Posted on 12/30/2004 1:06:11 PM PST by baseballfanjm
The Diamondbacks and Yankees have agreed on a deal that would send Randy Johnson to New York for Javier Vazquez, prospects and cash, major league sources told ESPN.
The paperwork has not yet been submitted to the baseball commissioner's office, but that is the next step for the deal to be finalized.
The Diamondbacks also will get left-handed pitcher Brad Halsey, catching prospect Dioner Navarro and $8 million to $9 million in exchange for the 41-year-old lefty, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney reports.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.espn.go.com ...
Even if they do, with their perennial knack for hiring "talent" just a year beyond usefulness, it ought to be fun to watch...
Btw, as for Johnson, I'll believe it when I see the Boss, Torre, and Jeter all up at the podium showing off the Big Unit's new number #52.
I hoid the Mets are going after Beltran as well, but I can't imagine the Boss will be outbid. Carlos' pricetag could be driven up significantly, though.
Depends on which side of the line you're stuck, huh?
Parity really makes the NFL suck, right?
I don't think he's looking for KC Jr.
Overtake the Soxs? The Yankees won the division by several games over the Soxs. And the Yankees were a few innings from sweeping the Sox, though the Yankees choked, it's not like the Sox were dominant over the Yankees.
And how about Milton going to Cincy? Probably knew he couldn't cut the Big Apple.
And, by God, We'll take it!
Are you a RS fan?
The Diamondbacks, Angels, and Marlins won before Boston won last year. These complaints aren't making any sense.
They sit him down when lefties pitch.
He is going to bite the Sox's lefty bats.
The Yanks are in a league of their own with a $220 million payroll, plus $25 million in luxury taxes and revenue sharing (communism, really) to boot.
Boston, Anaheim and Atlanta have more resources but that's because of their fan bases and cable deals.
Minnesota fans won't pay enough money in terms of tickets or cable fees to give the ownership the resources to get to the next level.
You can say the same for Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Milwaukee.
OK, let's look at it...
Arizona is broke (thus the Johnson trade, among others); who said the Angels don't have a lot of dough? They do; and the Marlins were dismantled.
There are smart teams and there are dunb teams. Some rich teams are dumb (Cubs, Dodgers), some are smart, (Yankees, no doubt). But even if the Yanks make a dumb move, they have the money to cover it up the following year.
And the most important point is this: if a poor team brings a good player up through their farm system, they get to keep him until he goes free agent, and then where does he end up? Does anyone imagine that Jeter will ever wear another uniform other than the Yankees? I mean, as long as he's a valuable player. If he falls apart later in his career, he'll latch on with a poor team, just to hang on for a few years.
Look, the system is what it is; my little team, the Pirates, who had powerhouse teams in the '70's, will never win again. They simply serve as a source of talent for the rich teams (the name Barry Bonds springs to mind). Fine. You guys who root for the rich teams, enjoy yourselves. But don't pretend that the reality of the situation is different from what I've stated.
Meanwhile, go Steelers.
Sure, they play for the AA Pittsburgh Pirates, AAA Cincy Reds, single-A KC Royals, etc. As soon as they make something of themselves they get called up to the "big show" to play with the Yanks. :-P
It might just be a trial balloon, but SportsCenter was just saying how there are rumblings that Beltran's pricetag is already too high. This "news" came just after talk of the Johnson trade.
As for where Beltran wants to play, the word is that he really does prefer smaller markets over NY. Again, could be a trial balloon that means nothing, but there it is.
Put another way, the combined 2004 salaries of their starting rotation alone eclipses the entire 2004 payroll of 13 MLB teams. Their 2005 starting rotation salaries should eclipse the payroll of the majority of teams, after Unit gets paid.
Well, baseball's parity problems are not something that have always been around, but a recent result of free agency. Simply put, most teams can't afford to sign the best free agents, who almost always wait for the highest bidder. Then you have the Yanks, who can handle contracts that no other teams can, which helps them out in regards to trade.
I couldn't have said it better my self.;-)
Trial baloon.
Beltran's got the courage to play in New York -- and it DOES take courage and heart to play there because NO WHERE else in sports is the pressure is greater to succeed and win.
For some players, NO amount of money is worth dealing with NY, while others just plain find out in a hurry they can't perform -- like the recently dispatched Vasquez, and Jeff Weaver.
I agree it probably was a trial balloon. However, I will say that for some reason I don't think Beltran will succeed in NY, if he does end up going there. I don't have any real reason to say that, but it's just a gut feeling. That doesn't make him a bad person, or not courageous, or even a bad ballplayer in my book.
And, of course, I could be totally wrong. We shall see. :-)
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