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Wednesday, November 25, 1998
Astros drop effort to re-sign Johnson after
Rangers' offer
HOUSTON (AP) - Randy Johnson turned out to be a rent-a-pitcher
after all.
The Houston Astros, who traded for the 6-foot-10 left-hander
with two months remaining in the 1998 season, decided Tuesday
not to further attempt to re-sign him after an agent said Johnson
only would sign a four-year deal.
"It's going to clearly take a fourth year to remain in
this competition, and we were not prepared to do so at this time,"
Astros general manager Gerry Hunsicker said.
Johnson's agents, Barry Meister and Alan Nero, have made it
clear all along that they are seeking a three- or four-year contract.
The Texas Rangers upped the ante Monday with a four-year offer,
reportedly for about $50 million.
The Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Anaheim Angels, San Diego
Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers are considered contenders for Johnson,
who is expected to make his decision soon.
Both the Astros and Johnson's representatives said the parting
was amicable.
"We discussed the term of the contract and that a number
of clubs we talked to had (made four-year offers)," Meister
said. "For lots of club-related reasons, the Astros didn't
think they could do that. We kind of mutually wished each other
well and talked about what a great run Randy had with the Astros."
Houston's first and only bid was for a three-year, $33 million
deal. Hunsicker and Astros owner Drayton McLane Jr. said Tuesday
that club officials wrestled with whether to offer another year
but decided against it.
"You just take such a big risk," McLane said. "If
for some reason Randy were not able to pitch at a high level,
it just paralyzes the team because you have so much money wrapped
up in someone not producing at an extremely high level."
McLane speaks from experience. The Astros became saddled with
the long-term contracts of pitchers Doug Drabek and Greg Swindell
after signing the Houston-rooted players to expensive contracts
in 1993.
"They pitched OK, but at those salary levels they need
to pitch terrific. You've got to pitch phenomenally," McLane
said.
Johnson's brief stint as an Astro began July 31, when the team
traded prospects to the Seattle Mariners for help in the stretch
run. Johnson had asked for a trade after Seattle refused to extend
his contract following the 1997 season.
Unhappy and relatively unproductive for most of the season,
the fireballer returned to form in Houston. He was 10-1 with a
1.26 ERA in 11 starts, striking out 116 and walking 26 in 84 1-3
innings.
However, the Astros lost both of his starts during a first-round
playoff loss to San Diego. Though Hunsicker admits the Astros
probably would have won the NL Central Division without Johnson,
he said he'd make the deal again.
"When we made this trade, we went into it with our eyes
wide open and didn't think about 1999," Hunsicker said. "I
think we got our money's worth. We took a gamble worth taking."
Texas, conversely, appears eager to gamble on Johnson's powerful
left arm through the 2002 season.
"I think we're more than in the middle of this,"
Rangers general manager Doug Melvin said. "I think we're
down to one of the finalists."
Rangers owner Tom Hicks spent about an hour Monday personally
trying to woo Johnson.
The Astros have no immediate plans to pursue another big-time
free agent, Hunsicker said. The team last week acquired former
Padres third baseman Ken Caminiti, who signed a two-year deal
with a club option for a third year potentially worth a total
of $15 million.
McLane said the Caminiti signing had nothing to do with the
Johnson decision.
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