Commentary: Royals Should STILL Trade Damon

Johnny Damon is making it very tough for me to stand my ground. I’ve said all along that the Royals should trade Damon, spend the money on pitching, and take their chances in the outfield with Mark Quinn or Dee Brown. Of course, that was a lot easier to say when Damon was hitting .267 at the all-star break. Since then, Damon has been incredible. With three hits yesterday, he is now hitting .492 since the all-star break. He is hitting nearly .500 over the last MONTH, which is a very long time to stay so hot. His average for the season is up to .329. BUT…. I’m sticking to my guns. The Royals should still unload Damon. At the all-star break the team was 39-46, a .459 winning percentage. With Damon on this tear, the Royals are 13-16. Their winning percentage is actually LOWER, at .448. The guy hits .500 and the team still can’t win! The Royals can find a good left fielder for less money. What they need to compete is pitching, pitching, pitching. That’s where they should invest the $7-million their thinking about giving Damon.