Yankees Acquire Big Unit

Pending a physical, the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks recently have completed the biggest trade of the 2004 off-season. In the deal, the Diamondbacks will send the 41 year old, future Hall of Fame left handed pitcher Randy Johnson to the Yankees in exchange for 28 year old right handed pitcher Javier Vazquez, 23 year old left handed pitcher Brad Halsey, 20 year old minor league catcher Dioner Navarro, and $9 million.

Here is a look at each players translated, and actual career and 2004 statistics:

***For Halsey and Navarro only actual Stats will be presented since no translated stats were available***

Yankees receive:

Randy Johnson:

2004:
Actual Stats: 16-14 W-L, 2.60 ERA, 245.7 IP, 177 Hits (6.5 H/9), 18 HR (0.7 HR/9), 44 BB (1.6 BB/9), 290 K (10.6 K/9)

Translated Stats: 2.30 ERA, 5.7 H/9--0.5 HR/9--1.2 BB/9--9.5 K/9

Career:
Actual Stats: 246-128 W-L, 3.07 ERA, 3368.0 IP, 2612 Hits (7.0 H/9), 301 HR (0.8 HR/9), 1302 BB (3.5 BB/9), 4161 K (11.1 K/9)

Translated Stats: 2.79 ERA, 6.3 H/9--0.7 HR/9—2.9 BB/9—10.8 K/9


Diamondbacks receive:

Javier Vazquez:

2004
Actual Stats: 14-10 W-L, 4.91 ERA, 198.0 IP, 195 Hits (8.9 H/9), 33 HR (1.5 HR/9), 60 BB (2.7 BB/9), 150 K (8.8 K/9)

Translated Stats: 4.01 ERA, 7.3 H/9—1.2 HR/9—2.5 BB/9—6.1 K/9

Career:
Actual Stats: 78-78 W-L, 4.26 ERA, 1427.0 IP, 1430 Hits (9.0 H/9), 188 HR (1.2 HR/9), 391 BB (2.5 BB/9), 1226 K (7.7 K/9)

Translated Stats: 3.58 ERA, 7.8 H/9—1.0 HR/9—1.9 BB/9—7.0 K/9

Brad Halsey:

2004: (Yankees)
Actual Stats: 1-3 W-L, 6.47 ERA, 32.0 IP, 41 Hits (11.5 H/9), 4 HR (1.1 HR/9), 14 BB (3.9 BB/9), 25 K (7.0 K/9)

Career: (Minor League)
Actual Stats: 34-14 W-L, 3.26 ERA, 375.0 IP, 386 Hits (9.3 H/9), 15 HR (0.4 HR/9), 90 BB (2.2 BB/9), 296 K (7.1 K/9)

Dioner Navarro:

2004
Actual Stats (AA Trenton, AAA Columbus): .263 AVG/.341 OBP/.366 SLG-.707 OPS, 4 HR (45 RBI), 61/47 (1.30/1) K/BB

Career (Minor Leagues): .277 AVG/.350 OBP/.402 SLG--.752 OPS, 21 HR (168 RBI), 198/138 (1.43/1) K/BB

The Diamondbacks are getting a pitcher in Vazquez, who besides last season, his first in New York, has been nothing short of great throughout his career. They are also getting some very good prospects in Halsey and Navarro. While Halsey did, indeed, struggle in his brief stint with the Yankees last season, he has been great throughout his minor league career. Navarro, while not a power hitter, shows great patience at the plate (see K/BB ratio) and also has shown an above-average ability to get on base (see OBP).

On the other side of the deal, the Yankees are getting the man they have coveted since the trade deadline during the 2004 season, Randy Johnson. There is really nothing I can say to exemplify how great Johnson is, just look at the numbers. The Yankees are without question receiving a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and one of the best pitchers of all time. The only question mark that comes with Johnson would be his age (41).

