ESPN: Randy Johnson to D-Backs

One interesting caveat: Arizona didn't have to give up a different 24-year-old whose name was thrown around: RHP Micah Owings.

Got drafted out of Tulane in '05. Went 16-2 combined in AA and AAA last year (6-2 in AA, 10-0 in AAA) with 130 K/52 BB in 160 IP. The kid's a stud. He'll be in Phoenix sometime next season.

I've been watching him/playing against him/covering him and his brother since before we/they were in high school. He was a better hitter than a pitcher then.

 

Loved the reviews I read of him being one of those guys whose competitive streak goes beyond his stuff. Yankees could have used a guy like that. If NY is only paying $1.5-2M of Johnson's salary, that's why they got what has to be considered the least attractive package Arizona was offering. Most reports indicated NY preferred Medders to Vizcaino and Owings to Ohlendorf.

 

According to last report I heard in NY, the Yanks are not paying any of Johnson's salary.

 

Thats means only one thing that the D-Backs are.

 

From the AP-ESPN story:

The Yankees also might receive another minor league pitcher, the official said, and would pay between $1.5 million and $2 million of Johnson's $16 million salary this year.

That's where I was getting my info from.

 

I know where you got it Donnie. Just saying it might not be true.

 

Maybe stockpiling prospects to trade for Teixeira before the July trade deadline.

Good deal for the Yankees, Johnson was not going to be the difference between winning a World Series or losing in the playoffs. He's done, toast and why the DBacks think he can pitch this year and next is beyond rational thought. Did they watch him last year?

 

Maybe stockpiling prospects to trade for Teixeira before the July trade deadline.

Or next winter, one winter before he's a free agent.

It's the NL. Almost anyone can be a reasonable starter in the NL.

 

And he might have to in order to outbid the Yankees.

 

I think it is a pretty good trade because you can't ever have too many prospects, but I am nervous about replacing his innings. Though, I would hope Humberto Sanchez, Karstens, Rasner or Phillip Hughes could combine to put up 200 innings of 5.00 ERA baseball. Everyone likes to talk about the innings he pitched last season, but it is like everyone forgets he was a worse-than-average pitcher in those innings, so I am not sure that the Yankees aren't confident they can replace him with some youngsters.