NEW YORK - The Arizona Diamondbacks and Yankees were close to a deal Thursday that would send Randy Johnson to New York, with the teams still trying to finalize details of the trade.
Pitchers Javier Vazquez and Brad Halsey appeared headed to Arizona along with young catcher Dioner Navarro. The Yankees were set to send a sizable sum of cash to the Diamondbacks, too, and possibly another prospect, a baseball official said on condition of anonymity.
The Yankees almost had Johnson earlier this month, but the Los Angeles Dodgers backed out of a three-team trade. New York and Arizona then began talks Monday aimed at putting the five-time Cy Young winner in Yankee pinstripes.
Even if the teams agree, several things must happen before the trade could become complete.
- Because of the money involved - the exact amount was not known - commissioner Bud Selig must give his approval.
- All players must pass physicals.
- Johnson has to formally give approval because he has a no-trade clause.
- The Yankees want a 72-hour window to negotiate an extension with the 41-year-old Johnson, whose current contract expires after the 2005 season.
Johnson would join a reshaped rotation that now includes Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright. The Yankees already had Mike Mussina and Kevin Brown, but blew a 3-0 lead in the AL championship series and lost to Boston.
The money New York is sending Arizona will offset some of the $34.5 million Vazquez is owed: $10.5 million in 2005, $11.5 million in 2006 and $12.5 million in 2007. New York is making the final $1 million payment of his signing bonus, which is due Friday.
Johnson was 16-14, a record skewed by playing for a team that went 51-111, tied for the 10th-most losses in major league history. The Diamondbacks scored two runs or fewer in 17 of his 35 starts. He led the majors with 290 strikeouts, was second with a 2.60 ERA and pitched a perfect game against Atlanta.
Vazquez, a 28-year-old right-hander, was an All-Star in his first season since being traded from Montreal to the Yankees. He was 14-10 with a 4.91 ERA, but won just once in his last nine regular-season starts and had a 9.53 ERA in three postseason games.
Halsey, a 23-year-old left-hander, was 10-3 with a 6.47 ERA in seven starts and one relief appearance for the Yankees last season.
Navarro, 20, made his big league debut this year after rapid progress in the Yankees' minor league system. He batted.254 with one homer and 15 RBIs in 134 at-bats for Columbus of the Triple-A International League after hitting.271 with three homers and 29 RBIs in 255 at-bats for Double-A Trenton of the Eastern League.
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