George Steinbrenner gathered his Tampa inner circle for a routine meeting Monday at Legends Field and The Boss had Randy Johnson on his mind – even if trading for the Big Unit is considered by some to be risky since he is 41.
There are some in the organization who believe signing free-agent Pedro Martinez, 33, is a better move since he won’t cost players and obtaining Johnson would be a $32 million investment.
With GM Brian Cashman finishing a vacation in nearby Orlando, Steinbrenner met with Mark Newman, Bill Emslie, Billy Connors and Damon Oppenheimer.
Other names – free agents Al Leiter, Eric Milton, Carl Pavano, Carlos Beltran and Ron Villone were discussed – but Johnson was the main topic, even if there have been just four pitchers to hurl more than 225 innings after turning 41. The Yankees haven’t made any offers to free agents other than their own.
“The Yankees are the only team Arizona can trade Johnson to but it’s going very slow,” an industry source said. “First, the Yankees are the only team who are willing to add another year [at likely $16 million].
“The Angels are saving their money for a run at [Carlos] Beltran and the Cardinals aren’t spending the type of money it’s going to take to get Johnson to waive his no-trade clause.”
The Yankees have been talking to the Diamondbacks for weeks with very little progress. One stumbling block is Javier Vazquez’s involvement in the deal. The Diamondbacks understand Vazquez would request a trade following the 2005 season because the Diamondbacks are awful and run by Jeff Moorad, whom Vazquez fired as his agent two years ago.
The remaining $34.5 million across three years on Vazquez’s contract is an issue for the cash-strapped Diamondbacks, who hope to move Johnson because he will make $16 million this coming season. However, they could spin Vazquez off shortly after the deal.
Should the Mets not sign Martinez, they could be a landing spot for Vazquez, who pitched for the Expos when Omar Minaya was Montreal’s GM and was forced to deal Vazquez to the Yankees due to monetary concerns.
*
Gary Sheffield underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder yesterday in Birmingham and is expected to be ready for the start of spring training.
Dr. James Andrews performed the procedure that cleaned out the bursa sac.
