MONTREAL – The Montreal Expos today acquired first baseman Nick Johnson, outfielder Juan Rivera and lefthanded reliever Randy Choate (chote) from the New York Yankees in exchange for righthanded pitcher Javier Vazquez, pending the clearance by each club's doctors. The announcement was made by Expos' Vice President and General Manager, Omar Minaya.

Johnson, a 25 year-old lefthanded power hitter, batted .284 with 14 home runs and 47 RBI in his second full season with the Yankees in 2003. He played in only 96 games because of a stress fracture of the third metacarpal bone of the right hand suffered fouling off a pitch. He was disabled from May 17 through July 25. Johnson started 60 games at first base and 34 as designated hitter. In 17 post-season games this past October, he went 12-for-56 (.214) with one home run and 5 RBI. The 6-3, 225 lb. Sacramento, CA, native was selected by the Yankees in the third round of the June 1996 draft. He is the nephew of Larry Bowa.

Rivera, 25, a righthanded batter with a strong throwing arm, was recalled twice by the Yankees last season and hit .266 with seven home runs and 26 RBI in 57 games. The 6-2, 170 lb. native of Venezuela finished the season with four home runs and eight RBI in his last five starts. The slick outfielder started 30 games in left field and 13 in right field. In 10 post-season games, he went 5-for-20 with 2 RBI. At AAA-Columbus, he batted at a .325 clip with seven home runs and 37 RBI in 79 games. He was signed by the Yankees as a free agent in April 1996.

Choate, 28, spent the '03 season at AAA-Columbus except for a four-game stint with the Yankees in April and one appearance in May, all in relief, going 0-0 with a 7.36 ERA (3 ER/3.2 IP). With the Clippers, he was 3-5 with one save and a 3.91 ERA (31 ER/71.1 IP). Lifetime in the majors, he is 3-2 with a 4.43 ERA in 82 relief appearances with the Yankees. He was selected by New York in the fifth round of the June 1997 draft out of Florida State University. The 6-2, 195 lb. native of San Antonio, TX, makes
his home in Tampa, FL.

Vazquez, 27, was 13-12 with a 3.24 ERA in 34 starts this past season. He ran his career record to 64-68 with a 4.16 ERA in 192 games (191 starts) with the Expos. In '03, he cracked the 200-strikeout plateau for the second time in his career finishing third in the league with a total of 241 K's. He ranked second in the league in innings pitched (230.2), third in ERA, tied for third in starts and tied for fifth in complete games (4). He was the Expos' fifth selection in the 1994 First-Year Player draft.

A roster move will be announced later to meet the 40-player limit.

Montreal Expos – 4 December 2003