Diamondbacks Bullpen

levski · Veteran Presence Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 1763

Randy wants out of NY?

like everything in life, it's unofficial and unconfirmed, but the ny papers are claiming RJ has asked to be traded close to his home in AZ. he has one year and $16m left on the extension he signed with the yankees after going there

the question is, do the dbacks go after rj? and if they do, whom do they offer?

qudjy1 · Veteran Presence Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 1121

Eric Byrnes?

TAP · Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 11:47 am Post subject:

From the article:
The Diamondbacks are closest to Johnson's home, but they were the ones that dealt him to the Yankees because they wanted to shed the contract of a 40-plus pitcher with back and knee issues. The Angels, Dodgers, Padres and Giants are closer to Arizona than The Bronx, but would they be willing to pay Johnson's salary and give the Yankees at least prospects in return? Seattle, where Johnson pitched from 1989 to 1998, is shopping first baseman Richie Sexson ($28 million for 2007-08 ). Though the Yankees, who would prefer a right-handed hitting first baseman, would save $2 million in 2007, it would cost them $14 million in 2008.

I thought it was more a matter of RJ not wanting to deal with a 100+ loss team anymore rather than AZ looking to shed the contract of a 40+ pitcher with back and knee issues. In 2004 when Randy was traded, he was the most dominating pitcher in the NL.

levski · Veteran Presence Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 1763

David B · Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 12:28 pm Post subject:

levski · Veteran Presence Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 1763

JoshByrnesWhenIPee · Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 12:37 pm Post subject:

The only way I'd even consider this is if RJ's back surgery made him feel 100%, and we could get Eric Byrnes off of our hands, AND the Yankees would be willing to eat the majority of RJ's salary. In other words, no.

Prezkot · A-Ball Kid Joined: 30 Sep 2006 Posts: 17

Yeah if the Yanks did a Bill Bavasi sort of deal & paid 75% of RJ's contract for us, and we gave them minimal in return (say, Eric Byrnes & a marginal prospect they can overhype), I'd do that in a heartbeat.

He may or may not give us a couple of good starts, but from a marketing standpoint it would give the fair-weather fans who only pay for name recognition something to get a jones about. OMFGOZRZ RJS BACK!!!

But alas, the odds of making such a deal that would work FOR US, is sitting between Slim Pickens and no chance in hell.
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levski · Veteran Presence Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 1763

tmar · Veteran Presence Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 1184

I think the perception of how bad RJ did last year is tainted a bit by how good he used to be and how much he's currently getting paid.

His xFIP was 4.55 last year and he pitched over 200 innings. If Enrique did the same last year we'd be excited about having him on board.

Even though RJ would fit into AZ the best <nostalgia/home>, I can't see it happening due to the way he left and the current size of his contract.

I can definitely see another team eating 8-10MM of his contract <it's just crazy out there> next year if they don't have to give up too much in a trade.

tmar · Veteran Presence Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 1184

I will go on record saying I'd be extremely happy if he did come to AZ to finish his career <especially if it took EB to get him here>.

Aaron · Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 6:07 pm Post subject:

75% of his salary? No way, the Yankees aren't looking to dump salary here.

I say, Eric Byrnes straight up and I'm (assuming I'm management for the time being) willing to pick up the entire salary. You save $5MM or $6MM (whatever Byrnes' salary will be). In the current market Randy is certainly an $11MM pitcher (or whatever). Plus it's a one-year deal so our committment is limited. If he pitches well we've got exclusive negotiating rights heading into next season. Maybe he'd give us somewhat of a break if we give him a Roger Clemens type deal (doesn't have to travel with the team if he's not scheduled to pitch, etc.).

I'd much rather this happen than a Mulder deal. I think there's more upside and less risk. Good combination. Plus, although I know people don't agree with me, it'd be a box office winner.

Needless to say, I'd love to see this happen. Just hold onto the prospects. Byrnes/Julio?

tmar · Veteran Presence Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 1184

If if the Yankees would be looking to deal RJ, nobody is picking up his entire salary. I love RJ and would love to see him finish his career here, but he just isn't worth 16MM <even in this offseason>.

