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Yanks will have to deal with D-Backs themselves
By Rick Eymer December 23, 2004 |
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In a three-team deal that would have sent Randy Johnson to the Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers would have received right-handed pitcher Javier Vazquez, catcher Dioner Navarro and third baseman Eric Duncan from New York, Los Angeles would have picked up Mike Koplove from Arizona and the Diamondbacks would have picked up outfielder Shawn Green, pitchers Brad Penny, Yhency Brzaoban, and Brandon Weeden from Los Angeles. Along with Johnson coming from Arizona, the Yankees would have picked up Kazuhira Ishii. It was Vasquez who vetoed the deal, refusing to travel to Los Angeles for a physical and sending the deal into collapse. Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta said, "As we sit here right now, the deal is no more. I've been saying all along that we weren't going to do the deal unless it made sense for the club in 2005, and that was not the case." Asked why this deal did not make sense, DePodesta kept quiet. The Yankees are still on the phone with Arizona. If Johnson joins the Yankees, people will tend to forget about this Jason Giambi stuff and the steroids issue. It'll all be about Johnson winning again. Johnson is 42 and still pitching like he's a 27-year-old. He could have won the Cy Young Award if Arizona had won a few more games for him. Johnson is an ageless wonder and he could do for New York what Roger Clemens did for Houston - no question. Johnson is on the same level of Clemens and former Yankee and current Astro Andy Pettite. He definitely would make a major impact in the New York baseball scene. Yankee notes: Alex Rodriguez could do no wrong. It does not matter what he did last year, including during the playoffs against the Red Sox when he swatted down Bronson Arroyo's glove attempt at tagging him on the way up the first base line. A-Rod will be ready to go with the Yanks. I don't think Giambi's situation with New York is coming to a close very quickly whether they can void his contract or not. Giambi is still a pretty good baseball player and some teams can use a guy like Jason. It's obvious there will be some kind of payback for Jason Giambi. He's not going to be a well-liked player in New York even though we all know he's a pretty nice guy. Rick Eymer appears on Sportstalk on occasion during the baseball season. Rick covers everything, college, pro, and every sport. He keeps a sleeping bag in his trunk if he has to be there. That's dedication. Rick Eymer co-host on KVVN 1430 San Jose and KLIB 1110 Sacramento. |
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