SCOTTSDALE - With pitchers and catchers already in camp, it looks like the Diamondbacks will be adding one more. Well, technically they aren't adding one, they are just keeping one that might have left. Trevor Cahill, who went through the worst year of his professional career in 2014, has agreed to a new two-year deal with the Diamondbacks. The deal has been reported at $2.6 million per year, a decent raise but still manageable for the organization.
Cahill is entering his seventh year as a major league pitcher, but he's still just 26 which seems amazing since most would think he was much older. He's entered a prime age for players, and most his age would be lucky to have one or two years of major league experience.
Arizona ownership seemed comfortable with letting him walk after the disaster of 2014, but with Corbin a bit of a question mark and his relative youth it looks like the team was willing to reinvest. If things don't work out there may be trade avenues available as a number of other teams expressed interest during the bidding process.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Hill Traded, Campana Injured
SCOTTSDALE - Pitchers and catchers haven't even officially reported yet, but things are already heading south for the Diamondbacks. A trade and an injury have shaken up the roster before a single D-Bat has hit the fryer.
The infield logjam became a little clearer earlier this week as Aaron Hill was traded to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for two prospects. The prospects, 2B Willi Castro and LHP Luis Lugo, are both former IFA that are quite a ways off. Castro is just 17, having signed for $825,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2013. Lugo is a little closer to the majors at 20, but the Venezuelan hurler still has some work to do to break into the big leagues. Considering how bad the Diamondbacks figure to be, the departure of Hill mostly represents a contract walking out the door. Getting anything for him was a real win for management.
The real downer came earlier this week as Tony Campana, slated to start in LF, came down with a torn ACL during a workout session. While not much of a hitter, Campana figured to be a decent defensive option with the upside of stealing bases. His departure, likely for the season, forces Marc Krauss into a starting position. The lack of OF depth may force manager Chip Hale to abandon the Yasmany Tomas Experiment at 3B as playing Jake Lamb at 3B might be a better option than Krauss in the outfield.
While Campana's injury is hardly the difference between finishing last and making the playoffs, it brings a dark cloud over a team that suffered numerous season ending injuries in 2014.
The infield logjam became a little clearer earlier this week as Aaron Hill was traded to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for two prospects. The prospects, 2B Willi Castro and LHP Luis Lugo, are both former IFA that are quite a ways off. Castro is just 17, having signed for $825,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2013. Lugo is a little closer to the majors at 20, but the Venezuelan hurler still has some work to do to break into the big leagues. Considering how bad the Diamondbacks figure to be, the departure of Hill mostly represents a contract walking out the door. Getting anything for him was a real win for management.
The real downer came earlier this week as Tony Campana, slated to start in LF, came down with a torn ACL during a workout session. While not much of a hitter, Campana figured to be a decent defensive option with the upside of stealing bases. His departure, likely for the season, forces Marc Krauss into a starting position. The lack of OF depth may force manager Chip Hale to abandon the Yasmany Tomas Experiment at 3B as playing Jake Lamb at 3B might be a better option than Krauss in the outfield.
Losing Campana makes the outfield a mess for 2015.
While Campana's injury is hardly the difference between finishing last and making the playoffs, it brings a dark cloud over a team that suffered numerous season ending injuries in 2014.
Friday, February 6, 2015
Diamondbacks Bring Back J.J. Hardy
SCOTTSDALE - With Spring Training just around the corner and Arizona's coaches already populating their facility at Salt River Fields things are starting to come together for the 2015 Diamondbacks. It isn't really clear why, perhaps it's lingering concerns over Chris Owings' shoulder, but Arizona announced the re-signing of J.J. Hardy today.
Hardy was targeted as someone expendable, especially with a $7.5 million a year salary, but it seems that ownership had a change of heart. The Dodgers, Yankees, and Brewers were in on some low level bidding as fellow shortstops Elvis Andrus and Hanley Ramirez landed big contracts. Despite the interest, Hardy returned to Arizona for less money on a two-year $9.8 million deal.
