Yankees Trade Johnson to Diamondbacks for Vizcaino, Prospects
January 10, 2007 by Geoff Young
Filed under Hot Stove
The New York Yankees have traded left-hander Randy Johnson to the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-handers Luis Vizcaino, Ross Ohlendorf, and Steven Jackson, and shortstop Alberto Gonzalez.
Yeah, I’m late to the party. I wanted to make sure everything was a done deal before commenting.
Vizcaino is 32 years old, throws hard, and has enjoyed marginal success with four different teams over parts of eight seasons. He pitched very well for the Diamondbacks in 2006, fashioning a 3.58 ERA over 65 1/3 innings, with strong peripheral numbers that suggest he might be capable of better. Vizcaino also is durable, having appeared in 65 or more games in each of the past five seasons. He’s actually a little like current Yankees reliever Kyle Farnsworth.
As for the minor leaguers, I’ll defer to Baseball America’s judgment of them. None of these guys is real young, and it sounds like Ohlendorf and Jackson might move to the bullpen at some point. Gonzalez, who was stuck behind Stephen Drew in Arizona, is compared favorably to Houston’s Adam Everett.
Johnson, meanwhile, returns to Arizona, where he enjoyed considerable success from 1999 to 2004 and helped lead the Diamondbacks to a World Series title in 2001. He’s now 43 years old and coming off a season in which his ERA (5.00) was below league average for the first time since 1989. Yes, 1989.
Although Johnson’s peripheral numbers suggest he should rebound somewhat in 2007, his age and injury history — namely back problems — make him a tremendous risk. The other cause for concern with Johnson is his declining strikeout rate:
| Age | K/9 |
|---|---|
| 37 | 13.41 |
| 38 | 11.56 |
| 39 | 9.87 |
| 40 | 10.62 |
| 41 | 8.42 |
| 42 | 7.55 |
In and of itself, this isn’t damning, but for a guy who relies on his ability to dominate hitters, it’s not a good sign. Coupled with the age and potential for injury, and — well, you get the idea.
Could Johnson be another in the line of Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens who are able to defy Father Time and continue to be effective well into his 40s? Hey, he’s already gotten this far; anything is possible. I will say that extending his contract for 2 years, $26 million seems like a bad risk to me. On the other hand, if it works out, the Diamondbacks could be mighty dangerous in 2007. This is a squad that features tremendous young offensive talent. With guys like Johnson and Doug Davis supplementing Brandon Webb and Livan Hernandez, the NL West potentially got a whole lot tighter.
