Josh Johnson Has Giants and Padres Atop His List
Is Josh Johnson choosing his suitor?
John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
UPDATE: 11/20/2013, 1:04 AM ET: Per Corey Brock of MLB.com, Johnson and the San Diego Padres have reportedly agreed on a one-year, $8MM deal.
UPDATE: 2:32 PM ET: This tweet just hit Twitter…
Pirates are finalists for the services of free agent RHP Josh Johnson, according to his agent. Agent says he's considering "3 or 4" teams
— Travis Sawchik (@Travis_Sawchik) November 19, 2013
This was the original tweet that caught my eye…
Industry sources tell me FA starter Josh Johnson let the #sfgiants and #padres know early on they were his first choice, close to Vegas home
— Henry Schulman BLUE CHECK MARK (@hankschulman) November 18, 2013
This is interesting on a couple of different fronts.
One, it’s no secret that San Francisco’s AT&T Park and San Diego’s PETCO Park are two of baseball’s more pitcher-friendly stadiums. The opportunity to start half of your games in such a facility should aid in his stat line.
Two, curious that other teams were mentioned like Oakland and Arizona. Not discounting what Schulman’s sources are telling him one bit. It’s not like Oakland is all that much farther way from Vegas than San Francisco. Pitchers park, too.
But the bottom line on Oakland could be the money. Wait. It is the money.
So why not Arizona? Phoenix is about the distance from Vegas as San Diego (according to Webflyer.com). And no mention of either LA team? They’re even closer than Phoenix and San Diego. The Dodgers don’t exactly need him. The Angels are somehow limited on funds – unless we’re being fed a line.
Then again, these other teams I have mentioned might not have a strong interest in Johnson, if any at all.
With his medical history, Johnson could pose a risk unless the money is just right for any team. No question that when Johnson is healthy, he’s one of the game’s best starters. An eight-figure salary seems like a slight stretch, but the price of starting pitching is certainly on the high side, injury or not. Johnson made almost $14MM last season in Toronto.