The Diamondbacks infield is fairly uncertain heading into the spring. The only player locked in is Paul Goldschmidt at first base with some combination of Aaron Hill, Chris Owings, Yasmany Tomas, Omar Infante, Blake DeWitt, and possibly Jake Lamb filling out the remaining spots. Hardy has the best chance of anyone to man shortstop with Owings being preferred at second, but who knows how things will shake out at this point.
Hardy was targeted as someone expendable, especially with a $7.5 million a year salary, but it seems that ownership had a change of heart. The Dodgers, Yankees, and Brewers were in on some low level bidding as fellow shortstops Elvis Andrus and Hanley Ramirez landed big contracts. Despite the interest, Hardy returned to Arizona for less money on a two-year $9.8 million deal.
The Diamondbacks infield is fairly uncertain heading into the spring. The only player locked in is Paul Goldschmidt at first base with some combination of Aaron Hill, Chris Owings, Yasmany Tomas, Omar Infante, Blake DeWitt, and possibly Jake Lamb filling out the remaining spots. Hardy has the best chance of anyone to man shortstop with Owings being preferred at second, but who knows how things will shake out at this point.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Diamondbacks Break Record, Sign Yoan Lopez
PHOENIX - The Arizona Diamondbacks continued their pursuit of Cuban talent by signing RHP Yoan Lopez with a record breaking bonus. Thanks to new international prospect guidelines the Diamondbacks were able to offer Lopez $8.27 million, beating the $8 million bonus given to Cuban infielder Roberto Baldoquin by the Angels about a week ago. Thanks to bonus restrictions only a small handful of teams were able to meet Lopez's price tag. The Dodgers, Padres, Yankees, and Reds were all involved in the bidding process.
Lopez, a 21-year-old Cuban defector, has taken up residence in Haiti and is training in the Dominican Republic while working out for MLB scouts. He held a showcase in November of last year and participated in a number of private workouts, and he came away impressed with Tony La Russa and the Diamondbacks organization. One surprising bit of information that has leaked out is that Arizona was not the highest bidder, so La Russa must be doing something right. He should be invited to Spring Training, but most expect he will start the 2015 in Class-A.
Lopez is a very interesting prospect with a wide arsenal of pitches and a decent build, things could change with coaching but there is a lot to work with. Lopez's best pitch is his fastball that sits in the 93-95 range with reports of him hitting 100 at times, he also uses a cutter, changeup, curveball, and a slider.
The signing of Lopez represents a risky move, but not just in terms of how he pans out as a prospect. The $8.27 million bonus, well over international signing limits for the period, essentially wipes out Arizona's ability to sign high-end prospects for the next two signing periods. The team will be limited to $300,000 bonus payments during that period, hardly anything, and with the team headed for one of the worst records in baseball it could wipe out a larger bonus pool. Once you take the future costs of signing Lopez into account, he could be the most expensive pitching prospect in history.
The Diamondbacks also announced the hiring of Ariel Prieto, also Cuban, to the Diamondbacks MLB coaching staff. Prieto will serve as a coach and a translator, the same role he served with the Oakland A's while working with Yoenis Cespedes. Prieto will likely work primarily with Arizona's other expensive Cuban import, Yasmy Tomas.
Lopez, a 21-year-old Cuban defector, has taken up residence in Haiti and is training in the Dominican Republic while working out for MLB scouts. He held a showcase in November of last year and participated in a number of private workouts, and he came away impressed with Tony La Russa and the Diamondbacks organization. One surprising bit of information that has leaked out is that Arizona was not the highest bidder, so La Russa must be doing something right. He should be invited to Spring Training, but most expect he will start the 2015 in Class-A.
Lopez is a very interesting prospect with a wide arsenal of pitches and a decent build, things could change with coaching but there is a lot to work with. Lopez's best pitch is his fastball that sits in the 93-95 range with reports of him hitting 100 at times, he also uses a cutter, changeup, curveball, and a slider.
Will Lopez be worth the trouble?
