It's Time We Commend Kenny Williams for his Work

Now when you read that title and you pair that with the news that Sox have pulled its offer to Johnny Damon, you're probably telling yourself that I am a crazy person or something to that effect. The truth is that Kenny Williams is playing this one very well. It is well known that Williams and super-agent Scott Boras don't get along and very rarely negotiate together (Assistant GM Rick Hahn is usually the one in charge of negotiating contracts with Boras clients). Williams isn't a person who likes to be wrapped up in the games that Boras plays to get the most money possible for his clients and there has been speculation that these same types of games have been going on with Johnny Damon.

Some people are suggesting that the Detroit Tigers never really offered a contract that spanned two years and about $14 million and now we get to see if that deal did actually exist or if Boras was just using writers and insiders to boost the price of his client.

When you read into the comments that Williams made about the offer being pulled you could tell there is still a high level of interest in Damon on the side of the Sox but this is a way to tell Damon to not let his agent get in the way of making this decision. I understand money is a big factor when deciding where to go, especially after you've already won two world championships, but it's also about comfort level and Mrs. Damon has reportedly said she prefers Chicago to Detroit (and in reality, who wouldn't?).

What this move also does is it can speed up this process immensely. I know as a Sox fan I've been scouring message boards and Twitter to try to get the latest news on where Damon has decided to play and it's been painful as a fan. I can't imagine what Williams feels like to be jerked around in this charade, so this move can work one of three ways. Either the Tigers' 2 year offer is real and Damon takes it in the next hours or day, Damon stops talking to the Sox altogether and works out a deal with the Tigers, or Damon tells Boras to get out of the way and takes the offer the Sox originally had available to him.

I think lately the owners and GMs in Major League Baseball have caught on to the way Boras works and are making a point to not outbid themselves for the services of his clients. This can be seen in the players that are firing Boras as their representation. Boras for whatever reason was extremely successful at getting his clients the maximum money available in previous years but those numbers have come down in recent years. You can say that is because of the economy and whatnot but I think the front offices are getting a grasp on how Boras works and are trying to put a stop to it.

Wherever Damon picks, we'll know that Kenny Williams and the Chicago White Sox won't be duped into outbidding themselves for a player no one else was bidding for.