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Yanks Expect Arizona to Hold On to Johnson
By TYLER KEPNER
Published: July 29, 2004
TORONTO, July 28 — The Yankees now believe that Randy Johnson will stay with the Arizona Diamondbacks past the trading deadline, a development that would be a devastating blow to a team with a shaky starting rotation.
Officials from several teams, including the Yankees, said on Wednesday that Johnson seemed most likely to remain in Arizona, despite his desire to be traded to the Yankees. The Diamondbacks have acted as if they want to keep Johnson, failing to tell the Yankees what it would take to acquire him. They have also not made a serious effort to find other interested teams to which Johnson would accept a trade.
No matter what the Diamondbacks could get from the Yankees, it would probably not be enough to justify trading Johnson, their ace lefthander and the face of a franchise suffering a terrible season. The Diamondbacks scout who followed the Yankees’ minor league teams, Bryan Lambe, filed positive reports on some players but did not judge any to be elite prospects.
The deadline for making trades without waivers is Saturday at 4 p.m., and Brian Cashman, the Yankees’ general manager, said Wednesday that the Yankees had no deals they could make at the moment. Cashman seemed prepared to enter August without any additions, focusing on the return of the injured starters Mike Mussina and Kevin Brown and of first baseman Jason Giambi, who has been ill.
“We’re looking to see if we can improve the club in any way, but if not, we’re comfortable going with what we have,” Cashman said. “We can be better by just getting Brown and Mussina and Giambi back to full strength and healthy.”
The Diamondbacks and the Yankees have had different perspectives on the possible trade all along. It has been a must-do for the Yankees, and a maybe for Arizona.
The Yankees are all but assured of a postseason berth, but do not seem built for October. With no other intriguing starters available in trades — and believing that Houston would never trade Roger Clemens — the Yankees have focused on Johnson to strengthen their rotation.
But the Diamondbacks have budgeted Johnson’s $16 million salary into their 2005 payroll, as General Manager Joe Garagiola Jr. has repeatedly emphasized. They believe they can contend next season with a core of Johnson, outfielder Luis Gonzalez and first baseman Richie Sexson, and $35 million to spend.
Johnson does not share that view. Sexson will be a free agent, and while the Diamondbacks have begun negotiations with him, he is not guaranteed to re-sign. And Gonzalez will have reconstructive elbow surgery next month.
“Do I want to leave? No,” Johnson told Sports Illustrated. “I’ve enjoyed it here. But the reason I’ve enjoyed it is we’ve been winning. This team was put together to win in a four- or five-year window, and that window is closed. This team is going through a major transformation. If I’m guilty of anything, it’s wanting to win. The only thing I want is to win.”
In that article, Johnson speaks as if he is has no faith in the Diamondbacks’ plan to win next season. “I can’t turn things around by myself,” Johnson said. “There’s no better example of that than this year. We’re not drawing any more fans or winning because I’m here. There’s no doubt that my leaving here can help the franchise rebuild, because they can get great young players and free up money to sign others.”
Johnson also said he has had no communication with Arizona’s owner, Jerry Colangelo, about the direction of the franchise. Colangelo was out of town on Wednesday.
But Colangelo had not met with Johnson by Wednesday afternoon, and he might have gone to his home in California to relax. Colangelo returned from a vacation in Italy on Monday and spent two days mourning the death of his close friend, the former Phoenix Suns coach Cotton Fitzsimmons.
Colangelo has made few public comments about Johnson, and what he has said would indicate that the Diamondbacks expect Johnson to fulfill his contract, which runs through next season. Colangelo’s partners are also believed to want Johnson to stay.
If the Diamondbacks kept Johnson, they would run the risk of angering a 40-year-old pitcher already famous for his ornery nature. But Johnson is also increasingly aware of his legacy as a future Hall of Famer, and it is unlikely that he would let his feelings affect his performance.
Johnson has pitched brilliantly lately, unlike in 1998, when he pitched poorly and seemed distracted before the Seattle Mariners traded him to the Houston Astros. In other words, he has not pitched his way out of town.
Johnson’s agent, Barry Meister, has said for weeks that the Diamondbacks had not approached him about a potential trade. Reached by telephone on Wednesday, Meister would not say that. “I’m not going to speculate,” he said. “I don’t want to violate any confidences.”
But Meister also denied a report that said Johnson had exercised his no-trade clause to block a possible deal to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Diamondbacks reportedly had sought two major leaguers, catcher Paul Lo Duca and reliever Guillermo Mota, from the Dodgers.