The signing of Lopez represents a risky move, but not just in terms of how he pans out as a prospect. The $8.27 million bonus, well over international signing limits for the period, essentially wipes out Arizona's ability to sign high-end prospects for the next two signing periods. The team will be limited to $300,000 bonus payments during that period, hardly anything, and with the team headed for one of the worst records in baseball it could wipe out a larger bonus pool. Once you take the future costs of signing Lopez into account, he could be the most expensive pitching prospect in history.
The Diamondbacks also announced the hiring of Ariel Prieto, also Cuban, to the Diamondbacks MLB coaching staff. Prieto will serve as a coach and a translator, the same role he served with the Oakland A's while working with Yoenis Cespedes. Prieto will likely work primarily with Arizona's other expensive Cuban import, Yasmy Tomas.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Gio Gonzalez Coming Back to Arizona
PHOENIX - After a long and drawn out bidding process Gio Gonzalez has decided to return to Arizona. Gonzalez drew initial interest from the Giants and Rangers, but the Giants dropped out after the offers started to get bigger. It looked like Texas was going to land him until the Twins stepped in and a late offer from the Pirates seemed to change his mind. Despite the flurry of offers, Gonzalez opted to stay with the Diamondbacks.
The 29-year old free agent had a disappointing 2014 season in which he posted a career low in innings pitched, strikeouts, and career high ERA since becoming a full-time starter in 2010. Gonzalez has been almost a lock for 32-33 starts since 2010, but 2014 saw him only able to take the mound 27 times.
Gonzalez and Arizona agreed to a two-year $18.4 million contract through 2016 with a team option for 2017 that would take the total to $27.6 million. The deal will take him through his age 31 season which should see him hit the market again for one more contract.
Arizona needs Gonzalez to lead their staff.
Gonzalez went 21-8 with 207K and a 2.89ERA in 2012, but has failed to return to those lofty heights since. The Diamondbacks don't expect him to repeat 2012 every year, but they will need him to pitch 200+ innings, keep his WHIP under 1.20, and win between 12-15 games (if not more) every year in order for this deal to be worth it.
The 29-year old free agent had a disappointing 2014 season in which he posted a career low in innings pitched, strikeouts, and career high ERA since becoming a full-time starter in 2010. Gonzalez has been almost a lock for 32-33 starts since 2010, but 2014 saw him only able to take the mound 27 times.
Gonzalez and Arizona agreed to a two-year $18.4 million contract through 2016 with a team option for 2017 that would take the total to $27.6 million. The deal will take him through his age 31 season which should see him hit the market again for one more contract.
Gonzalez went 21-8 with 207K and a 2.89ERA in 2012, but has failed to return to those lofty heights since. The Diamondbacks don't expect him to repeat 2012 every year, but they will need him to pitch 200+ innings, keep his WHIP under 1.20, and win between 12-15 games (if not more) every year in order for this deal to be worth it.
Friday, December 26, 2014
Diamondbacks Release 2015 Uniform Design
PHOENIX - After bizarrely unveiling new uniforms for 2014 in May the Diamondbacks seem to have decided to be more organized going forward. They did release the design after Christmas, so they probably can't count on people rushing out to buy them just yet.
The basics of the design have remained the same, the only real change is the logo font. The snake themed font from the previous rebranding is gone in favor of something more playful. The team announced that the new design was intended to invoke "Diamondback fangs" while avoiding the cartoon snake. Bringing back black was explored, but in the end the team decided to stick with red and metallic gold.
Revisions to minor league affiliates were also on the table, but management decided that the existing designs were fine as is. The Reno Aces home uniform is a favorite, but their road jerseys may get a redesign for the 2016 season.
The basics of the design have remained the same, the only real change is the logo font. The snake themed font from the previous rebranding is gone in favor of something more playful. The team announced that the new design was intended to invoke "Diamondback fangs" while avoiding the cartoon snake. Bringing back black was explored, but in the end the team decided to stick with red and metallic gold.
