<div><p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - Slugger Hideki Matsui will be missed by the World Series champion Yankees after joining the Los Angeles Angels, the New York club's owner and its highest-paid player said on Thursday.</p><p>Knee injuries prevented Japanese Matsui from playing in the outfield and the Yankees decided to replace him with a younger player, introducing 28-year-old center-fielder Curtis Granderson at a Yankee Stadium news conference.</p><p>Yet the impact made by Matsui, who won World Series MVP honors last season after driving in six runs in the championship-clinching victory over Philadelphia, was clear.</p><p>"As much as I try not to get emotional in business, he was a great Yankee and just a great man," Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner told reporters about the 35-year-old Matsui.</p><p>"But change I think is inevitable and from time to time it's a pretty healthy thing. We're going to miss him no doubt, but I really like the direction we're heading in and I really like the move (adding Granderson)."</p><p>Clean-up hitter Alex Rodriguez said Matsui was a big part of the lineup which ended the Yankees' nine-year title drought.</p><p>Rodriguez said the top order might function differently without Matsui and Johnny Damon, who is a free agent yet to sign with a club.</p><p>"One through four in our lineup, I don't think there was a better lineup in baseball, what we did together," he said.</p><p>"And obviously Matsui protecting me," A-Rod said about the slugger, who usually hit fifth in the order. "I just felt we could do a lot of different things to good pitching.</p><p>"Matsui is a professional hitter. When I walked and got on base he made guys pay. Obviously, Game Six (of the World Series) was a perfect example of that."</p><p>Granderson will add athleticism, Rodriguez said.</p><p>"But how that affects your offense is to be determined over the next eight months," he added.</p><p>"In a perfect world we would love to have every guy back. Unfortunately, there is the business side of things."</p><p>(Editing by Ed Osmond</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=65615040&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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