February 19, 1999 6:10 PM EST

By Doug Mittler SportsTicker Baseball Editor

JERSEY CITY, New Jersey (Ticker) -- When Roger Clemens won his unprecedented fifth Cy Young Award, he already was aware of his place in baseball history.

"This brings me a step closer to the Big House in New York -- the Hall of Fame," Clemens said modestly, as if he did not already have enough credentials to land in Cooperstown.

Clemens might just as well have been talking about another baseball shrine in the Empire State. An offseason of posturing and complaining landed him south of the border and the final destination is Yankee Stadium, where the World Series champions wanted him all along.

The New York Yankees won the Clemens sweepstakes on Thursday, landing the Texas native for the relatively modest price of David Wells, Graeme Lloyd and Homer Bush. The only real cost for the Yankees is in salary, where the addition of Clemens, who will make $16.1 million over the next two years, will push their payroll to about $85 million for 1999.

Blue Jays general manager Gord Ash was interested in younger players such as pitcher Ramiro Mendoza or outfielder Ricky Ledee before ultimately lowering his demands late Wednesday with the offer that stunned Yankees counterpart Brian Cashman.

"It made my knees buckle," said the 31-year-old Cashman, who then completed one of the biggest trades ever made by the Yankees, bringing to the Bronx the pitcher that owner George Steinbrenner has long coveted.

Throw out any sentiment for Wells and the deal makes perfect sense for the Yankees. Wells is an excellent postseason pitcher (8-1 lifetime) who has had a few excellent seasons and one perfect day. Clemens is a future Hall of Famer.

Lloyd is a competent reliever, yet the Yankees have another left-handed set-up man in Mike Stanton and can always make another deal. Bush will never see the light of day at second base in New York due to the presence of Chuck Knoblauch.

The deal might even make Steinbrenner stop complaining about losing an arbitration case to Derek Jeter earlier this week.

The 36-year-old Clemens also is a better long-term health risk than the portly Wells, a year younger but someone who has never hid his disdain for offseason conditioning.

When Wells showed up at Monday's ESPY Awards ceremony in New York, he was polishing off a candy bar. Nothing against a few sweets, but it is a good bet that Wells has invested more of his cash in Hershey's than Clemens, a workout warrior.

Clemens gives every indication of being another Nolan Ryan -- a pitcher that will still throw heat as he approaches and passes 40. He also has not been on the disabled list since straining his shoulder in 1995.

Wells could remain just as effective, but poor conditioning has a way of catching up with players late in their careers. Last spring, he had a bout with gout that Yankees officials blamed on his diet.

Much has been made of Wells' love of Yankee tradition, but he still pitched in New York for just two years and is anything but a homegrown talent.

There may not be a visiting player that showed more respect for Yankees lore than Clemens, who after winning his 200th career game at Yankee Stadium scooped up some dirt from the mound for safekeeping. When warming up for games in the Bronx, he would touch the monuments in left field.

With just one win in nine postseason starts, Clemens is appreciative of his best chance at capturing the one thing missing from his career -- a World Series title.

"I want a ring," said Clemens, who has not pitched for a team nearly as good as this current group of Yankees. "I'm amazed that people are surprised by that."

The surprise was Clemens' desire to jump ship from the Blue Jays and be traded to a "contender." While the Blue Jays may have had a quiet offseason, they still are a playoff hopeful and are not the 1999 version of the Florida Marlins.

In the wake of Kevin Brown's $105 million deal with Los Angeles, Clemens clearly wanted more money. He likely will get it from Steinbrenner, even if Thursday's trade was made without any commitment to a new contract.

But did a team that won 125 games last season really need to disrupt what was almost perfect chemistry? Maybe not. But in acquiring Clemens, the Yankees made sure the Cleveland Indians or Texas Rangers do not have him, lowering potential postseason hurdles.

The Houston Astros also were a major suitor for Clemens but would not part with pitching prospect Scott Elarton.

"We figured Roger would go to the Yankees or Houston," Indians general manager John Hart told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "I wish he went to Houston."

So did the rest of the AL.

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