PHOENIX — Free-agent pitcher Jon Garland and the Arizona Diamondbacks have reached a preliminary agreement on a one-year contract that includes a club option for 2010, a deal that would guarantee the pitcher about $7 million.
Garland must pass a physical for the agreement to be completed, a person familiar with the talks said Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the contract had not been finalized. Garland would earn about $6.25 million this year.
His agreement was first reported by The Arizona Republic.
The 29-year-old would fill a void in the rotation created when the Diamondbacks decided not to re-sign lefty Randy Johnson.
Garland is 106-89 with a 4.47 ERA in nine seasons, the first eight with the Chicago White Sox. He has pitched at least 191 innings and made at least 32 starts each of the last seven years.
Last year, he went 14-8 with a 4.90 ERA for the Los Angeles Angels, his highest ERA in a full season.
Garland has spent his entire career in the American League. He has made two postseason appearances, both with the White Sox in 2005. He went 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA, with a complete-game victory coming over the Angels in the AL championship series.
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