No one can accuse Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers of taking it easy this winter. The D'Backs finished with a .500 record in 2012 and made some significant changes in an effort to improve going forward. Arizona first made headlines with a three-team deal in October, but there was plenty that followed. Here's a recap of their most significant moves..
- Arizona landed reliever Heath Bell, infielder Cliff Pennington, and cash considerations in a three-team deal with the Marlins and A's. The D'Backs sent outfielder Chris Young and $500K to the A's in the swap.
- As a part of the three-team Shin-Soo Choo deal, the Diamondbacks acquired shortstop Didi Gregorius, left-handed pitcher Tony Sipp, and first baseman Lars Anderson from the Indians for right-handed pitchers Trevor Bauer, Matt Albers, and Bryan Shaw.
- The Diamondbacks signed right-hander Brandon McCarthy to a two-year, $15.5MM deal. McCarthy missed significant time in 2012 but posted a 3.24 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 111 innings when he was healthy.
- Just before Christmas, the D'Backs signed Cody Ross to a three-year, $26MM deal. The pact includes a club option for $9.5MM that can be bought out for just $1MM.
- The addition of Ross meant that an outfielder had to go and it wound up being Justin Upton. Towers sent Upton and third baseman Chris Johnson to the Braves for third baseman Martin Prado, right-hander Randall Delgado, shortstop prospect Nick Ahmed, right-handed pitching prospect Zeke Spruill, and minor league first baseman Brandon Drury.
Earlier today we learned that the D'Backs are looking to trade veteran John McDonald, but Arizona has pretty much gotten all of their heavy lifting out of the way this offseason. It's your turn to weigh in – what was their best acquisition of the winter?
