Seems like only last week Davey Johnson was declaring "John's my guy."
Note that Davey didn't say anything about Lannan being Rizzo's guy. And you can't blame John Lannan for asking to be traded in an email to real, live, professional beat reporters who cover the Nationals:
"I know what my rights and the team's rights are, and while I am still a member of the Washington Nationals organization, I let Mike know that I believe a trade would be the best solution for everyone in both the short and long term. ...
This transaction will not change who I am or how I approach my business. I will continue to prepare myself for the season and look forward to the opportunity to pitch for a major-league team in the near future. I appreciate the space that you have given me over the past 24 hours. This will be the last time that I make any public comments on yesterday's transaction or my future with the Nationals' organization. My focus from here on out will be on playing the game that I love and demonstrating the professionalism that I have exhibited throughout my career." (John Lannan, via Nats Insider, 4/4/2012)
Something isn't adding up here. Rizzo kept saying for weeks during ST that he wasn't shopping Lannan, but hinted that teams were calling; later Rizzo claimed that there was only "mild" interest in Lannan from around the league. Now he's got a disgruntled player on his hands, which only serves to decrease Lannan's trade value. Goodbye leverage!
It doesn't add up. (Memo to Mike Rizzo: this isn't going to help with dealing Lannan to the Yankees. And what about those rumors of Lannan-Flores to the Yankees a few weeks ago just before Pettite unretired, which got so "real" Lannan had his wife relocate from Viera to the Tampa Grand Hyatt where apparently lots of the Yankees wives stay?)
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