Big Unit no lock to be dealt
Asking price, value to franchise could nix a trade
Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images fileIf traded, Randy Johnson's best fit appears to be with the Yankees, but the Diamondbacks may not want to deal with New York owner George Steinbrenner, says Ted Robinson of NBCSports.com.
COMMENTARY
By Ted Robinson
NBCSports.com contributor
updated 2:27 p.m. ET July 20, 2004
By saying he would consider waiving his no-trade clause, Randy Johnson has opened the door to leaving the Diamondbacks for a contender. But I think it's far from a certainty that he will be dealt. In fact, I believe the July 31 trading deadline will come and go without the 40-year-old Johnson switching teams.
Bronx tale
could be fiction
Arizona hasn't said whether it plans to trade the future Hall of Famer, but the idea of dealing Johnson started in the New York tabloid media back in the spring.
And with Arizona owning the worst record in the major leagues at the All-Star break, why wouldn't Johnson want to play for the Yankees?
By doing so he would give himself a good shot at winning a second World Series.
Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has said that he'd love to see Johnson pitch for his team and where Steinbrenner is involved, money has never been an issue.
That's good news for Yankees fans since after the trading deadline, Johnson will be owed over $21 million on a contract that runs through next season.
There were reports the southpaw wanted a contract extension -- two more years guaranteed -- in order to approve any trade, but Johnson denies that.
Steinbrenner's financial resources make his team a top contender in the Johnson sweepstakes, but there are two hurdles to a Johnson-to-the-Yankees trade.
First, with the Yankees having dealt so much young talent in recent years, do they have prospects attractive enough to entice Arizona into parting with the Big Unit?
Second, from everything I understand, there is real dislike of Steinbrenner by Arizona owner Jerry Colangelo.
This stems from the offseason after the 2001 campaign when Colangelo believed he had a handshake agreement with then free agent David Wells, only to have Steinbrenner swoop in and sign Wells.
So one must wonder if Colangelo is willing to help Steinbrenner by sending him Johnson -- a player who clearly would greatly bolster the Yankees' chances to win the World Series?
Time to play keep away
When it comes to payrolls in baseball, if there is an infinite pie, the Yankees are the only team with it.
Still, if at all possible, New York's arch rival, the Red Sox, have to try and come up with the money and players to keep Johnson from ending up with the Yankees.
But it's not just Boston that should feel pressure to prevent Johnson from putting on pinstripes -- it's all the playoff contenders in the American League, although some of those clubs admittedly can't do anything about the situation.
They all, however, get adversely affected if Johnson joins the Yankees.
I believe that for any of the A.L. playoff teams to get to the World Series, they will have to get through the Yankees -- a task that's tough enough without New York having Johnson making several starts in a short series.
In addition to Boston, another top potential suitor is Anaheim.
When looking at the reasons the Angels have bounced back and then some from a 77-85 season a year ago, credit has to go to new owner Arte Moreno, the first Hispanic owner in major-league history.
Moreno has made a clear commitment to do everything possible to win as demonstrated by the offseason signings of premier free agents Vladimir Guerrero, Jose Guillen, Kelvim Escobar and Bartolo Colon.
To get Johnson, Moreno would not only have to open his wallet, he most likely would have to deal away at least a couple of top prospects.
In addition to the Yankees, Red Sox and Angels, there are some National League clubs that could make a play for Johnson.
I would expect the Giants, who almost traded for Johnson in 1993, to make a big-time run at him.
They could entice Johnson by offering him both the chance to pitch in a great pitcher's ballpark and the chance to play with Barry Bonds.
But like with the Yankees, I'm not sure the Giants have attractive enough prospects to get the Diamondbacks' serious attention.
The Cubs, Dodgers and Mets could also have an interest in Johnson, but might be eliminated from the equation because they can't come up with a match for Arizona.
Not an easy decision
If he trades Johnson, Colangelo has to come back with players with enough appeal or potential that Arizona fans are not going to turn their backs on the team.
The Diamondbacks' asking price for Johnson is said to be young, talented players, close to the major leagues if not already there and with contracts that are on the cheap.
But Colangelo hasn't said he wants to move Johnson and may have some serious reservations about doing so despite the obvious financial advantage a trade would bring to the cash-strapped franchise.
Sure, one could argue that Arizona is in last place with Johnson, so it could be in last place without him, but he is a player that gives fans a reason to pay attention to the team.
However, the concept that the starting pitcher brings more fans to a particular game rarely holds true.
In May, the Mets played a four-game, weeknight series in Arizona.
On the first night of the series, a Monday, with the starting pitchers being James Baldwin and Casey Daigle, the attendance was 28,638.
On the third night of the series, Johnson opposed Tom Glavine and the crowd that night was 27,750.
So Johnson pitching -- even against a big-name like Glavine -- gave the Diamondbacks no bump in attendance.
But there have been very few pitchers whose starts have really brought additional fans to the ballpark.
Fernando Valenzuela was one, Mark "the Bird" Fidrych another and near the end of his career, Nolan Ryan, also fit the bill.
Those are about the only ones that come to mind, but what Johnson's presence does do in Arizona is give the franchise a credibility that is applicable to season-ticket sales, marketing and corporate involvement and sponsorships.
Also, Johnson is bound for the Hall of Fame, and their is an ego tie-in with a team like Arizona wanting to promote him as one of its own when he is eventually inducted into baseball's shrine.
But if Johnson finishes his career with another team, he's no longer a lock to enter the Hall of Fame as a Diamondback.
Johnson's pitch is self-centered
Just before the All-Star break, Johnson grew testy and not only with the media asking about the possibility of a trade.
Pitching against the Giants, Johnson came up on the short end of an 8-3 decision -- a loss in which a dropped fly ball by Arizona outfielder Luis Gonzalez cost the lefthander three runs.
When the Diamondbacks came into the dugout after the error, Johnson exchanged words with Gonzalez and the two were separated by teammates.
The incident with Gonzalez is the kind of thing Johnson was known for earlier in his career, especially in the years he spent with the Seattle Mariners.
He had tamed much of that kind of behavior, but to have it flare up again raises the point that Johnson has never been considered a great teammate.
In his younger years, he was very critical of fielders who made errors behind him.
There is no question that Johnson is extraordinarily prepared and dedicated to his craft and always completely ready to pitch when his turns comes up.
But on the days when he is not pitching, Johnson can't be viewed as the best of teammates.
He doesn't really show a lot of support for those he plays with and he's not part of things -- he's really on his own.
That's an issue that teams making a move to obtain Johnson have to consider -- but a club like the Yankees could care less about how much of a teammate Johnson is because they have so many strong personalities in their clubhouse.
Another reason the Yankees offer a situation that would suit Johnson, but in the end, the Diamondbacks may very well decide the best move is to hold on to the Big Unit, especially if no team comes even close to meeting their asking price for him.
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