Damon out?

Brian Cashman let it be known to the media that he is willing to trade one of his outfielders in order to fill a void at third base, first base or in the bullpen. With the White Sox looking for a center fielder (they have reportadly been talking to free agents Aaron Rowand and Torri Hunter), Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune speculates the possibility of a Johnny Damon- Joe Crede swap. The Sox have a logjam at third base with Crede and Josh Field and could potentially get Damon for a lot cheaper than what it would cost to land one of the big free agents. Damon is owed $26 million over the next two years so the Yanks would likely have to send some money to Chicago along with the speedy outfielder.

I think the move would make a lot of sense for both teams. Getting rid of Damon would give the Yankees extra money to possibly pursue Hunter or Andruw Jones, and the team could spin off Crede to another team or keep him as their third basemen in 2008. With Hunter or Jones in center and Melky in left, the Yankees outfield defense would be one of the best in the league. The lineup would look something like this (assuming Jorge Posada re-signs with the Bombers):

Melky Cabrera LF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Torri Hunter CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Hideki Matsui DH
Joe Crede 3B
Shelly Duncan/Jason Giambi 1B

Chicago Tribune article: http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/whitesox/cs-011103sox,1,2084779.story?coll=cs-home-headlines