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TSN-Report: Yankees, Diamondbacks Agree to Big Unit Trade

NEW YORK (Sports Network) - The Arizona Diamondbacks have
reportedly agreed to a trade that will send five-time Cy Young
Award winner Randy Johnson to the New York Yankees.
Newsday reports the Yankees will get Johnson in exchange
for pitcher Javier Vazquez, catching prospect Dioner Navarro,
pitching prospect Brad Halsey and approximately $9 million.
The trade is not expected to become official until next
week when commissioner Bud Selig would likely put his stamp of
approval on the deal. The commissioner has to approve of any
trade in which more than $1 million is exchanged between teams.
Should it become finalized, the Yankees would likely work
out a contract extension with the 6-foot-10 Johnson for two
years at a reported $32 million. Johnson had to waive his
no-trade clause to agree to any deal.
Johnson led the majors in strikeouts last season with 290.
The lefthander went 16-14 with a 2.60 ERA and topped the NL
with opponents hitting .197 against him. The downfall for the
41-year-old was playing on a team that compiled the worst
record (51-111) in the majors. The Diamondbacks scored more
than three runs just 13 times in his 35 starts. The highlight
for Johnson was throwing a perfect game on May 18 against
Atlanta.
The Diamondbacks refused to deal Johnson at the trading
deadline last season and he's due to make $16 million in 2005,
which would be the final year of his contract. He apparently
told the club that he would not waive his no-trade clause and
play out the final year in Arizona if a deal with the Yankees
could not be worked out by early January.
Johnson would join a revamped Yankee rotation, as they have
already acquired Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright through free
agency this winter. Mike Mussina and Kevin Brown are also on
the starting staff.
A 10-time All-Star and co-MVP of the 2001 World Series when
the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees in seven games, Johnson has
compiled 4,161 strikeouts in his career, third-most all-time,
behind only Roger Clemens (4,317) and Nolan Ryan (5,714). The
Big Unit holds a career mark of 246-128 with a 3.07 ERA in 489
games with Montreal, Seattle, Houston and Arizona. He last
pitched in the American League in 1998 when he was with the
Mariners before being dealt to the Astros at the trading
deadline.
Vazquez was acquired by the Yankees prior to the 2004
season and in his first year in pinstripes he went 14-10 with a
4.91 ERA in 32 starts. It would be a return to the National
League for the righthander, as the 28-year-old Vazquez pitched
for Montreal the first six years of his career.
Halsey, a 23-year-old lefthander, made his debut in the
majors last season, going 1-3 with a 6.47 ERA in eight games (7
starts).
There is a possibility that once the Diamondbacks made the
deal, they would turn around and package Navarro to the Dodgers
to get first baseman Shawn Green.
It was earlier in December that a three-way trade between
the Yankees, Diamondbacks and Dodgers was nixed with Johnson
and Green at the center of the proposed deal.
Copyright 2004, The Sports Network


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nN30208733


Dec-30-2004 20:45 GMT
Source RTRS Reuters News
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