Adam LaRoche calls the Diamondbacks his “first choice”

During an introductory conference call on Friday, new first baseman Adam LaRoche called the Diamondbacks his “first choice.”

‘This all came together obviously really fast,” LaRoche said. “There were some other options out there and to be honest with you, this was at the top of the list if we could work it out. From a contract standpoint, this was my first choice.”

Or, um, the only reasonable offer left on the table? LaRoche pretty much says as much, stating that that “offers started dwindling fast” and that he heard of Arizona’s interest early in the offseason, but didn’t hear much about them again until the past week.

LaRoche signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract with a $7.5 million mutual option for 2011. The option includes a $1.5 million buyout, so he is guaranteed $6 million. LaRoche earned $7.05 million last season.

It’s a pretty small sample size, but the 30-year-old hasn’t had much luck at Chase Field during his career, batting .238 with two home runs and eight RBI in 42 at-bats. Still, he should provide a tremendous offensive boost to a team that combined to hit just .229/.321/.398 with 19 home runs, 88 RBI and a league-worst .718 OPS out of the first base position last season.