The Diamondbacks signed second baseman Kelly Johnson to a one-year, $2.35MM deal today. They'll also retain his rights for 2011 as an arbitration-eligible player. The impending agreement was first reported yesterday by Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. This morning SI's Jon Heyman tweeted that an agreement had been reached, and Piecoro later added the contract value. Piecoro also wrote yesterday that signing Johnson could make Augie Ojeda expendable.
Johnson, 28 in February, lost the Braves' starting second baseman job to Martin Prado in July and hit .224/.303/.389 overall. He spent time on the DL for right wrist tendinitis. MLBTR learned earlier this month that the Pirates, Cardinals, and Astros also had interest in Johnson, who was non-tendered by the Braves on December 12th.
