It didn't make a whole lot of sense to give Johnson away. Sure, they dumped payroll, but you can never have enough pitching, particularly left handers.
I agree but I do see some reasoning behind this madness. Johnson only had 1 year left on his contract and I'm sure the Yankees wouldn't have extended it another year. This way, they do dump payroll (I hear they only have to pay as much as $2 million on Unit's contract. Which means, that's an extra $14 million to invest in the Rocket), and they get young pitching prospects in return. However, the Yankees are sorely gonna miss Unit's 33 starts and 17 wins. Again, Igawa and Pavano will NOT be able to fill his shoes. Clemens sure, but that's still a long shot at this point (especially starting in Spring Training like they want him to).
