Johnson Sent Back to Arizona

The Yankees have reached an agreement to trade Randy Johnson back to the Arizona Diamondbacks about two years after New York traded Javier Vazquez, Brad Halsey, and Dioner Navarro to acquire the future Hall of Fame lefty. Arizona would take on all but $2 million of Johnson’s $16 million salary in 2007. The Yanks would receive Luis Vizcaino, Ross Ohlendorf, Steven Jackson, and Alberto Gonzalez in return. The deal depends on the Diamondbacks working out a contract extension with Johnson to get the 5-time Cy Young winner to waive his no-trade clause.

This deal is another good one for Brian Cashman and the Yanks. Johnson is sure to be a first ballot Hall of Famer one day. However, the productive phase of his career appears to be nearing an end. Randy is 43 years old. At that age, the chronic back and knee issues that have led to his decline in New York are only going to get worse. It is impossible to tell what one could expect from him in 2007. He posted a 5.00 ERA in 2006, and he will be a year older and coming off major back surgery. Odds are that Randy won’t be improving much if at all. His physical issues make him a liability for this season. His ailments have taken their toll on his pitching success. They probably will only make his decline quicker and more painful. With a $16 million salary and a cabinet full of Cy Young’s, it would be difficult to lift the man from the rotation should be prove to be a liability. That is assuming that he even stays healthy, which is really going out on a limb. The Yankees’ rebuilt farm system has to have somebody who could match his production for much cheaper. The Yankees could always replace any of these young pitchers if they don’t work out. The bottom line is that the Yanks could not afford to depend on Johnson in 2007. They were likely looking at Kevin Brown, Part II.

Getting Arizona to take on $14 million of this contract was brilliant enough even before one considers how much New York got in return. The guy who will make the most immediate impact is Vizcaino. He is another quality arm for a rebuilt bullpen. Luis has appeared in at least 65 games and pitched at least 62 innings in every season since 2002, proving his durability. During this time, his ERA has exceeded 3.75 only once. He was part of the White Sox’s 2005 Championship bullpen. This was an excellent pickup for what should be one of baseball’s elite relief corps in 2007.

The Yanks also picked up a trio of prospects in this trade. Ross Ohlendorf is a sinkerball prospect. Scouts love his mentality. Many believe that he has the kind of stuff that will eventually make him a successful Major Leaguer. Steven Jackson is a 24 year old right hander who posted a 2.65 ERA in AA last season after reworking his delivery. He’s another potential big leaguer. Alberto Gonzalez is a AA shortstop. His bat is a bit of a question mark, but he is a terrific defender at the position. At worst, he could become a utility guy, which is probably where he would end up with the Yankees since Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, and Alex Rodriguez have the infield positions locked down for a while, although A-Rod is more tenuous. He could eventually become an Orlando Cabrera or Alex Gonzalez style player. Those guys don’t hit much, but their terrific defense at such an important position has value. Pitchers are more difficult to project. The fact that the Yanks got a pair who have at least the talent to make it one day is a good thing. They add to the depth of the minor league pitching system. There is so much talent that by the law of averages, the Yanks should be able to develop a number of quality pitchers in the years to come. This depth also helps the Yankees make trades to fill current holes. Teams like what New York has to offer, and with an abundance of pitching, it doesn’t hurt to part with some of that. These guys don’t rank high among Arizona’s prospects, but the Diamondbacks have such a deep farm system, meaning that’s not much a red flag. Some believe that these guys will be better than the highly rated prospects. The bottom line is that getting these players is a good bet for the Yanks to make.

This deal also makes sense to a degree for the Diamondbacks. Getting Johnson back will excite their fanbase. He will undoubtedly be better in the National League. The problem for them is that $14 million is a lot to pay for a pitcher who is breaking down, not to mention the extension he will get. They had prospects to spare so giving them up doesn’t really hurt them. However, they will have to hold their breath that Johnson’s body won’t betray him because he could become an albatross.

This ends a tumultuous era for the Yankees. The team has taken some heat for dealing for him in the first place, but that is all hindsight. The Yanks had to make that deal. They had come off a disastrous ALCS in 2004 where their pitching had let them down. New York needed an ace, a guy they could hand the ball to with confidence every fifth day. Coming off a Cy Young caliber season, Johnson looked like that guy. Yes, he was 41 at the time and he had the same physical concerns, but they hadn’t kept him from dominating. If a workout nut like Randy could dominate at 41, he seemed like a good bet to do the same at 42. Johnson didn’t like the glare of New York, but the real reason he struggled is that his body started giving out on him. The adjustment period every star has didn’t cause his fastball to lose velocity or his slider to lose bite. Johnson pitched some masterpieces for the Yanks, but these came inconsistently. His dominant finish to 2005 helped the Yanks into the postseason, but the egg he laid in Game 3 led to the team’s early October exit. Overall his tenure with the Yanks was uneven. He offered glimpses of the pitcher he once was, but the team got him a year too late. He was not what the team had hoped for. Was he a total bust? The answer is no. He did pitch the way he was supposed to at time, no matter how inconsistent he was. He did carry the team to the division title in 2005. The team has gotten less bang for its buck from plenty of players. Was the trade worth it? Maybe it wasn’t in hindsight, but based on what we knew in the winter of 2004, the Yanks had to take that chance.

In the end, this separation is best for all parties. Randy gets out of the glare of New York and gets to finish his career near his home and pick up his 300th win for the team that he loves. The Diamondbacks get their PR boost. The Yanks get something of value and more financial freedom. They can use that money to go after Roger Clemens harder. There is the question of the backend of the rotation. Kei Igawa and Carl Pavano hardly inspire confidence. However, Randy is not a much better bet. New York has stockpiled young arms as insurance. If nobody sticks, the team now has even more ammo to make a deal to get an established guy. Getting anything valuable for a guy like Randy Johnson is a good deal.