Randy Johnson

[Derek Jeter]

So, any thoughts of the RJ for Linebrink trade?

[Blowfly]

No way is Linebrink way to valuable to give up for a 17 million dollar pitcher. If they were going to eat half of his salary it would be more attractive.

[DoubleX]

I'm not a big Johnson fan at all, but I think this could be a potentially good trade for the Padres, depending on what else they'd have to give up. Johnson is certainly past his prime, but he still does flash his old dominance at times, and despite his age, he still eats a lot of innings which I think is the most valuable thing a good starter can do and is what makes a good starter much more valuable than a good reliever, IMO. However, that begs the question of whether Johnson is still a good starter. Based on last season, the answer is no. But he did have a pretty good year in '05 considering he went back to the AL. I think going back to the NL, where he would face weaker lineups (no DHs, less good hitting catchers) and pitch a substantial number of games in pitching friendly Petco, I believe he can give the Padres 200+ innings and be a solid, if not good, no. 2 starter behind Jake Peavy (or perhaps no. 3 depending on the Chris Young). Come crunch time, having Johnson as a no. 2 (or 3), being able to eat 7 quality innings, would be a huge boost for the Padres and could make a bigger difference than Linebrink could make out of the pen.

Linebrink also regressed somewhat last year. At his age, it could certainly just be a blip, but it could also be a sign. In baseball, you're often only as good as your last season. Plus the emergence of Cla Meredith makes Linebrink at least somewhat expendable as the team already has a quality replacement. So in essence, trading Linebrink would not leave the Padres with a giant void in the bullpen.

So I think having Linebrink as the centerpiece in a deal would be a good deal for the Padres as Randy Johnson returning to the NL would likely provide a bigger difference than Linebrink could provide. But I wouldn't include much else after that, probably just a prospect (perhaps two depending on quality), and I would certainly want the Yankees to pick up some of Johnson's contract.

[padresrule 500]

the padres rule and i really dont like the yankees. i like linebrink, but to trade him for randy johnson, i would happily trade that. =-)