I’m no armchair general office guy, but it seems to me that Johnny Damon has been the key to Red Sox success.  At the top of the lineup, he gets on base, and that helps when the #3 and #4 slots come in.  He may be more important that Manny or Ortiz (although, of course, not both of them combined).

But is he really worth the price?  The smarter-than-me people at Over The Monster weigh the options.