2015 NL West Preview

The NL West Champion is pretty clear with 162 games to go, it would take an act of God for the Giants to drop the division this year. Despite all of that, they still play the games, so anything can happen.

Only the Giants made the playoffs in 2014, with Arizona missing out after losing Goldschmidt for the end of the season. That won't be an issue this year with Arizona, Los Angeles, Colorado, and San Diego setting their sights on the future. Non-San Francisco NL West fans should hit up Baseball America or ESPN and bone up on the 2016 draft class, they are going to be drafting early.

NL West Projected Finish

#1 San Francisco Giants (100-62) : The Giants are simply loaded, again, and barring any injuries will be a favorite to win the World Series for a second time. The Giants wheeled and dealed this offseason to unload some contracts and got younger on offense. Chris Davis and Robinson Cano are gone in favor of Jason Kipnis, Rusney Castillo, and J.D. Martinez. They also added Felix Hernandez, who can replace David Price after he left for free agency. They have one of the most solid offenses in baseball and the deepest rotation, it looks like only the Cubs have the firepower to stop them from repeating as World Champions. They headed into free agency with $14.6 million to spend, but instead of spending on free agents they made some moves and brought in Miguel Cabrera.

Bumgarner could unseat Clayton Kershaw as the NL Cy Young winner. 

#2 Arizona Diamondbacks (76-84) : Faint praise, but the Diamondbacks might be the second best team in this division again. The gap in wins between #1 and #2 is going to be significantly wider than #2 and #5, and to be honest anybody from 2-5 could easily finish last in the division. The only thing holding this team up is having some high-upside hitting and starting pitchers. Paul Goldschmidt has MVP potential, and Yasmany Tomas could be a real surprise. An entire season of David Peralta and Chris Owings might just be enough to boost this team from worst to almost-worst. Gio Gonzalez should have a bounce back season, and Patrick Corbin might help after the All Star break, but beyond them this rotation is a real launching pad.

Will Goldschmidt finally lift the MVP Award?

#3 Los Angeles Dodgers (72-90) : This is where projecting the standings gets hard, but the Dodgers get a small edge for having a slightly more complete roster. They still have a big name in Prince Fielder, but beyond that they are lacking in high end talent. Fielder will have to return from a lost 2014 season if the Dodgers are going to avoid a 100 loss season. The rotation is full, unlike San Diego, but it's mostly just warm bodies and bloated contracts. This team is very expensive, doesn't have a very high ceiling, and swap a bunch of talent for impact prospects.

Can Fielder return to All-Star form?

#4 Colorado Rockies (72-90) : The Rockies look like they are stuck somewhere between the Dodgers and Padres as far as roster construction goes. They have depth on offense and some decent pitching options, but they will need good seasons from guys like Ryan Howard to pass Los Angeles. Troy Tulowitzki is one of the best players in baseball, and will probably be in Colorado for quite some time, but he's alone in terms of high impact bats. James Loney, Will Middlebrooks, and Josh Reddick are decent players but hardly All-Star talent. Colorado has more pitchers than San Diego, but they don't really have a very good starting rotation at the moment. Their pitching strength comes from the bullpen with Eric O'Flaherty and Santiago Casilla holding down the setup-closer one-two punch, but that isn't going to help them break .500 this year.

It could be a long season for the Rockies' stars... again.

#5 San Diego Padres (70-92) : The Padres are extremely one-sided this season, and they will be desperate for pitching from game 1 to game 162. Their offense is actually pretty decent for a team projected to lose close to 100 games. Joe Mauer, Asdrubal Cabrera, Erick Aybar, Michael Bourn, and Curtis Grandserson give this team some pop. The bench is deep, but it's also full of guys about to come of the books. San Diego is in a race with Arizona to have the most money come off their salary after the 2015 season, and with over $60 million set to come off they are dominating the race. Their ace at the moment is Johan Santana, so they will basically be looking for their entire rotation to come from their MiLB system. It's going to be a long season in San Diego, but their farm system is stacked and looks to be a Top 10 system going forward.

Not even PetCo Park can save this pitching staff.

2015 Cactus League Evaluation

SCOTTSDALE - Nestled between McCormick Ranch Golf Club and the Talking Stick Resort sits Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the spring home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. While standing between a golf course and a resort hotel it's not a stretch to think Tony LaRussa managed to sign Yasmany Tomas and Yoan Lopez by showing them where they would be staying for spring training, but let's say they were more interested in actually playing baseball.

