RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Sports and Wrestling Big Unit in pinstripes? Could be. Could be...

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ESPN.com news services

Randy Johnson wants out of Arizona and wants in with the Yankees. The five-time Cy Young Award winner would have to waive his no-trade clause, but he'd apparently do that in a heartbeat.

A proposed three-team mega-trade that reportedly was on the road to getting done Thursday night hit the skids.

A baseball source told ESPN that several obstacles stand in the way of a trade involving the Yankees, Diamondbacks and Dodgers, and that the deal rapidly exceeding the complexity of last year's failed Alex Rodriguez-to-Boston trade might never happen at all.

Earlier reports indicated that the teams were closing in on a trade that would send Johnson to the Yankees, Javier Vazquez and prospects Eric Duncan and Dioner Navarro to Los Angeles, and Shawn Green and pitchers Brad Penny and Yhency Brazoban to Arizona.

The trade was proposed before Adrian Beltre agreed to a $64 million, five-year deal with the Mariners on Thursday. By failing to re-sign Beltre, the Dodgers may rethink their role in the trade, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reported.

Other issues that threatened to derail the trade include the waiving of Green's no-trade clause. A source close to Green told ESPN.com that the Dodgers outfielder is happy living in Southern California, where he grew up, and has expressed no desire to leave Los Angeles. How much money the Diamondbacks would receive from the Yankees is also a point of contention. Sources told Stark that moving Duncan and Navarro would preclude the Yankees from sending money to Arizona.

Another obstacle that reportedly would derail the trade is Vazquez's salary; he is due $34.5 million over the next three seasons and Los Angeles apparently wants help from the Yankees footing the bill.

There was no confirmation from any of the teams that a deal has been proposed. Johnson's agent, Barry Meister, declined comment when reached by ESPN.com.

"We're still in conversations with a lot of different clubs about a lot of different possibilities," Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta said earlier Thursday. "We have talked about some three-way deals and some four-way deals.

"I don't know if it's going to happen or not," he said.

Both Johnson and Green have no-trade clauses. The Big Unit has desired a trade to the Yankees for months. Green's former agent is Jeff Moorad, who is the Diamondbacks' incoming CEO, so it's expected that Green, who is due $16 million in 2005, would approve the trade.

The Yankees also would be expected to sign Johnson to a contract extension if they acquire him. Johnson will make $16 million next season, the final year of his contract.

Johnson was a Montreal Expos second-round draft pick in 1985. He signed with Arizona on Dec. 10, 1998, and won the Cy Young Award in each of his first four seasons in the desert. He finished second to Houston's Roger Clemens in this year's voting. Johnson also won a Cy Young Award in Seattle, where he played from 1989-98.

Johnson finished with a 16-14 record in 2004, but he led the majors in strikeouts with 290 and was second in the majors with a 2.60 ERA despite coming off knee surgery. In a season in which Arizona lost a franchise-worst 111 games, Johnson pitched a perfect game, passed 4,000 career strikeouts and passed Steve Carlton to become the most prolific left-handed strikeout pitcher in history. He ranks No. 3 on the strikeout list behind Nolan Ryan and Clemens.

Green, 31, has a .282 career average but dipped to .266 last season with 28 home runs and 86 RBI.

Penny, 26, was traded from Florida to the Dodgers on July 30 but saw limited action for Los Angeles because of a problem in his right arm. He was 9-10 with a 3.15 ERA for both clubs.

Penny was selected in the fifth round of Arizona's initial free-agent draft in 1996 but never pitched for the Diamondbacks in the majors. He, right-hander Vladimir Nunez and outfielder Abraham Nunez (as a player to be named) were traded to Florida for closer Matt Mantei in July 1999.

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britneyspearsatemyshorts said:
predicting cincy this year you gotta think with the recent acquisitions of David Weathers and Ben Weber nobody in the NL stands a chance!