Although Johnson is 41 and carries an injury risk with him, strictly because of his age, those risks were downgraded substantially last season when Johnson did not show any lasting effects from his injury in 2003 that sidelined him for half of the season. With Johnson being so dominant throughout his injury-free 2004 campaign, he proved to all of his critics—including the Yankees-- that injuries are a very small factor to consider when dealing with the future hall-of-famer.

A look at the money side of the deal will show that money actually means nothing to the Yankees.

To complete this deal the Yankees had to agree on a contract extension with Johnson, which they did; for 2 years at $32 million.

Combining the new extension with the $16 million due to Johnson in 2005 under his contract with the Diamondbacks, a contract the Yankees now own, Johnson is essentially being signed to a 3 year, $48 million deal by the Yankees.

As I clued in on earlier, the Yankees did not save any money in this deal. Here is a look at the contracts and salaries of the players they gave to Arizona.

Javier Vazquez is signed through 2007 and is due to make $10.5 million in 2005, $11.5 million in 2006, and $12.5 million in 2007, for a total salary of $34.5 million owed to Vazquez through 2007.

Both Halsey and Navarro are currently making league-minimum minor league salaries. For the sake of comparing and contrasting the figures, I will not include their minimal salaries when figuring out money saved or lost by both teams.

Subtracting Vazquez’s contract from Johnson’s will show that the Yankees are adding $13.5 million dollars to their payroll ($48 million minus $34.5 million). But, one must not forget that the Yankees also agreed to give the Diamondbacks $9 million in this trade. After adding that figure to the difference between the contracts, the Yankees end up adding a total of $22.5 million dollars to their payroll ($9 million plus $13.5 million). Which, in turn, would also mean that the Diamondbacks are gaining an extra $22.5 million for their team.

The role that Johnson will be asked to fill with they Yankees is pretty clear; pitch them to a World Series championship.

As for the roles that the newly acquired Diamondbacks will be asked to fill, they are not as simple.

Vazquez is already involved in trade rumors that would send him out of Arizona. If he weren’t traded though, he would be expected to pitch every fifth day at the top of the rotation, and return to the greatness that he experienced earlier in his career in the Montreal Expos organization. After all, he gets paid like a superstar and that is exactly what Arizona would expect out of him.

Brad Halsey will be given every chance to win a spot in the back of the rotation for the Diamondbacks in 2005.

As of the moment, Navarro is probably never going to play a game in the Diamondbacks organization. It is expected that he will be dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a deal for RF Shawn Green. The Diamondbacks are able to trade away the young prospect because their depth at catcher runs three deep. For the 2005 season, 25 year old Koyie Hill, 23 year old Chris Snyder, and 34 year old Kelly Stinett will all be vying for the starting catching job in Arizona; meaning Navarro would be stepping into an already-crowded situation.

As for the question, “Who got the better end of the deal?” Normally, when a team saves $22.5 million, gains a pitcher who has been dominant throughout his entire career except one year (Vazquez), and gets two good prospects (Halsey, and Navarro), I would say this team gets the better end of the deal. This is not the case with this deal though, simply because of Randy Johnson.

There are few pitchers in the history of the game who have been, or are as dominant as Randy Johnson. He is one of only a few players who can carry a team to a World Series title, all by his lonesome. Paying $22.5 million for 3 years of Randy Johnson’s services is worth the money because the only thing that matters in baseball, or any sport for that matter, is winning; and Johnson gives the Yankees a better chance to do just that than any other time in recent memory.

Even after reviewing the dominance of Johnson, I call this deal a draw. The package that the Diamondbacks received for Johnson is nothing short of excellent. Plus, the players gained in the deal are all under 30 years of age to boot.

This deal clearly makes the Yankees the favorite to win the World Series again. As for the Diamondbacks, this deal is not only a very large step towards improvement in the future, but also a deal that will help them win now.

This was a great deal by both sides.

Thank you for reading,

Frank Bundy III