Randy Johnson trade idea to the Angels

[coyoteshockeyfan]

I really don't see Stoneman doing this deal even with the Angels current 3 game losing streak. Mathis, Santana, and Jenks are three of the Top 50 prospects in all of baseball and Lackey has been their most consistent starter this year. Even when the Indians raped the Expos in the Colon trade they didn't get this loaded of a deal and this was when Colon was regarded as one of the best pitchers in baseball. The only way I could see this happening is if the DBacks took on a contract such as Tim Salmon's which I don't see them doing.

While the DBacks and their fans surely would part with Hammock, the Angels have better options in the minors and on their current roster so I don't see why they'd ask for him. If the Angels trade for RJ, they'll be lucky to get two of these top prospects...if Stoneman is still running the show. We saw how Colangelo's infatuation with Richie Sexson forced his GM into making a bad deal with Milwaukee, so perhaps the same could happen in Anaheim if Arte Moreno is obsessed with RJ finishing his career in SoCal.

As much as I want to see RJ retire as a DBack, what he could bring to this franchise could ensure long-term future success in the desert. RJ staying here only ensures short-term mediocrity. Look at the Indians, the team most in MLB have modeled themselves after. A few years ago at the first sign of slowing, they essentially gutted their veteran team in a series of trades and non-signings that now has landed them as one of the few teams poised to be a contender in the next half-decade due to their youth and payroll flexibility. I'm concerned that by letting our team get older that we'll end up like the Mariners of present. An old, overpaid team with a roster chock full of players with absolutely no value in a trade or on the field. We'll see where the team decides to go, but with Colangelo in Italy, it's looking more and more like they are going to let this team try again next year with two of their three best players in their forties. That is a very ballsy move.

I really doubt that RJ is gone, because of the complications of moving him and how most teams that can afford him dont have the players to get him. However, if he is traded, my guess would be the Angels. I hate to see the Dbacks stuggle this badly, but at least this year there are so many teams still in the playoff hunt. Theres a very large demand, and not enough supply, so the price for our precious few that can be traded is going to go up. Im sorry, but Randy Johnson is not Colon. We're talking about the dominant force that won 3 games in a single world series just a few years ago. Honestly, which pitcher would you want throwing a game 7 for you? I bet Johnson is very high on a very short list. Which ever contender gets Johnson (if any at all), almost automatically becomes a favorite to win it all. The fact that so many teams are apparently bidding on him, plus the fact that (unlike Schilling) we dont have to trade RJ at all means that we should get a good deal that will shorted the rebuild time by several years. And if somebody doesnt overpay, we walk away, keeping Johnson, a very nice consolation prize. IF the Angels do in fact want Johnson badly (which I really dont know), thats somewhat the deal Id be looking for (not necessarily Jenks and Lackey, but Mathis and Santana being central to the deal at least).

Edit: oh, and Finley, Alomar, and Mayne better pack their bags.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

The only possible comparison for this RJ trade (if it happens) is the Colon trade in 2001. That's the only other time I can remember when a premier pitcher got traded mid-season prior to the deadline. While we look at the fat mess Bartolo is now, you seem to forget that Colon was a 28 year old innings-eating starter with a sub-3.00 ERA in the AL when he was traded from the Indians. While in retrospect Colon in 2001 wasn't nearly the caliber of pitcher that Randy Johnson is now, there are other reasons why this trade will net around the same type of prospects as the Indians got for Colon. Colon was 28, only made $4.8 million while Johnson is 41 and scheduled to make $16 million next season. Like the DBacks with RJ, the Indians did not have to deal Bartolo, but decided to anyways as Mark Shapiro realized his team wasn't going anywhere with him and needed to rebuild.

But you're right Mathis/Santana should be the centerpiece of the deal. Hammock and Brito are awful and Santana will instantly become the best pitcher in the DBack system by a landslide. AZ's pitching is awful on the farm so at least one promising arm is a must. Replace Lackey and Jenks (who might have elbow surgery soon) with Ramon Ortiz and Jeff DaVanon the trade makes more sense as the Dbacks drastically help their future along with a couple guys who will help right now. That trade's value is actually just slightly better than what Cleveland got in '01 (Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips, and Cliff Lee). What's interesting is that the centerpiece of the Colon trade is the one that's been the bust (Phillips) while the other two add-ons have become the studs.