Big Unit back to Arizona

[mets2k]

ESPN.com - MLB - Yankees have tentative deal to send Unit to D-Backs

NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks reached a tentative agreement Thursday on a trade that would send Randy Johnson to Arizona, a move that allows the Big Unit's agents to get him a contract extension.

The teams informed the commissioner's office of the specifics of the trade, a baseball official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made.

Arizona would send pitcher Luis Vizcaino to the Yankees along with minor league pitcher Ross Ohlendorf and shortstop Alberto Gonzalez, another baseball official said, also on condition of anonymity. The Yankees also might receive another minor league pitcher, the official said, and would pay between $1.5 million and $2 million of Johnson's $16 million salary this year.

A source told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark the unidentified minor league pitcher was Steven Jackson.

The Yankees also had discussed trading Johnson to San Diego.

Teams are granted a 72-hour window by the commissioner's office to close tentative deals, but it was not clear when that time would begin.

"When we have been granted that window, we would be willing to discuss everything with the Diamondbacks," said Alan Nero, who represents Johnson along with Barry Meister. "Once that window is open, we will do our best to work out a deal."

Newsday reported Thursday that Johnson had agreed in principle through "back-channel conversations" to a $10 million contract extension for 2008.

Arizona also might want to rework the slightly more than $44 million it must pay Johnson for 2007-12. Johnson pitched for the Diamondbacks from 1999-2004 and deferred parts of his salaries during those years.

Vizcaino, a 32-year-old right-hander, was 4-6 last season with 3.58 ERA in 70 games. He has a 25-23 career record with a 4.24 ERA in eight seasons, playing for Oakland, Milwaukee, the Chicago White Sox and Arizona.

Ohlendorf, a 25-year-old who went to Princeton, was 10-8 with a 3.29 ERA at Double-A Tennessee last season and 0-0 with a 1.28 ERA at Tucson.

Gonzalez, a 24-year-old right-handed hitter, batted .290 in 129 games with Tennessee with six homers, 50 RBI and 20 doubles. He also hit .200 (3-for-15) in four games with Tucson.

Jackson, 24, was 8-11 with a 2.65 ERA in 24 starts at Tennessee.

Johnson was 17-11 with a 5.00 ERA last season, and the 43-year-old left-hander is coming off back surgery on Oct. 26. Although he has gone 34-19 during the regular season in two years with the Yankees, he is 0-1 with a 6.92 ERA in three postseason appearances.

Johnson, who lives in the Phoenix area, went 103-49 with the Diamondbacks and helped them beat the Yankees in the 2001 World Series, going 3-0 against New York.