Randy Johnson
Mariners Magazine: Volume 4, Issue 2 (1993)
In an
interview with the
Philadelphia Daily News,
Phillies legend
John Kruk reminded fans that the Phillies almost acquired
the best left handed pitcher of his generation at the
1993 trade deadline.
I remember the buzz about this very well. I had just turned 13, and the rumors circulating in late July were centered around
Randy Johnson and the
Seattle Mariners. The newspapers at the time had narrowed down the
Mariners most likely trade partners to be the
Yankees and the
Phillies. The
Yankees were reported to have offered pitcher
Bob Wickman and a prospect, and the
Mariners were said to have been asking for
Curt Schilling from the
Phillies.
If the Mariners really were demanding
Curt Schilling, I can understand the
Phillies not making the trade. The
Phillies ace was 26 years old (three years younger than
Randy Johnson) and in the middle of a dominant season that would lead the
Phillies to the
World Series. Meanwhile,
Randy Johnson was getting roughed up before the trade deadline with a record of 0-3 and a 7.36 ERA in five starts in July 1993. In hindsight,
Johnson is unquestionably the better pitcher and had a better 1993 season than
Schilling, but in the context of the moment, it's understandable that the
Phillies would pass on the opportunity to trade one ace for another.
 |
| Source: Philadelphia Daily News - August 11, 2011 |
If
John Kruk's recollection is correct, the
Phillies could have had
The Big Unit for
Mike Lieberthal and/or
Tyler Green, but
Phillies GM
Lee Thomas wouldn't part with them to make the deal. If this is true, it's heartbreaking news. A Phillies rotation of
Randy Johnson,
Curt Schilling and
Terry Mulholland would have mowed down the
Blue Jays in the
'93 World Series to give the Phillies their second World Championship season. However, the Associated Press reported a different side to the story in August 1993. According to
Mariners manager
Lou Piniella, the team had trade offers on the table from both the
Yankees and the
Phillies, but the
Mariners chose not to make the deal.
Piniella didn't mention names, so it's possible that the
Phillies were unwilling to offer up their young pitching and catching prospect, or it's possible that they were offered, but the
Mariners didn't bite. The fact that Seattle didn't come to an arrangement with either club, and that they didn't end up trading him until five years later, leads me to believe that it was the
Mariners, not the
Phillies, who decided not to pull the trigger on a trade and chose to hang on to their ace.
 |
| Source: The Spokesman Review (Spokane, WA) - August 2, 1993 |
We'll probably never know for sure what offer the
Phillies made for
Randy Johnson in the summer of '93, or what it would have taken for the trade to happen, but the dream of having
Johnson and
Schilling hoisting up the
World Series trophy for the
'93 Phillies will be talked about in Philadelphia for generations to come.
