December 5, 2004
Inside the Randy Johnson Trade Talks - It's too late
By Ray Mileur
November 29, 2003 headlines across America read Arizona Diamondback superstar starting pitcher Curt Schilling accepts a trade to Boston. In return for Schilling, the Diamondbacks received Casey Fossum, Brandon Lyon, minor league LHP Jorge de La Rosa and a player to be name later, reportedly Michael Goss, in return.
What a difference a year makes. The Curse of the Bambino has been lifted - Curt Schilling leads the Boston Red Sox to their first World Championship in 86 years with 21 wins and a 3.25 ERA.
A year later and now it's Randy Johnson looking to leave Arizona for a chance to pitch for a contender.
While his ex-teammate Curt Schilling was making baseball history, Johnson suffered through a very, very long season with Arizona who finished DEAD last with a 51-111 record. And it's Schilling that's keeping Johnson in Arizona for now.
At this same time last year the Diamondbacks had already made the deal to move Schilling, but talks for a deal for Randy Johnson have stalled out on all fronts and what looked like weeks ago, a deal that would send Johnson to the New York Yankees, has stalled with the Yankees and all their money backing out of all talks with Arizona for five-time Cy Young Award winner.
What kept the Yankees from closing the deal that the owner George Steinbrenner has wanted to make for two seasons now?
Well it was the asking price for the 6'10" flamethrower. Reports from insiders indicate Arizona was asking New York for a package that included Javier Vazquez, Tom Gordon, prospects Eric Duncan and Chien-Ming Wang, another prospect and cash considerations between $12-20 million. In addition to all this the D-Backs also wanted the Yankees to acquire another pitcher -- preferably one of Oakland's "Big Three" of Barry Zito, Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder -- to include in the deal.
Randy Johnson said Thursday he plans on staying put in Arizona and is it any wonder, I mean who can afford to make the Diamondbacks the kind of deal that they are asking for? If not the Yankees, than it's no one.
Imagine if you will the Arizona Diamondbacks demanding the same type of deal from the St. Louis Cardinals that the Yankees have just turned down. It would hypothetically look something like this;
Randy Johnson to St. Louis for, Jeff Suppan, Jason Marquis, Dan Haren, Yadier Molina & John Gall plus $14 million dollars.
I don't know about you, but I'm not making this deal and I can't imagine anyone else making it.
The problem with dealing with Arizona this year, goes back to the Curt Schilling trade of last season. Are you kidding me? Curt Schilling for Casey Fossum, Brandon Lyon, minor league LHP Jorge de La Rosa and a player to be named later, reportedly minor leaguer Michael Goss, in return.
Arizona doesn't want to see another potential Hall of Famer get away for almost nothing. Can you imagine being a Diamondback fan after the Schilling trade was made?
The Diamondbacks get a left hander in Casey Fossum who goes 4-15 in his first season. Brandon Lyon a right handed pitcher who was 4-6 with a 4.12 ERA (actually not bad by today's standards) with the Boston Red Sox in 2003, but had season ending surgery in March and missed the entire 2004 season. And forget about the minor league "prospects", at least for now.
The Schilling trade to Boston, just wasn't a good deal and the fans in Arizona know it and the D-Backs
GM Joe Garagiola Jr.doesn't want to make the same mistake with Johnson that they did for Schilling just last season. They are down to their last staff ace in Johnson, and the price for pitching has gone up in 2005, so don't look for any bargains in Phoenix. Can you have a staff ace if you lose 111 games?
For now with the Yankees are out of the hunt for Johnson, and with no other major contenders with approved credit, able to meet the Diamondbacks asking price, it appears to me that Johnson will remain in Arizona for the 2005 season and if he thought that last season was a long one just wait until this one starts. The D-Backs could be hard pressed to even win 50 games this season.
Johnson, who will be paid $16 million next season, has a full no-trade clause, and it is still believed that he would only approve a deal to the New York Yankees.
It looks like Schilling got out just in time to get his World Series Ring and for his old teammate, Randy Johnson, it's too late.
Editor's note - I'm not sure who the player to be named later in the Schilling to Boston deal, was or is going to be. It would help the Diamondbacks if it was Pedro Martinez, but I doubt it.
