Some News About Randy Johnson

...personally, I think the Unit ends up in San Diego.

I didn't realize the Diamondbacks had that kind of money to throw around anyways.

Are you serious?  So there is absolutely no chance that someone has an e-mail address and is pretending to be Randy Johnson?

I see nothing definitive...

.....credible sources printed in major newspapers.

 So no Johnson in the Desert. There's been a couple quiet rumors out here in SoCal that the Angels might be interested.

The Yankee's confirming they are trying to trade him
is  like the Godfather telling you , that you are dead to him.
USUALLY the deny the rumor and THEN trade the player in
question, they don't confirm and then say  " oh well we tried"
I don't doubt the authenticity of the e mail exchange but
it may only mean that RJ has no desire to say anything
to people e mailing him out of the blue. He may well prefer
the Padres or Dodgers who may also be interested.
Basically the Yankees want someone to take as much of
the contract as possible and who Johnson  will agree to wave
the NTC . Johnson is not a fool and it is unlikely he
will stay where he is not wanted if presented with viable
alternative. The D'backs make the most sense as he would
be a HUGE draw for them and easily justify the cost but
if he wants to go only to a contender the Yankees will have
to get an offer from another West Coast team

Sourcing?  Al, I understand you will not want to mention any names. But -- as it stands, this  'unconfirmed reply' is a bit, well -- unconfirmed.

If you have been forwarded the E-mail, and can confirm it came from (what is believed to be) Johnson's address -- I'll buy it. (I don't think Johnson is going anywhere, outside of this)

I've taken others to task over the issue of 'sourcing,' so I should be fair, and repeat the same concern now. I have also mentioned 'unnamed sources,' but in those cases, it is a direct link to an MLB employee or a relation of that MLB employee. (But, those names need to stay in my pocket.)

The Padres won't be shelling out cash for Randy Johnson. They still want another starter, but it's going to be from the bargain bin, and here's perhaps a reason why.

Let me refer you to an excerpt of a diary that I wrote for Gaslamp Ball, after a Sandy Alderson interview for a local sports-gibberish station:

(The Cubs fan had to do it, or nobody else would.)

 

And that's the Alderson update -- 5 minutes of info, but he talked for nearly 20 mins.

Doesn't sound like a guy who wants to spend any money past his budget, does it?

No players will be traded from SD on a nearly-washed up pitcher. The Padres just don't have anybody to deal off. (Why have 2 nearly washed-up pitchers in your rotation? Sorry, Maddux fans -- but I think I'll be proven right by about mid-season. I took a lot of flack for my critique of Maddux earlier, but I stand by it.)

I do not follow the D-Backs situation, but they'd be just as foolish to trade for Johnson.

So the source lives in the same area code and knows somebody who's a sister of a second-cousin of an old classmate of the guy who pumps the Unit's gas, and he got ahold of the address bigunit@hotmail.com, and he says Johnson told him he's not coming back? Is that about where we're at?

And IF it was a deal where we didn't have to give up much, I'd absolutely take a guy with his stuff on a team built for the immediate future. But that's just me.

you once questioned me "Do you believe everything you read in the papers?"

And you call this info in this post "definitive"?

Nice double standard.

I know that a lot of us say that things are definitive, or we speak in definitive terms (I know I've done it re Marquis).  But the thing is, very little in baseball is definitive.  Some of us (well, not me) may indeed have very reliable sources, but I don't see the point in saying that ANYTHING is definitive, since the only definitive thing in baseball is that nothing is definitive.  

does RJ have a no-trade clause? I don't think so.

Also, why would RJ tell the truth about how he feels about a trade to anyone? especially in an email, although I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted out of NY after all he's been through and the fact he would do better in the NL west.

finally, I don't see what this has anything to do with the cubs. I can't envision Hendry making a significant trade that would help the cubs at all, including jacque jones. i've lost faith in his capacity to do that. He'd be better off having a heart-to-heart with JJ, convincing him to stay, rather than shipping him off for shitty prospects that won't pan out for our cubs either short or long term. that's how little faith I have in Hendry. I've said from day one that Soriano should be given CF, keep Jones in RF, with a platoon, then bring up Pie to man RF when they feel like it. I think Soriano would do just fine in CF. I don't care if a RF should have better numbers than a center fielder. To me they are interchangable offensively. Let's look at what's best for the club in 2007 and beyond. It still wouldn't hurt the future. Pie has a better arm for RF than Soriano anyway. I'm tired of hearing this conventional SABR thinking that the corner OF spots have to be more productive offensively than CF, and that Soriano would be more "valuable" at 2nd base. I'm really really sick of that bullshit. Soriano would be a better CF than a second baseman. I don't care if he's had a history at 2nd and none in CF. doesn't matter. OF is so much easier and IMHO he would adapt well.