Report: Josh Johnson prefers to sign with Giants or Padres

Josh Johnson is looking for a rebound season, and it could come with the Giants or Padres. (Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Free-agent starter Josh Johnson let the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants know early on in the free-agent process that he would prefer to pitch for one of the teams, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chroniclereported on Monday.

Johnson is looking for a rebound season after struggling mightily in 2013 with the Toronto Blue Jays. In 16 games — all starts — he went just 2-8 with a 6.20 ERA and 1.66 WHIP. Before last year, however, the 29-year-old Johnson hadn't finished a full season with an ERA higher than 3.81.

Both San Francisco and San Diego have pitcher-friendly parks that would seemingly lay the groundwork for a comeback season. And both places, as Schulman notes, are closer to Johnson's home in Las Vegas.

The Giants were close to a separate move on Monday to upgrade their pitching staff, reportedly nearing agreement on a two-year contract with starter Tim Hudson.

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