Randy Johnson Trade Near Complete
According to the Newark Star-Ledger, the Randy Johnson to Arizona trade is "nearing its completion."
The D’Backs would still work out an extension with Johnson, and the Yanks still covet Brandon Medders and a young starter or two. According to the New York Post, Micah Owings seems to be at the top of the list with Dustin Nippert and Ross Ohlendorf close behind.
Yanks, D’Backs Close On Unit?
According to the New York Daily News, the Diamondbacks and Yankees could finish a Randy Johnson trade this weekend.
Arizona will need to talk to Johnson to extend his contract through 2008, pretty much guaranteeing he gets his 300th win as a Diamondback. The Yankees want one of Dustin Nippert, Micah Owings, and Ross Ohlendorf. Nippert seems to be the prize of the trio.
Meanwhile, the Yankees are getting closer to signing Doug Mientkiewicz to play first base and could also snag Mark Loretta as a utility infielder.
On the other hand, a source told the Newark Star-Ledger that there’s "nothing imminent" on RJ but things could be resolved within a week anyway.
Yanks Want Three Arms For Unit
Yesterday for the East Valley Tribune, Jack Magruder indicated that the Yankees want a trio of young arms from the Diamondbacks in return for Randy Johnson. They want one reliever in the group.
Brandon Medders, a 27 year-old right-handed reliever, is said to be a target. Medders posted a solid 3.64 ERA in 71 innings in 2006, though his 1.68 K/BB ratio is cause for concern. Magruder indicates that Arizona wants to substitute the pricier Luis Vizcaino instead of Medders.
The other pitchers would come out of this group: Edgar Gonzalez, Enrique Gonzalez, Dustin Nippert, Ross Ohlendorf, and Micah Owings. What, no Juan Cruz? Baseball Prospectus’s Kevin Goldstein lists Nippert as a "good prospect" and Owings as an "average prospect." The others aren’t in the team’s top 10. That might be a testament to all the young talent in the organization though.
Magruder doesn’t expect the D’Backs to meet this Yankee demand, but perhaps the teams can meet in the middle.
Mariners In On Randy Johnson?
I scoured what seemed like a dozen Randy Johnson articles, most of which had the same themes we were hearing yesterday: the Yanks don’t have to trade Johnson, the vacancy could go to Zito or Clemens, the Diamondbacks are in the thick of things, the Padres are the frontrunners, the Dodgers are just driving up the price, and the Giants and Angels are the dark horses.
Joseph A. Reaves of the Arizona Republic has a slightly different take, though: he says the Mariners have surfaced as a potential trade partner. It’s just a one-line mention, but I haven’t seen it confirmed elsewhere yet. I will try. Additionally, Reaves writes that the Dodgers are not interested.
Newday’s Ken Davidoff weighs in on the side of reason: he doesn’t want to trade a decent 200 inning starter. I also agree with him in that Kei Igawa can easily be pushed to the pen for two-thirds of a season if Roger Clemens is brought aboard. The Yanks aren’t so stacked with good starting pitching as to make Johnson expendable.
L.A. Teams In Mix For Big Unit?
According to the New York Daily News, you can add the Angels and Dodgers to the list of teams interested in the suddenly-available Randy Johnson. Furthermore, Roger Rubin and Bill Madden name the Padres as Johnson’s most likely suitor right now. This thing has expanded beyond his hometown Diamondbacks.
The paper writes that the Yanks already have some offers on the table. From the Dodgers’ point of view, their interest in Johnson may only be in keeping him away from division rivals. Perhaps a starter would go back to New York in such a deal.
Johnson’s agent hasn’t been looped in yet, but Brian Cashman will need the pitcher’s consent in any deal.
Randy Johnson Trade Rumors
Merry Christmas! I’m sporting a new fleece and decided to duck in with a quick Christmas trade rumor.
While it was denied a week ago, it sounds like discussions are indeed taking place that would bring Randy Johnson back to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Johnson’s agent and D’Backs general partner Ken Kendrick are mum on the subject.
Ed Price reports that the Yankees don’t want to pay any of the $16MM owed to the Big Unit in 2007. Arizona’s rotation currently consists of Brandon Webb, Livan Hernandez, Doug Davis, and a competition between Juan Cruz, Dana Eveland, Edgar Gonzalez, and Enrique Gonzalez. The Diamondbacks are packed with promising youngsters like Conor Jackson and Dustin Nippert.
