Johnson trade is called off

Randy Johnson may be built like a pinstripe, as someone noted in the last few days, but that doesn't mean he'll be wearing any, regardless of how much he likes the fit.

In a startling but not altogether unexpected development, the ballyhooed three-team, 10-player deal in which the New York Yankees were supposed to acquire Johnson from the Arizona Diamondbacks was called off yesterday by the third party in the transaction, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Newsday, citing a source involved in the discussions, reported on its website last night that Yankees righthander Javier Vazquez does not want to play for the Dodgers and refused to travel to Los Angeles for a physical. The report said Vazquez's decision was the primary reason for the deal's collapse.

Paul DePodesta, the Dodgers' first-year general manager who had voiced reservations over the weekend about whether the proposed swap contained sufficient rewards for his team, announced in a conference call with reporters that the club had withdrawn from the agreed-upon deal, which was awaiting commissioner Bud Selig's seal of approval before proceeding to its final stages.

"The deal is no more," DePodesta said. "The [media] reports were ahead of where we were. I was saying all along I wouldn't do a deal unless it made sense for our '05 club. At the end of the day, I feel that wasn't the case." Despite the collapse of the trade, Johnson eventually could find his way to the Yankees. They remain the only team to which he will agree to a trade and Arizona probably would not want to keep him under these circumstances, knowing that he would prefer to be in New York.DePodesta said the deal was terminated during a call between Yankees president Randy Levine, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, the Boston real estate tycoon, and Diamondbacks CEO-elect Jeff Moorad. "I probably put an end to it," DePodesta said. "Ultimately, this deal in itself wasn't working out. I don't want to get into details. It's not fair to all of the parties involved. It definitely was not financial. There were a lot of contingencies and a lot we didn't get to."

Johnson, 41, a five-time Cy Young Award winner who last season pitched the 17th perfect game in major league history, was supposed to become the centerpiece of a transformed Yankee starting rotation that will include new faces Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright in 2005. It was understood that he would waive his no-trade clause to allow Arizona to send him to the Yankees, who enlisted the Dodgers to generate the players needed to satisfy the Diamondbacks in the trade.

The proposed deal would have sent Dodgers slugger Shawn Green, pitcher Brad Penny, setup man Yhency Brazoban, and minor leaguer Brandon Weeden to the Diamondbacks. The Yankees would have sent Vazquez, a huge disappointment in New York after coming in a trade from Montreal, to the Dodgers, along with two top prospects, catcher Dioner Navarro and third baseman Eric Duncan. The Dodgers also would have received reliever Mike Koplove from the Diamondbacks, while the Yankees would have, in addition to Johnson, acquired lefthander Kazuhisa Ishii.

Selig's approval was necessary, as it was in last winter's Yankee acquisition of Alex Rodriguez, because more than $1 million was involved. The Dodgers had agreed to send around $3 million to the Yankees to help offset the cost of Ishii's contract.

But the Dodgers, already reeling from the loss of two key members of their playoff-qualifying team of last October, center fielder Steve Finley and third baseman Adrian Beltre, both of whom signed elsewhere as free agents, had reservations about losing a third big hitter, Green, without having a replacement. The Dodgers were believed to have been trying to sign free agent outfielder J.D. Drew, but had competition from other teams, including the Orioles and Tigers.

"In the big picture, there were certainly things in this deal that didn't work out. It was tentatively agreed upon, but there were still details that needed to be worked through," DePodesta said.

"The media got out ahead of reality. I'm disappointed in the way it was handled. The names got out and there wasn't even a deal done. It definitely concerns me."

DePodesta said it was possible the trade could be resurrected, but he likely wouldn't be the one to initiate additional talks.

"Probably only if they call us," he said. "I don't think we'll actively pursue, but if they come after us, I'm sure we'll listen, as we would in any other case."

Yankees officials, who were meeting yesterday with free agent center fielder Carlos Beltran, weren't available following DePodesta's announcement. Diamondbacks officials didn't return calls seeking comment.

By pulling out at the last moment, the Dodgers were leaving themselves open to charges of reneging on an agreement. The expectation is that Yankees owner George Steinbrenner will be heard on the matter.

Material from wire services was used in this report.