Although one should take anything MSNBC's Mike Celizic says with a grain of salt, his latest column actually makes some sense. If Randy Johnson were to be traded to Arizona, that would free up a large chunk of money ($16 Million a year) to sign, say, Barry Zito.
That amount of money just happens to be the annual salary Zito, the premier free agent on the market, wants for each of the next six years. Until now, New York has shown no interest in pursuing Zito, which is astounding, given that the Yankees have never before backed off a big name because of money.
It could also be used to free up cash for Rocket's return. Whatever Cashman does here, proves to Celizic that he actually has a game plan. The Yanks are getting younger and cheaper. I do agree, the moves the Bombers are making this year are part of what I call Cashman's perpetual motion machine; keeping the Yankees in the hunt year after year by mixing in big time stars and homegrown talent.