I would say that if the Yankees trade him, they'd be looking for something good in return and would be willing to pay enough of his salary to get it.

Aaron · Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 6:17 pm Post subject:

Of course, the question is why would the Yankees want Byrnes? They have Abreu/Matsui/Damon in the OF and Bernie Williams/Melky Cabrera backing them up. They'd probably need to deal off Melky before they'd even consider him. I did read a rumor of Melky going to Atlanta yesterday, so it's possible.

That said, Byrnes is a primo 4th OF. He can play all 3 OF positions and is a capable starter in case of injury. I remember hearing that the Yankees were inquiring about him during the season last year.

I'd hope that us picking up the entire salary would preclude getting serious prospects involved.

tmar · Veteran Presence Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 1184

Even with Byrnes gone, we don't have the budget to pay RJ's entire salary, even if we wanted to.

Bottom line, if RJ was a free agent right now, how much would we bid on him. Take that and then assume we have to give up a prospect.

Aaron · Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 6:50 pm Post subject:

I'll look into this more tomorrow when I have more time (ie when I'm at work), but I seem to remember looking this up before and that Randy had a similar K-rate to Schmidt, his WHIP was better, etc. And Schmidt just got a 3-year deal for $17MM per. I'm not saying Randy is a better pitcher than him, but it's not all that uneven either. And it's a one-year deal.

I personally believe that Randy is going to have a nice comeback season. Whether that's in a Yankee uni or not, I've beleived that all offseason.

I'll look into the numbers deeper tomorrow (although I'll bet someone beats me to the punch) with an open mind. The combination of re-acquiring him while dealing off Byrnes/getting Hairson some PT would be extremely enticing. But that's just me.

levski · Veteran Presence Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 1763

the yankees have no use for eric byrnes.

they need relief pitching, especially left handed, and a first baseman. i could see them being interested in chad tracy, but as low as chad's trade value is right now, i do not trade him for randy johnson.

i say tony clark for randy johnson. and we're cutting out own throats.

Prezkot · A-Ball Kid Joined: 30 Sep 2006 Posts: 17

That's exactly what I mean. I wasn't pushing out those crazy extremes as reasonable thought. Of course the Yankees aren't going to trade off a guy like RJ for 25 cents on the dollar and pieces they have no need for.

I'm just speculating that if for some reason, in a world where everyone is high on drugs and trading Alex Gordon for Scott Linebrink etc, that I'd do an RJ deal on those terms.
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tmar · Veteran Presence Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 1184

dirtygary · Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 9:06 pm Post subject:

I wouldn't have a problem if Randy the player came back, but the way he bailed on us after '04 was BS, and we just couldn't have him back. Plus, the gate would be up for a little while, but I think the novelty would wear off after people saw RJ as a shadow of what he was. Do we really want a washed up, 40 yr old goin out there and getting booed off the mound where he won a WS?
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tmar · Veteran Presence Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 1184

If memory serves, Randy left because we were dumping salary and he was unwilling to modify his contract to effectively take a pay cut. He was coming off of a Cy Young <robbery> year and shouldn't have accepted a pay cut.

matt · Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 11:00 pm Post subject:

That's how I remembered it going down. However, 111 losses didn't help the team keep him

NJ-DBACKS-FAN · Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 5:39 am Post subject:

shoewizard · Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 7:32 am Post subject:

TMar, Did you get a chance to see RJ pitch at alll last year? He is giving up ALOT of homeruns. 28 last year, 32 the year before that. His velocity is down 3-4 MPH on the fastball and over 5 MPH on the slider.

Remember watching guys dance out of the way on sliders they thought were going to hit them in the ankles? I don't think I saw that once in the several starts I watched last year.

tmar · Veteran Presence Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 1184

I didn't catch more than a few innings of his pitching. I was commenting totally on stats. From my interpretation of the stats he is giving up an "average" amount of HR <not to be confused with an average amount for front of rotation pitchers>.

I was just sort of blown away that the rest of his stats were as good as they were when compared to Schmidt. I'd assumed his stats were much worse.