Johnson, Yankees Agree to Extend Contract

Five-time Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson waived his no-trade clause Thursday in exchange for a two-year, $32-million contract extension from the New York Yankees, who inched closer to completing the trade that would bring Johnson to the Bronx.

If the Yankees are satisfied with the results of next week’s physical examination of Johnson, they will send pitchers Javier Vazquez and Brad Halsey, catcher Dioner Navarro and $9 million to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for the 41-year-old left-hander. The physical is scheduled for Monday, the news conference for Tuesday, both in New York.

Johnson, who had a 16-14 record and 2.60 ERA for the last-place Diamondbacks last season, would turn 44 in the final weeks of his contract, worth $48 million over three years, including the extension.

The Yankees have not won a World Series since 2000, most recently because of weaknesses in their starting pitching. Adding the hard-throwing Johnson, and ending George Steinbrenner’s decade-long obsession with acquiring him, would give the Yankees one of the better rotations in baseball.

Since losing Game 7 of the American League championship series to the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees have traded for Johnson and signed free agents Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright. Mike Mussina and Kevin Brown are the holdovers. Brown will be 40 on opening day and Mussina 36.