Yankees to send Johnson back to Arizona

NEW YORK -- Randy Johnson is headed back to the Arizona Diamondbacks after two unfulfilling years with the New York Yankees that began with a nasty sidewalk confrontation and ended with a messy playoff loss.

The Yankees reached a tentative agreement with Arizona on Thursday to trade Johnson to Arizona for reliever Luis Vizcaino and three minor leaguers, a move that allows the Big Unit's agents to get him a contract extension.

Arizona general manager Josh Byrnes confirmed what he called "an agreement in principle" but did not identify the players that would go to the Yankees.

New York would receive Vizcaino and minor league right-handers Ross Ohlendorf and Steven Jackson, and shortstop Alberto Gonzalez, a baseball official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Yankees also would pay $2 million of Johnson's $16 million salary this year.

Teams are granted a 72-hour window by the commissioner's office to close tentative deals.

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

"We're going to start talking tomorrow," said Alan Nero, who represents Johnson along with Barry Meister. "We have a conference call set up."

Johnson, a five-time Cy Young Award winner, never seemed to fit in during two seasons with the Yankees, starting with when he put his long right arm up to block a television camera and said "Get out of my face, that's all I ask" as he walked from his midtown Manhattan hotel to his physical.

He was jovial during spring training but often turned taciturn when games that counted began. At 6-foot-10, he stands out in any clubhouse, especially so at Yankee Stadium, where he seemed to be a loner during times reporters were allowed in.

He went 34-19 during the regular season with New York, pitching much of the time with back pain that caused him to have surgery in October. But unforgiving fans focused on his 0-1 record with a 6.92 ERA in three postseason appearances.