PHOENIX (AP) -- Randy Johnson, the most accomplished pitcher among this year's free agents, agreed today to a $53 million, four-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The second-year expansion team won the intense fight for the big left-hander for two main reasons: Johnson lives in nearby Paradise Valley and he believes the Diamondbacks are making moves to become a contender in a hurry.Diamondbacks owner Jerry Colangelo said Johnson would be introduced at a news conference Wednesday.
"I think there was always an interest in his part and a tug in his heart relative to playing at home," Colangelo said. "The big question was how soon could we become competitive as compared to all of these teams because of his fierce competitiveness and desire to win."
Arizona was Johnson's choice ahead of the Anaheim Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers.
Colangelo said Johnson had bigger offers but chose to stay close to home.
"For us, it's obvious there are family issues, and he's pleased to spend his life in the Valley for hopefully the rest of his baseball life," Johnson's agent, Barry Meister, told radio station KMVP in Phoenix. "But also from the top, we have a commitment that the Diamondbacks are going to do what it takes to get to the World Series and we believe that."
The average annual value of his new contract is $13.25 million, the second-highest in baseball behind the $13.33 million Mo Vaughn will get under the $80 million, six-year contract he agreed to Wednesday with Anaheim.