Quick thoughts on the Yankee moves

Just a few quick thoughts on the Yankee off season so far.

*I LOVE the Curtis Granderson deal at every level. One, Granderson is a top player, he really is. He is a good defensive center fielder, better than any they have on the team now, he has power, he has speed, and he has a high baseball IQ. Yes, he strikes out a lot. Yes, he doesn't hit lefties extremely well. But, he does A LOT more to make up for the flaws. Plus, if he is hitting 35 or 40 homers, you can deal with the strikeouts.
Second, you didn't give up anything dramatic to get him. Look, Austin Jackson might end up being a really, really nice player. But, is he ever gonna be significantly better than an All Star like Granderson? Probably not. Ian Kennedy might end up being a good pitcher, but not for the Yankees and not in the AL East. Phil Coke, I always liked. But, as much as I enjoyed Phil, you can always replace a lefty reliever. There isn't a world in the universe in which Phil Coke will hold up a trade for Curtis Granderson.
Finally, this fits right in with what the Yankees have been doing the last year and a half. Instead of paying guys for what they have done in the past, the Yankees are now acquiring guys in their prime. Teixeira, Sabathia, Granderson, even Swisher are all under 30, all ready to come into the best years of their career, essentially meaning that, by the time their contracts are up, the Yankees will have gotten their best years. That's pretty darn good.
Where would I hit him? Honestly, I have no idea. It looks like the Yankees will have themselves a new #2 hitter (we'll talk about that in a second), so Granderson's ultimate destination will not be up in the lineup. It appears that 1-4 is set. So, is Granderson a 5, 6, or 7? Ideally, Cano would be at the point to step into that #5 hole. He hits for power, average, and he has a little speed. I doubt he will be able to handle the upgrade to a run-producing situation, but let's dream for a minute. Then, I would go Posada, then Granderson, then Swisher, then Melky.
Either way, though, he will add another dimension to this team, and you gotta love it.

*Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui are evidently out, Nick Johnson is in. Umm........what?
don't get this at all. Look, the Yankee excuse for essentially severing all ties with Matsui and treating him like a man trying to bring a small pox virus into Yankee Stadium was that the team wanted to get younger, more athletic, and more flexible at the DH spot. In other words, they wanted a guy who could do a little more than DH. That's why it was assumed the Yankees preferred Damon. No, he wasn't even a decent fielder anymore, but you could run him out there when needed, DH when needed, and give a day off when needed. He wasn't going to "clog up" any one position.
I even get the Yankees moving on from Damon at this point. If he is really looking for 4 years, $13 mill a year, then you say "night night" to positively Damonic and look somewhere else. You just KNOW that Damon is gonna be a regular on the DL in the next two or three years, so don't blame the Yankees for being smart and saying no. Rather let go now than hang on too long.
But, what I don't get is how in the world the Yankees can justify letting Matsui go and bringing in Johnson. Yes, Johnson is younger, but that is in years only. Johnson's body is might be more broken down than Yogi Berra's at this point. Is there an injury he doesn't have? If you looked at Johnson's injury report and didn't know what sport he played, chances are you would choose hockey, with no pads. But, what about athletic? Well, let's be honest, the Yankees are on the verge of signing the only guy who is probably less athletic than Matsui. In fact, I doubt there was ever a time in Nick Johnson's life where his name and "athletic" ever shared in the same sentence.
So it must be the versatility of the player and the flexibility it provides. Nope, wrong again. Johnson's only position on the field is first base. Guess what, Mark Teixeira plays first and he is pretty good. Not only is he pretty good, he never gets hurt. So, Johnson becomes the same "clogger" for the DH spot that Matsui was feared to be.
Again, someone has to explain the upgrade. Matsui was one of the clutch players on the team. Johnson's only flirtation in big games ended not so good. Matsui hit 28 homers last year. Johnson hit 8 and has only hit 20 or more homers once in his career.
Again, I ask, what is the benefit to going with Nick Johnson over Hideki Matsui?