car3hur
01-04-2007, 01:59 PM
Didn't we just go through this 2 years ago?!
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070103&content_id=1772280&vkey=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy
Yanks, D-backs continue Big Unit talks
Deal for left-hander in holding pattern over money, players
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- The Yankees and Diamondbacks continue to inch toward a potential deal that would send Randy Johnson back to the desert, but talks have entered a holding pattern regarding financial aspects and the players involved.
The Yankees have expressed interest in acquiring young pitching in exchange for Johnson, 43, who is coming off his second 17-win campaign for New York as well as October surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back.
Among Arizona's promising young stable of pitching talent, starters Micah Owings, Russ Ohlendorf and Dustin Nippert -- along with relievers Brandon Medders and Luis Vizcaino -- have caught the Yankees' eye.
Owings, in particular, could be one key to a transaction. The 24-year-old right-hander was 10-0 with a 3.70 ERA in 15 starts with Triple-A Tucson last season and is regarded as one of Arizona's top pitching prospects. He is a power pitcher who could be considered Major League-ready as soon as this year.
While discussions have continued into the new year, the two clubs are reportedly hung up over the financial framework -- namely, how much of Johnson's $16 million salary the Yankees would pick up in a potential swap. The more the Yankees are willing to pay, the bigger their bounty of prospects would be.
The possibility of a potential trade picked up when Johnson expressed a desire to be closer to home in a conversation with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who had called the left-hander to express condolences following the passing of Johnson's brother.
If Johnson is to be traded, Arizona would be a locale of interest, and a club for whom Johnson might waive his no-trade clause and entertain a contract extension that could stretch into 2008.
He and his family reside in nearby Paradise Valley, Ariz., and Johnson won four National League Cy Young Awards while wearing the since-changed colors of the D-backs.
Such an opportunity would allow Johnson, who has 280 career victories, to pursue his 300th while wearing an Arizona uniform, the club he won 103 of those games with.
While Arizona would want to request a 72-hour window from Major League Baseball to speak with Johnson and his agents, Barry Meister and Alan Nero, regarding negotiations, no such scenario has yet been granted since the two clubs have not reached an agreement.
If Johnson's New York tenure were to end this offseason, there naturally would be some disappointment in the turn of events. Johnson was acquired by the Yankees from Arizona in a three-player trade in January 2005 and was thought to be a final piece that would net the Yankees their 27th World Series title.
While Johnson did compile 34 victories over the past two seasons in New York, he was winless in the Yankees' two American League Division Series losses. Furthermore, he appeared socially awkward at times in the team's clubhouse mix. Johnson has been said to be probable, though not certain, to be physically ready for Spring Training.
The Yankees have entered an interesting period that Cashman has declined to call a transition, but rather one where the team is searching for "quality alternatives" that give the club flexibility.
The promotions of Chien-Ming Wang and Robinson Cano in 2005 shifted the organization's thinking somewhat, leading to a further accumulation of young pitching talent that appears primed to bubble to the surface in the near future.
November's Gary Sheffield trade, for example, netted the Yankees three Minor League players. A potential deal involving Johnson would be able to provide a similar impact, joining young pitchers like T.J. Beam, Jeff Karstens and Darrell Rasner, who have already made their presences known in pinstripes.
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070103&content_id=1772280&vkey=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy
Yanks, D-backs continue Big Unit talks
Deal for left-hander in holding pattern over money, players
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- The Yankees and Diamondbacks continue to inch toward a potential deal that would send Randy Johnson back to the desert, but talks have entered a holding pattern regarding financial aspects and the players involved.
The Yankees have expressed interest in acquiring young pitching in exchange for Johnson, 43, who is coming off his second 17-win campaign for New York as well as October surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back.
Among Arizona's promising young stable of pitching talent, starters Micah Owings, Russ Ohlendorf and Dustin Nippert -- along with relievers Brandon Medders and Luis Vizcaino -- have caught the Yankees' eye.
Owings, in particular, could be one key to a transaction. The 24-year-old right-hander was 10-0 with a 3.70 ERA in 15 starts with Triple-A Tucson last season and is regarded as one of Arizona's top pitching prospects. He is a power pitcher who could be considered Major League-ready as soon as this year.
While discussions have continued into the new year, the two clubs are reportedly hung up over the financial framework -- namely, how much of Johnson's $16 million salary the Yankees would pick up in a potential swap. The more the Yankees are willing to pay, the bigger their bounty of prospects would be.
The possibility of a potential trade picked up when Johnson expressed a desire to be closer to home in a conversation with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who had called the left-hander to express condolences following the passing of Johnson's brother.
If Johnson is to be traded, Arizona would be a locale of interest, and a club for whom Johnson might waive his no-trade clause and entertain a contract extension that could stretch into 2008.
He and his family reside in nearby Paradise Valley, Ariz., and Johnson won four National League Cy Young Awards while wearing the since-changed colors of the D-backs.
Such an opportunity would allow Johnson, who has 280 career victories, to pursue his 300th while wearing an Arizona uniform, the club he won 103 of those games with.
While Arizona would want to request a 72-hour window from Major League Baseball to speak with Johnson and his agents, Barry Meister and Alan Nero, regarding negotiations, no such scenario has yet been granted since the two clubs have not reached an agreement.
If Johnson's New York tenure were to end this offseason, there naturally would be some disappointment in the turn of events. Johnson was acquired by the Yankees from Arizona in a three-player trade in January 2005 and was thought to be a final piece that would net the Yankees their 27th World Series title.
While Johnson did compile 34 victories over the past two seasons in New York, he was winless in the Yankees' two American League Division Series losses. Furthermore, he appeared socially awkward at times in the team's clubhouse mix. Johnson has been said to be probable, though not certain, to be physically ready for Spring Training.
The Yankees have entered an interesting period that Cashman has declined to call a transition, but rather one where the team is searching for "quality alternatives" that give the club flexibility.
The promotions of Chien-Ming Wang and Robinson Cano in 2005 shifted the organization's thinking somewhat, leading to a further accumulation of young pitching talent that appears primed to bubble to the surface in the near future.
November's Gary Sheffield trade, for example, netted the Yankees three Minor League players. A potential deal involving Johnson would be able to provide a similar impact, joining young pitchers like T.J. Beam, Jeff Karstens and Darrell Rasner, who have already made their presences known in pinstripes.