think that could play into maybe some sort of struggle with

01:58the Mets at least early on?

02:00I don't think there's going to be struggles, I just think like the run production, the

02:07run score, the RBIs, the home runs, I mean it's bigger ballparks.

02:11I haven't been to the new Braves field but I know the old Fulton County was huge, the

02:17old Washington ballpark was huge.

02:20I mean Philly is a good place to hit eight, nine times a year they're going to go there.

02:26Yeah, but I just think a lot of these National League ballparks are more suited for better

02:33pitching than better hitting.

02:35But I don't think he's going to struggle, I think he's going to be a stud, but I do

02:38think numbers naturally go down playing that city field.

02:43Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

02:45Now you mentioned the suite, that's been kind of one of the biggest thing Yankees fans

02:49want to talk about.

02:51In your opinion, was that possibly what brought down this deal?

02:55And in your opinion, do you think the Yankees should have kind of bent their rules and given

02:59them the suite?

03:00Well, in my opinion, the Yankees do give suite tickets to the family, friends, the wives,

03:09the kids.

03:10So I'm not sure how many people are in his family or who go to 81 games at Yankee Stadium.

03:18I know the Yankees have always been very accommodating.

03:23But if you want a suite that your family and friends can go and have fun, live it up every

03:31single home game, then so be it.

03:33I know that's a sticking point with a lot of people.

03:36I know the Yankees.

03:38As I read, Aaron Judge doesn't have a suite, Derek Jeter never had a suite.

03:45But the Yankees always made accommodations to make our families feel very welcome.

03:50So you're saying if you were a Yankees fan, you would be okay with them doing what they

03:56did?

03:57Yeah, I mean, the Yankees do things for a reason.

03:59There's a reason why I had to cut my hair and shave my beard.

04:03You have to listen to the boss and you have to listen to the people who are paying you.

04:07So that's why there was never a question or never a doubt that I was going to cut my hair

04:12and because I feel like I'm good looking with long hair and short hair.

04:17The Mets aren't quite the Red Sox when it comes to the Yankees.

04:20But the Yankees fans, at least in our office, seem to harbor some kind of animosity towards

04:24Soto for leaving.

04:25You obviously went from the Red Sox to the Yankees and you know all about being hated.

04:30What kind of, I guess, environments are he going to walk into?

04:35You only play the Yankees so often when you're in the AL and the NL, but even around baseball,

04:40do you feel like the perception is going to change over this?

04:43Well, I know a bunch of Yankee fans do go to Mets games even though when they don't

04:48play each other.

04:49So you're going to have some upset people.

04:51But I mean, Juan Soto knows what he's getting into.

04:53I mean, he's been on a number of teams over the years and he's succeeded everywhere.

04:59I mean, a lot of players say it doesn't bother them getting booed, but it does.

05:05I think people are going to be upset, but I think at the end of the day, it's a game.

05:11Juan Soto is taking home $60 million more.

05:18He's got to be happy for the next 15 years.

05:20I mean, that's a long time.

05:22So I mean, I wish him the best.

05:25For the Yankee fans, guess what?

05:27You're going to go after three or four big free agents right now to cover what you didn't

05:33spend there.

05:34And I think at the end of the day, you're going to have a better team.

05:37Yes, we're going to miss the great Juan Soto 100%.

05:43But let's try to bring in a Bellinger.

05:45Let's try to bring in a few more guys to solidify your team and get it ready to rock and roll

05:51come February.

05:52At least there's no more distraction on trying to lock that in.

05:55Now let's focus on the other players you want to bring to your team and bring another championship

06:01because it has been 15 years and we all remember what happened 15 years ago.

06:06They let me walk in.

06:09I helped wreck the curse of the Bambino, and now there's a curse of Johnny Damon.

06:13So they need to figure things out so this curse doesn't go on for 86 years.

06:19You mentioned Bellinger, and they've already signed Max Freed with some of that, I think

06:22$200-something million.

06:24Is there, in your mind, a haul, in addition to Max Freed, that could make up for and surpass

06:31losing Soto?

06:32Are there names, you mentioned Belly, is there anybody else that you think that could cap

06:36this off?

06:37That, okay, they lost Soto, but they're okay now?

06:39Well, absolutely, because the Mets just spent all that money.

06:43Isn't Pete Alonso a free agent?

06:44Yes, yes, and that's what we were talking about in the office, who can protect him in

06:47the lineup.

06:48Doesn't he love New York?

06:49And he's one of my guys, he's a Florida Gator.

06:52So, I mean, he could be a great guy, and you could possibly add Bellinger.

06:57So now you have two big offensive pieces, I mean, obviously you want left-handed bats,

07:03well you get that with Bellinger, but you're going to get great at bats with Alonso.

07:07I've got to take a look at the list of guys who are out there, but it's like the Yankees,

07:13they could have dodged a bullet on this one, I mean, this could be huge.

07:18And they don't have to give up 15 years, you know?

07:21They can give up three to five years on certain guys and not be hamstrung.

07:29What year is that going to be?

07:30Holy smokes, that's going to be 2041?

07:32Yeah, 39-ish, something around there.

07:35Yeah, so hopefully this works out for everyone.

07:38I know when I left the Red Sox, it did work out for everyone.

07:42I enjoyed my time in New York, and I appreciate the fans for allowing me to put the pinstripes

07:47on.

07:48And luckily, we were able to win after signing CeCe, AJ Burnett, because I worked my ass

07:54off to recruit those guys to sign with the Yankees, because I knew we would win, and

07:58then you have Andy Pettitte coming back.

08:01So that was a really great year for us, and I just wanted us to try to continue as long

08:08as we can.

08:09But as I mentioned, it's been 15 years, curse of Johnny Damon is alive and well.

08:16So maybe the answer is eye for eye then, what you're saying.

08:18If they take Pete Alonso and the Mets get Juan Soto, you think that could really make

08:23a difference?

08:24Yeah, but I also think you add the other pieces, because the Yankees did have a lot of situations

08:31where if someone went down, they didn't have anyone to replace.

08:35I'm not sure what Rizzo's contract is, I don't know who's going to be playing third base.

08:41There's a lot of moving parts that go on.

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