MLB Trade Rumors: Johnny Damon To The Braves??

Last night Dave O'Brien from the Atlanta Journal Constitution passed along a text message he received from Johnny Damon on the possibility of signing with the Braves. Here is the text message:

Johnny Damon's text reply to AJC about possibility of an offer from Braves: "I hope. They are definitely a team that is on top of the list." about 2 hours ago from TweetDeck

I wrote about the possibility of Damon signing with the Braves back in mid-December here, and this is what I wrote:

Or how about the Braves? The Braves need a leadoff hitter, and a left fielder. Damon can do both. But he will cost them some money. I don't see Damon getting more than a two year deal from anyone this year. But he could fit in the Braves lineup nicely. Damon went 24-82-12-.282-.365-.489-.854 in 2009, but I don't see him hitting 20+ HRs anywhere but Yankee Stadium.

The Braves need a leadoff hitter and Damon would be a perfect match for a team that could contend with a solid leadoff hitter getting on base in front of Chipper Jones, Nate McLouth, Brian McCann and eventually Jason Heyward.  I think if the Braves sign Damon, we won't see Heyward till June at the earliest.

But MLB.com's Braves beat writer Mark Bowman has this response to a fan's question about Damon:

Have you heard any talk about the Braves' interest in Johnny Damon? He would be nice at the top of the order.
-- Joey E., Louisville, Ky.

Given the limited amount of interest the Braves might have once had, I'm surprised that there is still some talk linking him to Atlanta. Because the club doesn't have a legitimate option to handle the leadoff spot in its lineup, there is at least reason for the Braves to wonder whether the 36-year-old Damon would be able to fill this role as capably as he did in the past.

The last sentence in bold is not something I have heard or read about regarding Damon, but I am curious if he is questioning Damon's ability to play left field everyday or his ability to hit like he did with the Yankees last season. I think they could platoon Damon and Diaz in left field, and have Melky Cabrera or Jordan Shafer come in as a defensive replacement late in games.