The Tigers finally signed Johnny Damon to a one-year deal, further demonstrating cost-saving deals and decisions made this offseason probably weren’t as much about money as initially speculated. I like the signing since it was a one-year deal, but am a little taken back by the fact that Boras talked the Tigers into an $8 million contract. Did the Tigers have to pay a premium to bring him to Detroit rather than Atlanta or Chicago? Dombrowski must have looked at his team and Chicago’s with and without Damon and decided it was worth the extra money.

Money concerns aside, what does this deal do for the Tigers? I already spoke quite a bit about the roster implications for the rest of the team, but on a day-to-day basis what will the Tigers’ lineup look like? Here’s one idea:

CF Jackson (R)
LF Damon (L)
RF Ordonez (R)
1B Cabrera (R)
DH Guillen (S)
3B Inge (R)
C Laird (R)
2B Sizemore (R)
SS Everett (R)

Bench: 
C Avila/Diaz (L)
IF Santiago (S)
OF Raburn (R)
Extra outfielder/infielder (Dlugach/Kelly/Thomas/etc.)

We should know by now, though, that the Tigers under Leyland are not a team that has anything like a set lineup. They had 126 batting orders last year and their most common one was used only seven times. I would expect more of the same this year with injuries, days off and a desire to get bench players their at bats.

This answers the question of the lineup, but what do I think it will do for the Tigers? Damon will provide a regular baserunner for the heart of the lineup, as his .365 on-base percentage would have been third on the Tigers last year, with just Cabrera and Ordonez beating him. Those two weren't going to be in the first two spots of the lineup so adding Damon gives them extra chances to drive in runners. Even if Damon's OBP dips this year, I expect it will be better than anybody else they could have put at the top of the order before his signing.

It also provides the Tigers with a good left-handed bat who should be able to stay high in the lineup even when left-handed starters are going. We also shouldn’t forget he has a fair amount of power in that left-handed bat. Much is being made of the fact that 17 of his 24 home runs came in Yankee Stadium last year, but his road isolated power was still .165. That’s right at the league average and when you talk about the other half of his at bats, I think people are making a bit too much of the difference between Comerica and Yankee Stadium for left-handed hitters. There's a difference, sure, but we're not talking about going from a softball field to the Astrodome.

I think perhaps the most important impact is that it provides the Tigers with depth in terms of the quality of their lineup. Ryan Raburn is a fine player, but I think he’s more of an asset to the team as a good bat off the bench as opposed to a average to below average bat as a starting left fielder. In other words, adding Damon likely gives you an above average left fielder in terms of production and an above average bat off the bench. Prior to Damon, the Tigers likely would have had average production out of left and below average production from that first outfielder off the bench.

Now you may look at Raburn’s stats from last year and say he could be more than and average left fielder. You have to remember, though, that he had more than half his at bats come against lefties last year. If he were starting most games, that would come out to a more normal split where only a quarter of his at bats are coming against lefties. That would have a big effect on his production. It’s probably better for everyone if he stays in a role where his situation puts him at an advantage.

What about the effect of the signing on the Tigers’ defense? Honestly, I don’t know what adding Damon does there. If the Tigers were going to put Raburn in left most days, it’s probably close to a push defensively. Raburn has the better arm (by a lot) but Damon probably has comparable range and better instincts as an outfielder. If this move significantly reduces Carlos Guillen’s time in left field, I have to believe the impact on defense will be very much a positive. By any objective or subjective measures I've seen, Guillen's defense in left is awful.

There are also likely to be some intangible impacts from adding Damon. It seems possible to me his disciplined approach at the plate could rub off on some of the younger players. Maybe Austin Jackson sees him working counts and going six and seven pitches into an at bat and sees the benefit to the team. There could also be some impact at the gates with adding Damon. Even the most casual baseball fan knows who Johnny Damon is and having those recognizable players could keep some extra interest out of the fan’s whose interest wanders away from baseball. Granted, I think that impact is likely minimal but any effect that’s there is probably positive.

To wrap all this up in a very simple package, the impact of adding Damon is full of positives for the 2010 Tigers. Much will be made of giving him $8 million but on the free agent market that’s right around what an average left fielder can expect to make. The Tigers just got a left fielder who will probably be above average.

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