2015 Home Uniform
2015 Road Uniform
2015 Third Uniform
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Diamondbacks 2014-2015 Offseason
PHOENIX - The Diamondbacks 2014-2015 off-season had one extremely apparent theme; change. The changes started before last season was even over, with ownership moving on from the two GM model by firing one and keeping the other. The removal of Mr. Schroeer was just the start, not long after the front office was altered they showed manager Kirk Gibson and a number of his assistants the door. Arizona then hired Athletics bench coach Chip Hale, formerly a minor league coach with the Diamondbacks organization, to be manager. Turner Ward was promoted to Hitting Coach from Assistant Hitting Coach, and Mike Harkey takes over as Pitching Coach after six years as the Yankees' Bullpen Coach.
Once the front office and coaching staff was in order the team started rapidly tearing down the 2014 Diamondbacks to build towards a (hopefully) better future, more on that later.
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST OUTLOOK
The NL West, oddly enough, probably won't be much different in 2015. The San Francisco Giants, defending World Champions, are probably going to walk away with the division and look like a favorite to repeat as World Champions. The Giants continue to have great hitters and pitchers, it's just going to be a matter of putting things together like last year and making their roster stronger through free agency.
The only thing up in the air is who will be the worst team in the division, and it's going to be a solid four team competition. Outside of San Francisco, this could be the worst division in baseball. There are teams engineering serious rebuilds (Arizona and San Diego), a team in flux (Colorado), and an outright bad team that appears to be rudderless at the moment (Los Angeles). Of the four the Dodgers have the most potential, but it doesn't seem likely any of these teams are going to be competing for much aside from a Top 5 draft slot.
WINTER TRADE WINDS
If it wasn't nailed down, the Diamondbacks tried to trade it this year. They probably would have traded things that were nailed down if someone offered a prospect for it, but sadly they were only able to move players. Arizona effectively burned down their roster and stocked their minor league system for the future, the trades ranged from minor blockbuster to forgettable, but each one is an important move forward.
The biggest trade was one with the Chicago Cubs that saw Carlos Santana, Lonnie Chisenhall, Dayan Viciedo, Ian Kennedy, and Pat Neshek leave town. The centerpiece of the deal was OF Jesse Winker, a Top 100 prospects by many scouting services, but the addition of LHP Enny Romero and OF Billy McKinney made it hard to pass up. The deal also included C/3B Victor Caratini, C John Baker, RP Alex Torres, and RHP Mason Melotakis.
Jake Arrieta also hit the road, heading west to the Giants in exchange for prospects RHP Nick Travieso and RHP Michael Lorenzen. With Arrieta heading for free agency after the season the team opted to cash in on his 2014 season instead of risking free agency next winter.
The most satisfying trade for management was one that swapped OF Domonic Brown for OF/2B Eddie Rosario. The Twins and Diamondbacks entertained a similar trade before the 2014 season, but ultimately could not come to an agreement. Arizona has been enamored with Rosario's upside, despite his off-field issues, and hopes to see him in Phoenix soon.
The final trades before 2015 were big ones in terms of potential return. The Diamondbacks sent R.A. Dickey, Henderson Alvarez, and Didi Gregorious to the Indians in exchange for OF Austin Meadows, 2B Taylor Lindsey, and SS Yeltsin Gudino. Arizona also took on quite a bit of salary with this deal by agreeing to take on Matt Cain ($10.8 million), Ubaldo Jimenez ($3.4 million), Kevin Slowey ($2.1 million), and Omar Infante ($4.5 million). All of these contracts expire after the 2015 season, but the wasted cap space will be well worth it if Meadows, a Top 100 prospect, can develop into a star. This deal yielded even more prospects as Jimenez was immediately flipped to Toronto for two pitching prospects. He didn't even have time to hold up a Diamondbacks jersey.
Matt Adams was sent to Seattle in exchange for prospects, OF Michael Taylor and 3B Mitch Nay, and Josh Johnson's bloated contract ($8.2 million) that expires after 2015. Sources note that the Diamondbacks were after OF Raimel Tapia, but the Mariners wouldn't budge on the talented OF prospect.
ARIZONA FREE AGENCY PREVIEW
With free agency already open, the team doesn't look like it will do all that much aside from the signing of Yasmany Tomas. Tomas, a Cuban defector, was landed after a heated battle between a number of interested teams. He went into free agency as an outfielder but reports are that Arizona will give him a shot at third. Tomas agreed to a team friendly 6-year deal, 4-years followed by a 2-year mutual option, so he should be in Arizona for some time.
