Dodgers kills Yankees' bid for Johnson

NEW YORK, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles Dodgers have backed out of a three-way trade that would have sent pitching ace Randy Johnson to the Yankees.

There had been widespread anticipation the Dodgers, Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks would send a signed agreement to Commissioner Bud Selig's office so he could approve the deal, which would put Johnson in Yankee pinstripes, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

Instead, the Dodgers' owner Frank McCourt informed Randy Levine, the Yankees' president, and the Arizona ownership Tuesday he wanted out of the trade.

The Yankees then began negotiating exclusively with the Diamondbacks for Johnson.