Expos general manager Omar Minaya denied a published report that Montreal will deal ace Bartolo Colon to the Yankees for first baseman Nick Johnson and outfielder Juan Rivera, according to an official statement on the Expos' Web site.

	Bartolo Colon Starting Pitcher Montreal Expos Profile
	2002 SEASON STATISTICS GM W-L IP H SO ERA 33 20-8 233.1 219 149 2.93

The New York Post reported a deal between the two clubs was close to happening in Thursday's editions.

"There is no truth to the (story)," Expos team spokesman Matt Charbonneau said on the team's Web site.

Newsday, citing unnamed sources, also reported Thursday that the Yankees' trade discussions for Bartolo Colon would also include Orlando Hernandez as well as top prospects Johnson and Rivera.

The Expos told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark that Montreal hasn't decided yet whether to trade Colon. The Expos won't know their payroll budget until the players' union officially approves (or rejects) MLB's decision to play those games in Puerto Rico.

If, as expected, they have to trade a player or two to meet that budget, they are said to be undecided about whether to deal Colon, who will make $8.5 million next year in his final season before free agency. According to one source, they're likely to listen to offers on just about everybody, then try to weigh the various financial savings versus players they could get back.

Colon, acquired June 27 from Cleveland, was 10-4 with a 3.31 ERA for the Expos and went 20-8 with a 2.93 ERA in 33 starts overall.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.