D-backs’ Hall wants Goldschmidt to finish career in Arizona

It is becoming much more rare for players in professional sports to play for the same franchise for the entirety of their career.

Next season, Kevin Durant will wear blue and gold for the Golden State Warriors and Dwyane Wade will take his talents to the Chicago Bulls.

Durant had played for the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise for nine seasons, while Wade was a member of the Miami Heat for 13 seasons. The Thunder and Heat received nothing in compensation for the loss of their respective stars.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are taking notes on this and are looking at extending Paul Goldschmidt, who is under team-control through the 2019 season.

D-backs president Derrick Hall told Doug and Wolf on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Thursday how he’d like the first baseman to don a D-back jersey for the rest of his career.

“He encompasses everything we want in all of our players,” Hall said. “He’s a great role model. It’s somebody you want as a D-back for life. It has to be willingness from both sides. It’s great that he continues to produce with four straight All-Star games. I think he’s going to be an MVP, he deserves it.”

Hall’s desire to keep Goldschmidt in Sedona Red may stem from team’s past, when Randy Johnson — arguably the most recognizable player in franchise history — did not finish his career with the D-backs.

Johnson pitched for Arizona between 1999 and 2004, finishing with a 103-49 record and a 2.65 ERA in the six-year stint. He won four Cy Young awards and was the co-MVP of the 2001 World Series.

After two years with the New York Yankees, Johnson returned to the Valley of the Sun for two seasons.

In his second stint with the D-backs, he went 15-13 with a 3.89 ERA, while passing Roger Clemens to take second place on the all-time strike out leaders list.

The 15 wins brought his career win total to 295, and though the 300-win milestone was in sight, he was not brought back for a third season as the two sides were unable to come to a contract agreement.

Instead, Johnson finished his career with the San Francisco Giants, with whom he won eight games, including win No. 300.

While it is unclear if not bringing Johnson back will impact the Goldschmidt situation, Hall regrets how things transpired with the Big Unit back in 2009.

“I do think we could have spent a little more to keep him here. It took a little time for us to bridge that gap and build that relationship back,” Hall said. “Thank goodness he’s with us now contributing and in the organization. At times like that we have to think what’s best for not only the player, but also for the organization.”