Ownership has openly stated that they only have one hard target during free agency; Gio Gonzalez. The team is content to let a number of 2014 regulars walk, mainly SS J.J. Hardy and Trevor Cahill, but the team is committed to bringing back their ace. Despite not having a good season in 2014 due to injuries, the team feels that Gonzalez is part of their rebuilding process. The shedding of contracts through trades has left quite a bit of cap room for the Diamondbacks, it would be surprising if they failed to ink Gonzalez to a new deal.
Some sources feel that Arizona would be willing to bring Cahill back, but it's unlikely they will want to pay the 26-year old much considering his steep decline. There are also rumors that the Diamondbacks might be interested in RP David Hernandez, who missed all of 2014 after undergoing Tommy John Surgery, but with the bullpen arms available it seems unlikely that Arizona will invest any more in relievers.
The team is also laying low for the next few years as a whopping $38 million is scheduled to come off the books after the 2015 season, and none of those players appear to be of interest. If Matt Cain returns to form it's possible they would bring him back, but it's more likely they would flip him at the trade deadline to someone interested in a starter.
PROJECTED 2015 ROSTER (WINTER)
Pending the completion of Free Agency the Diamondbacks roster looks rather spartan. A number of projected starters are just guys who happen to be around (John Baker, Tony Campana) and 2014 contributors thrust into full-season roles (Ender Inciarte, Chase Anderson, Michael Bolsinger.) Paul Goldschmidt continues to be the cornerstone of this roster, but with the way things are going he could be gone before spring training.
C - John Baker
1B - Paul Goldschmidt
2B - Omar Infante
SS - Chris Owings
3B - Yasmany Tomas (Rumored)
LF - Tony Campana
CF - David Peralta
RF - Ender Inciarte
DH - Aaron Hill
SP - Patrick Corbin
SP - Matt Cain
SP - Kevin Slowey
SP - Michael Bolsinger
SP - Chase Anderson
RP - Joakim Soria
RP - Jim Johnson
RP - Matt Reynolds
RP - Alex Torres
Hopefully Hale can bring more than 'grit' to this roster.
Once the front office and coaching staff was in order the team started rapidly tearing down the 2014 Diamondbacks to build towards a (hopefully) better future, more on that later.
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST OUTLOOK
The NL West, oddly enough, probably won't be much different in 2015. The San Francisco Giants, defending World Champions, are probably going to walk away with the division and look like a favorite to repeat as World Champions. The Giants continue to have great hitters and pitchers, it's just going to be a matter of putting things together like last year and making their roster stronger through free agency.
The only thing up in the air is who will be the worst team in the division, and it's going to be a solid four team competition. Outside of San Francisco, this could be the worst division in baseball. There are teams engineering serious rebuilds (Arizona and San Diego), a team in flux (Colorado), and an outright bad team that appears to be rudderless at the moment (Los Angeles). Of the four the Dodgers have the most potential, but it doesn't seem likely any of these teams are going to be competing for much aside from a Top 5 draft slot.
WINTER TRADE WINDS
If it wasn't nailed down, the Diamondbacks tried to trade it this year. They probably would have traded things that were nailed down if someone offered a prospect for it, but sadly they were only able to move players. Arizona effectively burned down their roster and stocked their minor league system for the future, the trades ranged from minor blockbuster to forgettable, but each one is an important move forward.
Can Winker become the future of Arizona's outfield?
The biggest trade was one with the Chicago Cubs that saw Carlos Santana, Lonnie Chisenhall, Dayan Viciedo, Ian Kennedy, and Pat Neshek leave town. The centerpiece of the deal was OF Jesse Winker, a Top 100 prospects by many scouting services, but the addition of LHP Enny Romero and OF Billy McKinney made it hard to pass up. The deal also included C/3B Victor Caratini, C John Baker, RP Alex Torres, and RHP Mason Melotakis.
Jake Arrieta also hit the road, heading west to the Giants in exchange for prospects RHP Nick Travieso and RHP Michael Lorenzen. With Arrieta heading for free agency after the season the team opted to cash in on his 2014 season instead of risking free agency next winter.
