"Washing his car in the driveway of his home south of Seattle on Friday evening, Lyle Overbay jumped a little when his cell phone rang for the third time that day.

"I knew something was going on," he said.

What was going on was this: the Diamondbacks wanted to sign the left-handed hitting first baseman they drafted in the 18th round of the 1999 draft. He became available after he was cut loose by the Pirates earlier this month.

The signing was necessitated when first baseman Xavier Nady went on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured left hand after getting hit by a pitch. Nady, who ran the bases after he was hit and did not realize he had suffered a fracture, was scheduled for a medical consultation late Saturday afternoon.

In a related move, right-handed pitcher Juan Jaime for assignment.

Overbay said he was excited by the offer.

"It feel good," Overbay said. "I'm excited, couldn't be in a better position right now. This is coming into a playoff atmosphere, and I just want to enjoy the ride. It's really unfortunate for X. You don't wish that upon anybody."

Manager Kirk Gibson said the organization felt Overbay, 34, would be a good fit, adding that there had been discussions about adding a left-handed hitter."