Another spring of Cactus League baseball and we have our 2015 Arizona Diamondbacks. The departure of Aaron Hill made a $6.8 million hole in the roster, but warm-body types like Blake DeWitt are happy to fill in. The long term infield solution might look completely different, with Yasmany Tomas looking like he will either start at 3B or get sent to the minors. Ultimately he may be sent to the outfield and Jake Lamb will be given an opportunity to grab the hot corner. Luis Sardinas is also looking like someone who could be an MLB mainstay at 2B with Chris Owings holding down SS, but for this season he's starting off in Reno.

The real problem for 2015 is behind the plate, the team's only options are John Baker and Rule 5 draft selection Oscar Hernandez, who broke a hamate bone recently. Unless Arizona rushes drool-inducing catching prospect Pete O'Brien, there is going to be an offensive black hole behind the plate. While all of these issues look bad, it's fairly obvious the Diamondbacks are not in a position to compete for anything this year and won't be making any drastic moves to change that fact.

Arizona Diamondbacks Depth Chart - 2015

• Catcher
• J. Baker

• First Base
• P. Goldschmidt
• L. Overbay

• Second Base
• O. Infante
• C. Owings

• Third Base
• J. Lamb
• B. DeWitt

• Shortstop
• C. Owings
• J.J. Hardy

• Left Field
• M. Krauss

• Center Field
• E. Inciarte
• T. Gwynn Jr.

• Right Field
• D. Peralta

• Starting Pitcher
• G. Gonzalez
• M. Cain
• M. Bolsinger
• T. Cahill
• J. Johnson

• Relief Pitcher
• A. Torres
• M. Reynolds
• K. Slowey
• E. De La Rosa
• C. Thielbar
• F. Cordero

• Closer
• J. Soria
• J. Johnson

• Designated Hitter
• J.J. Hardy

• Disabled List
• P. Corbin
• O. Hernandez
• T. Campana

With the depth chart in place and the season set to begin there are only a few subjects that will dominate team coverage this year. Conversation will probably be dominated by Paul Goldschmidt's run at NL MVP, but you can only talk about how good one player is for so long until things start to get stale.

Patrick Corbin (Again) - Attention turns back to Patrick Corbin, but this time it's going to be about his recovery from Tommy John surgery. With just about everyone from the 2014 rotation gone and Gio Gonzalez firmly seated in the Ace position, it's up to Corbin to show that he can get back to his 2013 form. There won't be much for the Diamondbacks faithful to worry about this season, the team could be one of the worst in the NL if not all of baseball, so Corbin is going to be the center of attention when he is scheduled to come back around mid-season. Sources say management dangled Corbin during the winter meetings, but few offers rolled in that interested ownership. If Corbin can't make a comeback, they will have lost out on any potential returns.

 Can Corbin make an impact in 2015?

Yasmany Tomas - The Cuban slugger has been compared to Jose Abreu and Red Sox signing Rusney Castillo, but in reality nobody really knows what Tomas is going to do in his first major league season. Modest projections have him as a 25HR slugger with some work to do in terms of his plate discipline, and his defense is a real question mark. He played 3B and LF during spring training, with the team settling on 3B to start the season, but most are just hoping he is league average as a defender. It's going to take the entire season for Arizona to see if they have the next Yasiel Puig, or if they are stuck with a dud for the next six years. As of right now the 24-year old slugger is the Diamondbacks' best 'prospect' to speak of, but he needs to be more than a prospect if the team starts him out in the majors.

 Tomas will likely start the season in Reno.

Prospects, Prospects, Prospects - Fans of minor league baseball in Reno and Mobile are probably more excited than Diamondback fans at the moment, and they might just have better teams to cheer on. The mass exodus of MLB starters filled up the Arizona affiliates with potential future stars, but at the moment all they are is potential. Guys like Jesse Winker and Austin Meadows are sure to draw fans and scouts alike, but they are not going to be called up to The Show anytime soon. A terrible season in the majors might bring more talent through the draft, like RHP Touki Toussaint, but they don't hang banners for high draft picks.

 The Diamondbacks' new marque prospect.

Cahill Returning To Arizona

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.