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NEW YORK (Sports Network) - According to a published report, the New York Yankees have finally landed ace lefthander Randy Johnson

New York Newsday reported Thursday night on its Web Site that the Yankees have agreed in principle to send pitcher Javier Vazquez to Arizona and a pair of minor league prospects to Los Angeles in exchange for Johnson. The Dodgers would then send outfielder/first baseman Shawn Green, and pitchers Brad Penny and Yhency Brazoban to the Diamondbacks to complete the deal.

According to the paper, a few details need to be worked out, but those obstacles are not big enough to "kill the deal."

Newsday, which is citing an unidentified Arizona source, also said that Johnson will receive a contract extension from the Yankees once the deal is done.

The minor leaguers the Yankees are reportedly sending to the Dodgers are catcher Dioner Navarro and third baseman Eric Duncan.

Johnson was at the top of the Yankees wish list coming into this offseason after the team lost to the Boston Red Sox (news) in seven games of the American League Championship Series. New York became the first team in MLB history to blow a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven set.

Johnson, a five-time Cy Young Award winner, went 16-14 with a 2.60 ERA in 35 starts this past season for Arizona, which finished a major-league worst 51-111. He tossed a perfect game against the Braves and finished second in Cy Young voting despite the near-.500 record.

For his career, Johnson is 246-128 with a 3.07 ERA in 479 starts over 16 seasons. He has won 20 games or more in a season three times and was named co- MVP of the 2001 World Series when the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees in seven games. He also has 4,161 strikeouts for his career, ranking him first among lefthanders all-time.

Vazquez had a sub-par season in the Bronx this past year, posting just a 14-10 record with a 4.91 ERA in 32 starts. He came on in relief in Game 7 of the ALCS versus Boston and his first offering was crushed by Johnny Damon into the seats for a grand slam. New York had hoped he would blossom into the team's ace of the future, but that clearly didn't happen and the team decided he was expendable.

Green, who could be considered the second biggest name in this deal, hit .266 with 28 homers and 86 RBI last year. He has 281 homers and 885 RBI in 11 big league seasons.

Penny was acquired from Florida at the trade deadline last season by the Dodgers. It was believed at the time that Los Angeles made the deal only to send him directly to Arizona for Johnson. That, however, didn't happen.

Penny went 9-10 with a 3.15 ERA in 24 starts with the Marlins and Dodgers last season. He suffered a season-ending arm injury at the tail end of the campaign and went only 1-2 with a 3.09 ERA in three starts with the Dodgers.

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Rob Kamphausen said:

and, though i know you're too silly to note, and jim is too cranky to care, the yankees are spending money that many other teams could also be spending, including jim's reds.

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MisterJLA said:
Nicely played.

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Rob Kamphausen said:
mister jla, have you selected a favorite team yet? keep us updated!

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britneyspearsatemyshorts said:

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Rob Kamphausen said:

and, though i know you're too silly to note, and jim is too cranky to care, the yankees are spending money that many other teams could also be spending, including jim's reds.

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HELLO! David Weathers and Ben Weber!!!!! does no one read my posts?!?!?!?!?!?

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NEW YORK (AP) -- The megadeal involving Randy Johnson, Shawn Green and Javier Vazquez grew to 10 players Saturday, with the New York Yankees, Arizona and Los Angeles hoping to present the proposed trade to the commissioner's office soon for approval.

Pitchers Kaz Ishii, Mike Koplove and Brandon Weeden are now part of the swap, a baseball official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The teams were aiming to put the whole deal down on paper this weekend and give it to the commissioner's office perhaps by Monday. The deal needs permission because it involves more than $1 million -- as it stands, the Yankees would pay $2 million of Ishii's contract.

Plus, there might be a spinoff to the deal. There's speculation the Dodgers might get Vazquez from the Yankees and then trade the pitcher to the Chicago White Sox.

Johnson remains the centerpiece of the trade, with the Yankees trying to get the five-time Cy Young winner from Arizona. New York also would acquire Ishii, a left-hander who went 13-8 with a 4.71 ERA for Los Angeles last season.

Johnson has a no-trade clause, but wants to play for the Yankees. Green also has a no-trade provision, and the Dodgers outfielder has not yet waived it to play for Arizona.

