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Brandon McCarthy signs with Arizona Diamondbacks

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While the 2012 Major League Baseball season was arguably Brandon McCarthy’s most impressive, it was also one in which he was yet again plagued by injuries.

But it was seemingly the former that the Arizona Diamondbacks took note off, as they signed the Glendale native to a two-year contract worth $15.5 million, pending a physical, on Friday.

“We were trying to target a guy that we thought was a [No.] 1, 2 or 3 [starter] and this guy was at the top of the rotation for a team last year ... that won the AL West and had one of the best records in baseball,” Arizona General Manager Kevin Towers told mlb.com.

McCarthy, a 29-year-old right-hander, was 8-6 last season through 18 starts for the Oakland Athletics, tallying a 3.24 earned-run average. However, his season came to an end Sept. 5 when he was struck in the head by a line drive hit by Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim batter Erick Aybar. McCarthy suffered a fracture of the skull and a brain contusion. McCarthy has also had a history of right elbow and right shoulder problems throughout his career.

McCarthy is likely to compete for a spot in the top of a rotation along with incumbents Ian Kennedy, Trevor Cahill and Wade Miley.

“He’s somebody we’ve been watching for a long time. We tried to sign him two years ago before Oakland did,” Towers told mlb.com. “He’s got good command of his fastball, which is paramount for us, especially in our ballpark, and it allowed us to add a veteran starter without having to move any of our young pitching depth.”

Over a seven-season career with the A’s, Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers, McCarthy is 37-39 with a 4.02 ERA.

Reportedly, the Angels, White Sox, Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox had also shown interest in McCarthy.

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