For a second straight offseason, Kevin Towers stayed busy, swinging a pair of trades involving the Chicago White Sox and adding some power to a lineup that hit the fourth-fewest home runs in the National League after trading Justin Upton. The fire-and-grit Diamondbacks are coming off back-to-back .500 seasons after winning the division in 2011, and despite the recent mediocrity, Towers and manager Kirk Gibson received contract extensions. Will this winter's additions be enough to catch the Dodgers, or at least get an invite to the playoff pool party?
Depth Chart (As of 2/27)
C: Miguel Montero
1B: Paul Goldschmidt
2B: Aaron Hill
3B: Martin Prado
SS: Didi Gregorius / Chris Owings
LF: Mark Trumbo
CF: A.J. Pollock
RF: Gerardo Parra
SP: Patrick Corbin
SP: Bronson Arroyo
SP: Trevor Cahill
SP: Wade Miley
SP: Brandon McCarthy
CL: Addison Reed
New Faces
Mark Trumbo was the big addition, coming to the desert in a three-way deal with the White Sox and Angels. For all his faults, he'll still provide plenty of power — especially at Chase Field — behind Paul Goldschmidt. Less than a week after the Trumbo deal, Arizona connected with Chicago on another deal, swapping third base prospect Matt Davidson for reliever Addison Reed, who's expected to be the new closer. The Diamondbacks also had a need in the rotation, and after missing on Masahiro Tanaka, they settled on Bronson Arroyo, giving the homer-prone righty a two-year deal with an option for a third.
Departures
Beginning the offseason with one of the deeper farm systems in the league, Arizona dealt quite a few prospects to improve the major league team. Tyler Skaggs was returned to the Angels in the Trumbo deal, while Adam Eaton was sent to the White Sox in the same deal. With Martin Prado locked into third base for the next few years, Davidson was also sent to the south side of Chicago. Heath Bell (and his contract) was unloaded to Tampa Bay in another three-way deal, which also meant giving up David Holmberg to Cincinnati.
Impact Rookies
Archie Bradley put up a 1.97 ERA in Double-A last season as a 20-year-old, and even though Arizona's rotation depth isn't an issue to start the year (Randall Delgado joins the five listed above to give the D'backs six very solid legitimate starters), Baseball America's #9 prospect may force his way into the big leagues at some point this year just because he has nothing left to prove in the minors. Shortstop Chris Owings is the reigning PCL MVP and is in a legitimate battle for a starting spot this spring after Didi Gregorius faded down the stretch last season and he stepped in to hit .291/.361/.382 in September. Even if he doesn't win the starting job and starts the year with a return trip to Reno, he should be back at some point in 2014.
Position Battles
As mentioned, the big battle will be at shortstop, where Gregorius has gone from Derek Jeter comps to possibly losing his starting job in the span of a year. After hitting .275/.341/.403 in the first half last season, Gregorius hit the rookie wall hard, mustering only a .207/.314/.314 line in the second half. Owings stepped in during his September call-up and hit well after putting up a .330/.359/.482 line in Reno. There's also Cliff Pennington, who may manage to steal a few ABs from both, but is probably going to be limited to more of a utility man role.
Injury Concerns
While Brandon McCarthy finished last year healthy, he's only made 40 starts over the past two years after being struck in the head by a line drive in 2012 and battling shoulder problems last year. Arizona at least has the depth to deal with an injury, but in the last year of a 2-year, $15.5 million deal, anything McCarthy could give them this season is probably just gravy.
Best Case
Trumbo bounces back from a poor 2013 season with the move to Arizona and gives the D'Backs one of the best pure power combinations with Goldschmidt. The rotation stays healthy and doesn't fade down the stretch. The back end of the bullpen — which blew a league-high 29 saves last season — is solidified and allows them to win enough close games to stay within striking distance of LA and in the middle of the wildcard race.
Worst Case
The Trumbo deal flops and injuries hit the rotation, when Skaggs could have been useful to keep around. After two years of scrapping and clawing their way to .500, the Diamondbacks finally fall under the break-even mark and have to start worrying about being caught by San Diego and Colorado.
Realistic Scenario
There are significant strengths, but also significant holes. They have a legitimate star player in Paul Goldschmidt and enough depth to weather any potential injury storm. With that said, it's easy to be skeptical of Kirk Gibson's ability to actually put this team in the best position to succeed. Another .500ish season wouldn't be a surprise, with a win total in the mid-80s a real possibility.