The Diamondbacks might be able to get Green to come to the desert, though -- his former agent, Jeff Moorad, is Arizona's new chief executive officer.

If the deal goes to the commissioner's office, the Yankees plan to ask for a 72-hour window to negotiate a contract extension with Johnson. The 41-year-old lefty is owed $16 million in the last year of his contract.

Green might use that same time frame to see if he can work an extension with the Diamondbacks. He is set to make $16 million in 2005, after slumping this past season to .266 with 28 home runs and 86 RBIs.

Both the Diamondbacks and Dodgers would receive four players in the trade, while the Yankees would get a pair of pitchers.

Koplove, who went 4-4 with a 4.05 ERA in 76 relief appearances with Arizona, would go to Los Angeles with Vazquez. The Dodgers also would get two top prospects from the Yankees, catcher Dioner Navarro and third baseman Eric Duncan.

Arizona would wind up with Green and pitchers Brad Penny, Yhency Brazoban and Weeden. All of them played in the Dodgers' system last season.

Weeden was the Yankees' top draft pick in 2002 and was traded to Los Angeles with Jeff Weaver in last winter's trade that sent Kevin Brown to New York.

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Rob Kamphausen said:
jim is too cranky to care, the yankees are spending money that many other teams could also be spending, including jim's reds. its a business gamble.

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MisterJLA said:
If you want to know anything else about me, you'll have to buy me dinner first.

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Jim Jackson said:
I have come to accept the Reds could do better within even the current system and choose not to. I'm just no longer going to be quixotic about it. I can't change them. I'll take interest in the Reds early in the season until they (inevitably) fall out of it.

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Jim Jackson said:

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MisterJLA said:
If you want to know anything else about me, you'll have to buy me dinner first.

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Come to Columbus, and I will.

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Kaz said:
The Great American Insurance Company keeps promising to increase their budget

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MisterJLA said:

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Jim Jackson said:

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MisterJLA said:
If you want to know anything else about me, you'll have to buy me dinner first.

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Come to Columbus, and I will.

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Careful, Rob's the jealous type!

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Rob can come too...

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Kaz said:
If you have any doubts over whether Cincy refuses to allow it's own market to decide what kind of team they have, just listen to Marty Brenneman. He'll tell you straight.

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NEW YORK (AP) -- The three teams in the proposed trade that would send Randy Johnson from Arizona to the New York Yankees signed off on the deal and submitted it to baseball commissioner Bud Selig for approval.

Paperwork for the deal, which also involves the Los Angeles Dodgers, was sent to Selig at about 2 a.m. Tuesday, two people involved in the complex talks said on the condition of anonymity.

Selig's approval is necessary because more than $1 million will change hands. The Dodgers are sending the Yankees the money to pay part of left-hander Kazuhisa Ishii's salary.

Once Selig approves, New York wants a 72-hour window to negotiate a contract extension with Johnson. The five-time Cy Young Award winner is owed $16 million in the last year of his contract.

Los Angeles would receive right-hander Javier Vazquez from the Yankees along with two top prospects, catcher Dioner Navarro and third baseman Eric Duncan, and the Dodgers would get pitcher Mike Koplove from Arizona. Los Angeles might redeal Vazquez to another team.

Arizona would get outfielder Shawn Green and pitchers Brad Penny, Yhency Brazoban and Brandon Weeden.

Johnson and Green have no-trade clauses. Johnson wants to play for the Yankees; Green has not yet waived his right to block a trade.

``I've gone through different stages going back to last Friday,'' Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta said Monday night. ``At times, I thought it was going to happen and at times I didn't think it would. We're still on a roller-coaster.''

In other Yankees news, free-agent center fielder Carlos Beltran was to meet Yankees owner George Steinbrenner on Tuesday in Tampa, Fla.

Steinbrenner planned to attend the meeting with Yankees president Randy Levine and general manager Brian Cashman.

Beltran finished the season with the Houston Astros, who would like to re-sign him. It's also possible that the Chicago Cubs and Dodgers could pursue him.