Randy Johnson is headed back home. According to ESPN, he is being traded for reliever Luis Vizcaino, shortstop Alberto Gonzalez, and minor league right-handers Ross Ohlendorf and Steven Jackson, with the Yankees sending $2 million to Arizona. I had, for a while, deluded myself into believing some of the rumors of this long-awaited deal. Names like Chris Carter, Micah Owings, and Conor Jackson were, it would seem, too good to be true. Instead, Grandmaster Ca$h has snagged three decent prospects and a solid, if unspectacular, reliever.

Let's get started:
Any analysis of Vizcaino's numbers will probably make you wonder if he's Scott Proctor's brother or something. He's not, but his career rates of 1.34HR/9, 3.58BB/9, and 8.10 K/9 are strikingly similar to Proctor's 1.41HR/9, 3.35BB/9, and 7.64K/9. Oddly, Vizcaino has a distinct reverse split; in the last three years, his line against LHB is .214/.305/.362, while it's a less impressive .262/.322/.458 against RHB. As long as someone tells Joe Torre this, Vizcaino could be very valuable as sort of the second lefty out of the bullpen. His presence may allow the Yankees to avoid trading Melky Cabrera for Mike Gonzalez.

Alberto Gonzalez is a stellar fielder with the footwork to play SS or 2B, but the arm to play 3B. His hitting has improved over the last two years, and he looks like he may become an adequate on-base guy, but his role in the future will likely be as a defensive specialist. According to scouting reports, he should be very good at that. Some scouts think he may develop some power if he continues to fill out his 5-11 frame, but I'm not going to count on it.

Ohlendorf is an unspectactular 24-year-old right-hander who posted a 129/29 K/BB ratio in 182.2 innings between AA and AAA last year. The control is impressive, but I doubt he'll ever miss enough bats to be a significant contributor at the major league level.

Jackson is probably the most intriguing of the bunch, a heavy groundballer with plus movement on his fastball and a slider that Scout.com describes as "devastating." He posted 125 strikeouts, 45 walks, and only 6 home runs to go along with a 2.65 ERA in 149.2 innings in AA last year.

When I heard the final terms, I was disappointed in the lack of talent. Perhaps I was dreaming of adding a young, talented catcher like Miguel Montero, but I personally think the Yankees should have used their wealth to soften Johnson's contract for Arizona, which in turn would convince Arizona to sweeten the pot of talent being sent back to New York. Alas, the Yankees seemed intent on saving money in this deal. There has been a great deal of speculation that Roger Clemens may be interested in returning to New York, and Johnson's departure could open up a great deal of salary and a rotation spot for Clemens. If Clemens elects not to return to New York, this deal becomes less exciting.

Should that be the case, however, the Yankees are left with a great deal of options. They have Phil Hughes, Tyler Clippard, Humberto Sanchez, Darrell Rasner, Jeff Karstens, Steven White, and now Ohlendorf and Jackson all major-league ready or reasonably close to it. This provides both depth and valuable trade commodities should the Yankees try to add a starting pitcher from another team. If nothing else, this deal makes the organization more flexible, and flexibility makes Ca$hmoney's job easier in the future.

But here's hoping for a return of the Texas Con Man.

Grade: C