Yankees Give Brown His Ticket to Bronx Zoo

The New York Yankees got the pitcher they wanted Friday and Kevin Brown kept his private jet.

The Dodgers completed a deal to send their ace to the Yankees for right-hander Jeff Weaver, two minor leaguers and $3 million as Yankee owner George Steinbrenner resolved the issues of Brown’s contract perks, including the use of a chartered jet for the six-time All-Star and his family, baseball sources familiar with the negotiations said. The clubs are expected to officially announce the deal today at the winter meetings here.

Brown agreed to waive his no-trade clause after the Yankees secured jet service under the terms of his seven-year, $105-million contract and addressed a clause that grants him high-priced seats at games. Team physicians still must exchange medical information before the commissioner’s office can approve the trade.

A jet was the main sticking point in a major hot-stove league deal that finally got off the runway.

“Part of the reason Kevin’s contract is not simplistic is because he’s had a great career,” said Dodger General Manager Dan Evans, who won’t comment on the trade until it’s officially finalized.

“With that sometimes comes a complicated contract.”

The issue of the jet was more complicated than the Yankees and Dodgers had anticipated, the sources said.

Trying to address Brown’s concerns about playing for a team so far from his family’s home in Macon, Ga., News Corp. in 1999 included the use of a chartered jet in the then-record-setting contract Brown signed. In assuming the $30 million Brown is owed under the remaining two seasons of his contract, the Yankees also agreed to take on the jet service, which is valued at about $600,000 per season.

The Dodgers had to end a contract with the charter company that had transported Brown, his wife, Candace, and their three sons, Ridge, Grayson and Dawson.

The Dodgers didn’t want to be on the financial hook for backing out of that deal, sources said, and the Yankees had other concerns.

According to the language in Brown’s current contract, he and his family will continue to receive 12 private jet trips, and ground transportation, from their home to the site of regular-season games and postseason road games.

The Yankees had to find an East Coast-based charter service that would meet Brown’s requirements while maintaining the overall value of his contract per union rules.

That was somewhat problematic, the sources said, because a round-trip flight from Macon, Ga., to the West Coast is more expensive than to New York.

And although Steinbrenner has a reputation for spending whatever it takes to win, the Yankees weren’t accustomed to providing “Hollywood-type” perks for their players.

Ultimately, the owner agreed to do it for Brown, hammering out an agreement with a charter company Friday evening, leaving only the ticket issue.

Brown’s contract calls for him to receive eight premium season tickets for each home game. Premium seats are worth more at Yankee Stadium than at Dodger Stadium, but Steinbrenner wanted his new No. 1 starter to be happy, so he made seating adjustments at The House That Ruth Built.

“The nature of these things is that you have to walk through them and address them point by point,” agent Scott Boras said. “Teams realize that there are issues they face with premier players that they don’t face with others, but that’s why they’re premier players.”

While helping wrap up the Brown deal, Evans maintained his pursuit of a right-handed batter to bolster the Dodgers’ major league-worst offense.

He remains highly interested in acquiring All-Star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra of the Boston Red Sox, team sources said, and catcher Ivan Rodriguez and other high-profile free agents are viable options because the Dodgers have slashed $33.75 million from last season’s $115-million payroll.

And although the St. Louis Cardinals are reluctant to move outfielder J.D. Drew for one of the Dodger starters, baseball officials with other clubs said the Dodgers still have enough pitching depth to fill one of their lineup holes through a trade.

“We had a couple of conversations with clubs that were interesting,” Evans said. “And there were some that were a little bit more aggressive than I had anticipated.”