By TYLER KEPNER
Published: July 29, 2004
TORONTO, July 28 — The Yankees now believe that Randy Johnson will stay with the Arizona Diamondbacks past the trading deadline, a development that would be a devastating blow to a team with a shaky starting rotation.
Officials from several teams, including the Yankees, said on Wednesday that Johnson seemed most likely to remain in Arizona, despite his desire to be traded to the Yankees. The Diamondbacks have acted as if they want to keep Johnson, failing to tell the Yankees what it would take to acquire him. They have also not made a serious effort to find other interested teams to which Johnson would accept a trade.
No matter what the Diamondbacks could get from the Yankees, it would probably not be enough to justify trading Johnson, their ace lefthander and the face of a franchise suffering a terrible season. The Diamondbacks scout who followed the Yankees’ minor league teams, Bryan Lambe, filed positive reports on some players but did not judge any to be elite prospects.
The deadline for making trades without waivers is Saturday at 4 p.m., and Brian Cashman, the Yankees’ general manager, said Wednesday that the Yankees had no deals they could make at the moment. Cashman seemed prepared to enter August without any additions, focusing on the return of the injured starters Mike Mussina and Kevin Brown and of first baseman Jason Giambi, who has been ill.
“We’re looking to see if we can improve the club in any way, but if not, we’re comfortable going with what we have,” Cashman said. “We can be better by just getting Brown and Mussina and Giambi back to full strength and healthy.”
The Diamondbacks and the Yankees have had different perspectives on the possible trade all along. It has been a must-do for the Yankees, and a maybe for Arizona.
The Yankees are all but assured of a postseason berth, but do not seem built for October. With no other intriguing starters available in trades — and believing that Houston would never trade Roger Clemens — the Yankees have focused on Johnson to strengthen their rotation.
But the Diamondbacks have budgeted Johnson’s $16 million salary into their 2005 payroll, as General Manager Joe Garagiola Jr. has repeatedly emphasized. They believe they can contend next season with a core of Johnson, outfielder Luis Gonzalez and first baseman Richie Sexson, and $35 million to spend.
Johnson does not share that view. Sexson will be a free agent, and while the Diamondbacks have begun negotiations with him, he is not guaranteed to re-sign. And Gonzalez will have reconstructive elbow surgery next month.
“Do I want to leave? No,” Johnson told Sports Illustrated. “I’ve enjoyed it here. But the reason I’ve enjoyed it is we’ve been winning. This team was put together to win in a four- or five-year window, and that window is closed. This team is going through a major transformation. If I’m guilty of anything, it’s wanting to win. The only thing I want is to win.”
In that article, Johnson speaks as if he is has no faith in the Diamondbacks’ plan to win next season. “I can’t turn things around by myself,” Johnson said. “There’s no better example of that than this year. We’re not drawing any more fans or winning because I’m here. There’s no doubt that my leaving here can help the franchise rebuild, because they can get great young players and free up money to sign others.”
Johnson also said he has had no communication with Arizona’s owner, Jerry Colangelo, about the direction of the franchise. Colangelo was out of town on Wednesday.
But Colangelo had not met with Johnson by Wednesday afternoon, and he might have gone to his home in California to relax. Colangelo returned from a vacation in Italy on Monday and spent two days mourning the death of his close friend, the former Phoenix Suns coach Cotton Fitzsimmons.
Colangelo has made few public comments about Johnson, and what he has said would indicate that the Diamondbacks expect Johnson to fulfill his contract, which runs through next season. Colangelo’s partners are also believed to want Johnson to stay.
If the Diamondbacks kept Johnson, they would run the risk of angering a 40-year-old pitcher already famous for his ornery nature. But Johnson is also increasingly aware of his legacy as a future Hall of Famer, and it is unlikely that he would let his feelings affect his performance.
Johnson has pitched brilliantly lately, unlike in 1998, when he pitched poorly and seemed distracted before the Seattle Mariners traded him to the Houston Astros. In other words, he has not pitched his way out of town.
Johnson’s agent, Barry Meister, has said for weeks that the Diamondbacks had not approached him about a potential trade. Reached by telephone on Wednesday, Meister would not say that. “I’m not going to speculate,” he said. “I don’t want to violate any confidences.”
But Meister also denied a report that said Johnson had exercised his no-trade clause to block a possible deal to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Diamondbacks reportedly had sought two major leaguers, catcher Paul Lo Duca and reliever Guillermo Mota, from the Dodgers.
