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D-Back and Yankees Finalizing Big Unit Deal
Dec. 31, 2004
ESPN.com news services
NEW YORK -- The Diamondbacks and Yankees have agreed on a deal that would send Randy Johnson to New York for Javier Vazquez, prospects and cash, major league sources told ESPN.
Once a deal is finalized, the Diamondbacks also will get left-handed pitcher Brad Halsey, catching prospect Dioner Navarro and $8.5 million to $9 million in exchange for the 41-year-old left-hander, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney reports.
Navarro may be spun off to the Dodgers in a separate deal that would send outfielder Shawn Green to Arizona, Olney reports.
Several things must happen before the trade can be considered complete:
The paperwork must be submitted to commissioner Bud Selig's office.
All players must pass physicals.
Johnson has to formally give approval because he has a no-trade clause.
The Yankees want a 72-hour window to negotiate an extension with Johnson, whose current contract expires after the 2005 season.While not confirming a deal had been agreed to, Diamondbacks managing partner Ken Kendrick confirmed that the teams "are in serious discussions."
Kendrick said, however, that no deal could be completed, or the paperwork even submitted to the commissioner's office, until early next week.
According to the New York Daily News' sources, the discussion has been to add two years to Johnson's deal at $16 million each year.
According to Peter Gammons' sources, Arizona will not immediately deal Vazquez to another team, but will continue to talk to interested teams which include Baltimore, Philadelphia, Detroit and Texas.
Kendrick also indicated Arizona was working on another deal involving Vazquez.
"We would not agree to a final deal or a trade of Randy Johnson unless we believed it would benefit our team," Kendrick said. "That would require in return at least two significant major league ballplayers."
Johnson would join a reshaped rotation that now includes Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright. The Yankees already had Mike Mussina and Kevin Brown, but blew a 3-0 lead in the AL Championship Series and lost to Boston.
The money New York will send Arizona will offset some of the $34.5 million Vazquez is owed: $10.5 million in 2005, $11.5 million in 2006 and $12.5 million in 2007. New York is making the final $1 million payment of his signing bonus, which is due Friday.
Johnson was 16-14, a record skewed by playing for a team that went 51-111, tied for the 10th-most losses in major league history. The Diamondbacks scored two runs or fewer in 17 of his 35 starts. He led the majors with 290 strikeouts, was second with a 2.60 ERA and pitched a perfect game against Atlanta.
Vazquez, a 28-year-old right-hander, was an All-Star in his first season since being traded from Montreal to the Yankees. He was 14-10 with a 4.91 ERA, but won just once in his last nine regular-season starts and had a 9.53 ERA in three postseason games.
Halsey, a 23-year-old left-hander, was 1-3 with a 6.47 ERA in seven starts and one relief appearance for the Yankees last season.
Navarro, 20, made his big league debut this year after rapid progress in the Yankees' minor league system. He batted .254 with one homer and 15 RBI in 134 at-bats for Columbus of the Triple-A International League after hitting .271 with three homers and 29 RBI in 255 at-bats for Double-A Trenton of the Eastern League.
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