Yankees Deals Good for Orioles

That may seem like a weird concept, but I am glad that the Yankees have made the moves they have this offseason for how they help the Orioles:

• Johnny Damon is not worth 4 years, $52 million. That is money that the Yankees will not spend on other players;
• The team has not yet addressed their starting pitching; thankfully, they have lost out on all of the starters they have pursued to date;
• While signing Kyle Farnsworth helps their setup situation some, signing Octavio Dotel is mind-boggling given his recent struggles as a closer;
• Signing Damon hurts the Red Sox; he was a team leader and a feared left-handed hitterat the top of their order, and they have nobody to repalce him; and,
  
• Damon will not be as good a hitter at Yankee Stadium as he was at Fenway Park given the lack of a Green Monster and the wide-open spaces of left and left-center field in New York.
  

All in all, better news for the Orioles; despite not making any major moves (signing Ramon Hernandez and Jeff Conine is important, but not earth shattering) , they are still in a better chance to content in 2006 today than they were yesterday. If management signs some pitching maybe we can make a run towards 85 wins in 2006.