When I think of Johnson, I always think of what could have been in Toronto. At the trade deadline in '93, the Jays were intent on grabbing a final piece to repeat as WS champions. To the chagrin of many fans they dangled their can't-miss-bluechip pitching prospect Steve Karsey as bait. A deal was close with the Mariners. Straight up for Randy Johnson. As midnight drew closer, the Mariners had yet to decide so the Jays went to Plan B and quickly agreed to trade Karsey to the A's for Rickey Henderson. Before the deal was completed, the Mariners called back and agreed to the trade. Pat Gillick confirmed that he was technically still able to back out of the Henderson deal but instead kept his word to the A's.
Now, while Henderson was generally useless with the Jays, they still won the WS. And his lead-off walk in the bottom of the 9th in game six was the tying run. So I certainly can't complain with how things worked out. But I still think about what it would have been like to have Johnson there for a chunk of the mid-to-late nineties. He and Hentgen could have been a hell of a 1-2.
Now, while Henderson was generally useless with the Jays, they still won the WS. And his lead-off walk in the bottom of the 9th in game six was the tying run. So I certainly can't complain with how things worked out. But I still think about what it would have been like to have Johnson there for a chunk of the mid-to-late nineties. He and Hentgen could have been a hell of a 1-2.