Johnson had back surgery after the season ended; he turned 43 this year. He may not be ready for spring training. ZiPS, which projected pitchers better than anyone last year, predicts a 3.71 ERA for Johnson in 2007 – even as a Yankee. PECOTA chimes in with a 3.52 projection; it’s easy to be deceived by the 5.00 ERA. More attention should be paid to his 1.24 WHIP in 2006 – that’s more than respectable.
UPDATE: Amy Nelson of ESPN reports that Arizona has offered a package of at least three players for Johnson. Word is that Chad Tracy could be among them. They’d want a window to negotiate a contract extension. Nelson also mentions that the Padres have interest and could offer Scott Linebrink.
Additionally, Jon Heyman writes that Johnson initiated the trade idea and that the Giants could be in the mix. The Yankees seem to be looking for young pitching in return. Heyman speculates that they could become a possibility for Barry Zito if Johnson is dealt.
Relief Moves
The Red Sox picked up 35 year-old right-handed reliever Brendan Donnelly from the Angels for Phil Seibel. Donnelly’s control slipped significantly last season, but he’s had an excellent career despite a late start. He can help. Seibel, a southpaw, turns 28 in January. He was unhittable across three minor league levels for the Red Sox this year. The Red Sox also added J.C. Romero as a LOOGY option.
The D-Rays signed Al Reyes to a one-year deal. You may recall he was a fantastic reliever for the Cards in ’05 before succumbing to TJ surgery. He already threw a few Triple A innings in August so he should be 100% for spring training. I could see him as the closer at some point.
The Mets probably won’t land Akinori Otsuka, but the Diamondbacks could trade for him. On one hand, it’s scary to rely on Eric Gagne for anything. On the other hand, Otsuka’s value will never be higher. I agree with RotoWorld that Scott Hairston could be a huge sleeper in Texas. More on Hairston here.
D’Backs Interested In Mulder, David Wells
Something broken, something old. According to the Arizona Republic, the D’Backs have made an offer to free agent Mark Mulder. Additionally, they may try to coax David Wells out of retirement.
At this point, Wells on a one-year deal for less than $10MM sounds reasonable. This ain’t 2005 anymore. Boomer turns 44 in May, but he might be able to provide 180 league average innings. His pinpoint control isn’t going anywhere.
Mulder could actually prefer a one-year deal, as a way of maximizing his earnings. Whatever the offer was, it did not include incentives. What would it take – $7MM guaranteed? I don’t see a Mulder signing as a potential bargain. He won’t be ready for Opening Day and he may struggle upon his return.
The Diamondbacks have also spoken to Tomo Ohka‘s agent. Brandon Webb, Doug Davis, and Livan Hernandez are locks for their rotation. Juan Cruz, Dana Eveland, and Edgar Gonzalez will compete for openings.
D’Backs Meet With Foulke
These MLB.com reporters are filing their stories all at once. Good times. Steve Gilbert has the Winter Meetings from a Diamondback point of view.
Josh Byrnes met with Keith Foulke’s agent, who is also the agent for Octavio Dotel. What’s this? Foulke is as healthy as he’s been in a long time? How convenient. I tried telling my employer the same and also that it’s between them and the Yankees. They didn’t give me a raise.
Yesterday night, the Rangers gave the D’Backs a list of pitchers they like, including Dustin Nippert and Micah Owings. Apparently Arizona passed back a note that said, "Nah."
Gregg Clifton is trying to get Mark Mulder‘s medical records over to the D’Backs. Why’s this taking so long?
Brewers finally making some noise
Doug Davis was known to be on the trading block…Johnny Estrada was known to be on the trading block…but I don’t think anybody expected the two of them to switch places.
The Brewers traded Davis, lefty starter Dana Eveland, and center fielder-with-an-attitude Dave Krynzel to the Diamondbacks for Estrada, starter Claudio Vargas, and reliever Greg Aquino. It’s an interesting move for the Crew: apparently Doug Melvin wasn’t comfortable going into spring training with Damian Miller as his starter and Mike Rivera and JD Closser as possible backups. Estrada will, presumably, split time with Miller.
The fascinating part of the deal to me is the pitching swap. Melvin likes to build his bullpens creatively, and it would’ve shocked me if he didn’t pick up at least one high-upside arm like Aquino before March. And both teams gain some years of cheap pitching: the Brewers replace Davis with Vargas, who they’ll have under their control for three more years. Vargas slides into Davis’s rotation spot. Eveland only has about a year of service time, so if he pans out, the D-Backs get him for five more years.
UPDATE: I’ve posted a little more analysis of the deal at my Brewers blog, along with some quotes from Doug Melvin on his three new acquisitions.
By Jeff Sackmann