Will management be sorry they traded for Rosario?
The most satisfying trade for management was one that swapped OF Domonic Brown for OF/2B Eddie Rosario. The Twins and Diamondbacks entertained a similar trade before the 2014 season, but ultimately could not come to an agreement. Arizona has been enamored with Rosario's upside, despite his off-field issues, and hopes to see him in Phoenix soon.
The final trades before 2015 were big ones in terms of potential return. The Diamondbacks sent R.A. Dickey, Henderson Alvarez, and Didi Gregorious to the Indians in exchange for OF Austin Meadows, 2B Taylor Lindsey, and SS Yeltsin Gudino. Arizona also took on quite a bit of salary with this deal by agreeing to take on Matt Cain ($10.8 million), Ubaldo Jimenez ($3.4 million), Kevin Slowey ($2.1 million), and Omar Infante ($4.5 million). All of these contracts expire after the 2015 season, but the wasted cap space will be well worth it if Meadows, a Top 100 prospect, can develop into a star. This deal yielded even more prospects as Jimenez was immediately flipped to Toronto for two pitching prospects. He didn't even have time to hold up a Diamondbacks jersey.
Matt Adams was sent to Seattle in exchange for prospects, OF Michael Taylor and 3B Mitch Nay, and Josh Johnson's bloated contract ($8.2 million) that expires after 2015. Sources note that the Diamondbacks were after OF Raimel Tapia, but the Mariners wouldn't budge on the talented OF prospect.
ARIZONA FREE AGENCY PREVIEW
With free agency already open, the team doesn't look like it will do all that much aside from the signing of Yasmany Tomas. Tomas, a Cuban defector, was landed after a heated battle between a number of interested teams. He went into free agency as an outfielder but reports are that Arizona will give him a shot at third. Tomas agreed to a team friendly 6-year deal, 4-years followed by a 2-year mutual option, so he should be in Arizona for some time.
Will the Cuban slugger be a stud or a dud?
Ownership has openly stated that they only have one hard target during free agency; Gio Gonzalez. The team is content to let a number of 2014 regulars walk, mainly SS J.J. Hardy and Trevor Cahill, but the team is committed to bringing back their ace. Despite not having a good season in 2014 due to injuries, the team feels that Gonzalez is part of their rebuilding process. The shedding of contracts through trades has left quite a bit of cap room for the Diamondbacks, it would be surprising if they failed to ink Gonzalez to a new deal.
Some sources feel that Arizona would be willing to bring Cahill back, but it's unlikely they will want to pay the 26-year old much considering his steep decline. There are also rumors that the Diamondbacks might be interested in RP David Hernandez, who missed all of 2014 after undergoing Tommy John Surgery, but with the bullpen arms available it seems unlikely that Arizona will invest any more in relievers.
The team is also laying low for the next few years as a whopping $38 million is scheduled to come off the books after the 2015 season, and none of those players appear to be of interest. If Matt Cain returns to form it's possible they would bring him back, but it's more likely they would flip him at the trade deadline to someone interested in a starter.
PROJECTED 2015 ROSTER (WINTER)
Pending the completion of Free Agency the Diamondbacks roster looks rather spartan. A number of projected starters are just guys who happen to be around (John Baker, Tony Campana) and 2014 contributors thrust into full-season roles (Ender Inciarte, Chase Anderson, Michael Bolsinger.) Paul Goldschmidt continues to be the cornerstone of this roster, but with the way things are going he could be gone before spring training.
C - John Baker
1B - Paul Goldschmidt
2B - Omar Infante
SS - Chris Owings
3B - Yasmany Tomas (Rumored)
LF - Tony Campana
CF - David Peralta
RF - Ender Inciarte
DH - Aaron Hill
SP - Patrick Corbin
SP - Matt Cain
SP - Kevin Slowey
SP - Michael Bolsinger
SP - Chase Anderson
RP - Joakim Soria
RP - Jim Johnson
RP - Matt Reynolds
RP - Alex Torres
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