Strawberry to Join Dodgers : Baseball: He agrees to a five-year contract that is said to make him the second-highest paid player.

Darryl Strawberry, the former Crenshaw High star, returned to his roots late Wednesday night, agreeing to a five-year contract with his hometown Dodgers.

Fred Claire, the club’s executive vice president, and attorney Bob Walker closed the deal with Strawberry and his agent, Eric Goldschmidt, at Walker’s Santa Monica office at about 11 p.m. after negotiating for six hours Tuesday and resuming talks at about 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Terms were not announced, but it was learned that the deal will make Strawberry baseball’s second-highest salaried player behind Jose Canseco, who received a five-year, $23.5-million contract from the Oakland Athletics last summer. Strawberry’s contract totals about $20.5 million.

Goldschmidt told The Times recently that Strawberry, a free agent after eight years with the New York Mets, was seeking Canseco-like numbers, and if he received them from the Dodgers he would seek no other bids.

“Darryl is ecstatic,” Goldschmidt said. “It has been his lifelong dream to play in Los Angeles in front of his family and friends.”

Said Claire: “We’re very excited to have Darryl as a member of the Dodger ballclub. He’s one of the premier players in baseball. We know he’ll make many contributions to the Dodger ballclub in the years to come.”

The addition of Strawberry, a career right fielder who has told the Dodgers he is willing to play center field, leaves the Dodgers with an excess of outfielders, including free agent Kirk Gibson, who is not expected to re-sign with the club; right fielder Hubie Brooks; left fielder Kal Daniels, and part-time center fielder Stan Javier.

“What this does,” Claire said of the agreement, “is leave us with one of the top players in the game and time to figure out our alignment.

“Obviously we have a lot of important decisions to make, but we now have considerable flexibility, and everyone associated with the team has to be excited about Darryl’s acquisition.”

This year, Strawberry, 28, enjoyed one of his best seasons as he rebounded from rehabilitation for alcohol abuse. He batted .277, hit 37 homers and drove in 108 runs.

In seven previous seasons with the Mets, he averaged 31 homers and 90 runs batted in. In three of his last four seasons he hit 37 or more homers and drove in 100 or more runs.

He was the Mets’ No. 1 selection out of Crenshaw in the June draft of 1980, and has maintained a home in Woodland Hills, often stating that it was his hope to play for the Dodgers when his contract with the Mets expired.

The Dodgers will hold a news conference for Strawberry at Dodger Stadium this afternoon.