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By Steve Adams | at
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Brixton
The only deal they made that I actually liked was dumping Hellickson, but they could have just nontendered him.
aff10
I didn’t mind the Segura deal, as long as he replaces Owings and not Ahmed. Ik he’s not the player he was in 2013, but a change of scenery and position could do him well, and I think he could settle in as an average player, rather than as one of the worst in the league, and they had no room for Anderson anyways, so unless Diaz becomes a good player, I think that move was alright. They definitely overpaid for Greinke, but as long as Ken Kendrick is willing to boost payroll consistently, then I’m fine with a slight overpay. The Shelby Miller trade, on the other hand, was obviously a head-scratcher to say the least.
jamesa-2
Giving up Anderson just to realize a $4 million savings in moving Hill was a bitter pill to swallow. Unfortunately, Segura is one of the only regulars in MLB that has even worse plate discipline than Chris Owings. Granted, he doesn’t stike out as much, but he walks even less.
Meanwhile, the Snakes shocked the baseball world by signing Greinke, only to have ownership . then turn around and decide it wasn’t going to expand payroll one iota, meaning the Greinke acquisition essentially consumed the entire budjet. If Clippard hadn’t taken so long to sign, they wouldn’t have been able to land him.
ilikebaseball 2
F – none of their deals seem to coalesce with their other deals. I loved Dave Stewart on the mound, but he’s destroying the D-Backs and Larussa seems to be okay with it. In 5 years Grienke could very easily earn 20% of the D-Backs Payroll while Goldy is in LA.
pustule bosey
A little harsh, though i agree that overpaying for greinke could bite them in the endand would most likely cause them to lose goldy. He prolly wouldn’t end up in L.A. though. If i had to guess he would end up in a hitters park on an opt out.
jamesa-2
The problem is less Greinke’s contract than it is a combination of Tomas’ contract and three of the foundational pieces to this team all hitting FA in the same season. Mix in with that, the fact that the Diamondbacks just traded away Blair, and Bradley starting to look like a possible bust, and the team is left with few cost-controlled options to absorb much of the impact.
stl_cards16 2
The complete lack if caring about the farm system at all is crazy. I can’t see this ending well. They better make a couple good runs over the next 2 years, it’s going to be a bumpy road after that.
bigpapi4ever
Arizona was terrible last year… Adding a frontline starter won’t nearly be enough, they’re gonna miss the playoffs again this year. I give them a C-
bigmarketbusts
Ok now we officially know you are just trolling us and dont actually believe what you say. Arizona did MORE than what Boston did and is going to be bad again while bostons gonna win over 100 games? And if one front line starter cant turn Arizona around, why are you so confident Price can in Boston.
bigpapi4ever
How’d they do more? They got Grienke and Clippard.
Sox got Price, Kimbrel, Smith, and Young.
Price > Grineke
Kimbrel + Smith >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Clippard
And Young is the cherry on top.
bigmarketbusts
its pretty convenient how you left out Shelby Miller. Miller would instantly be Bostons second best pitcher, where hes Arizonas third after Corbin. While Bostons bullpen got better, it is way more important to have a good rotation (Well, for the regular season at least). And you do realize Greinke had one of the best sesons in over 20 years last year right.
bigmarketbusts
And Seguras the cherry on top
bigpapi4ever
6-17 Shelby Miller is pretty overrated. If rather have Erod or Buchholz than him.
sevans36
Did u forget Shelby Miller? I’m a big price fan bc I’m a Rays fan but was season better than greinke’s
Brixton
If we ignore him, he’ll go away.
Just think about the time we all got past the JBJ for Cole Hamels guy, and the guy who made trade proposals that had about 5 teams and 30 players on each side.
bigmarketbusts
Please tell me your rebuttal isnt a pitchers win-loss record. Miller just pitched a 3.02 ERA on a bad team. Hes thrown at least 31 starts in each of his seasons and has never had an ERA over 4. You cant say the same about either of the pitchers you just mentioned. I guess you do know a thing or two about overrated things though, you are a fan of the Boston Red Sox, the king of overrated teams for the past decade.
mikey_mags
No one judges any pitcher by their records anymore…he played on the Braves last year remember. Not sold
on Miller but you’re talking stupid by judging him by his record.
bigpapi4ever
We’ll have to agree to disagree
sevans36
Won – loss records and batting average are no longer considered as indicators of how valuable a player is except during contract negotiations. How bad were the braves last year. I can tell you bc I live in Atlanta. Price would have had a bad year here also. Again, I’m a huge price fan but his postseason record has to be concerning since the rest of the sox rotation is merely average.
wants to be a GM
Too bad there aren’t ways of rating starting pitchers other than their record!
thecoffinnail
Lol good ol Trademeister. I saw one of his proposals the other day and it wasn’t too bad. Wish I could remember what it was.
Mark 21
LOL The thing is guy EVERY ONE DISAGREES WITH YOU. LOL Even your fellow Red Sox fans agree you are a homer. You always gonne be just a red sox fan. When you become a baseball fan them come on the threads and have a normal conversation. Until then you should stick to comics Pokemon cards.
Mark 21
There is no way this clown made a sensible trade proposal LOL. NO WAY WHAT SO EVER. Trolls do not use there brains.
dan-9
Here, I’ll spell it out for you:
1. Every opinion you’ve ever had is wrong.
2. Stop talking.
3. Thanks.
T_Rexx2
Grienke ‘s era was nearly a run lower than price’s, and yes I know he pitched in a better ballpark but it’s not like price pitched in Coors… I’m not knocking price by any means but to say he’s better than friends is false. I’ll give you equal, even though I’m not so sure. And yes, obviously the Sox had a better bullpen upgrade, but Shelby Miller solidifies the rotation for the D’backs. And his record is no indication of how good he is. He played on one of the worst offensive teams in baseball and had the worst run support of any pitcher. He would definitely surpass buchholz as the Sox 2nd starter, which is something they are lacking. Their rotation is an ace followed by 4 number 4 starters. Buchholz at his best is an ace but if you’re expecting that then I’m sorry but you’re delusional. The Sox’s pen was already pretty good, and now it’s stacked. But they didn’t do enough for the rotation. And since the D’backs already had a better record last year than the Red Sox, I think it stays that way. Their offseason’s were probably equal in terms of the assets they brought in.
Kayrall
cjh? I really miss him.
cubsfan2489
Yes! Thank you!!
jackblue411
“6-17 Shelby Miller” light cringe
chieftokeaton
I love how this writer talks up Ender Inciarte like he’s a future star and talks down Peralta like he is declining. From a guy who actually watched the dbacks last year, I can tell you, Peralta is a great hitter. Why would he struggle? You also fail to mention that Segura is one of the hottest hitters this spring. This writer doesn’t know what he’s talking about, I’m feeling good this year.
theo2016
Spring stats are irrelevant. Jbj lead spring training hitters a couple years ago, then hut under the mendoza line in the regular season. Combo of small sample size, pitchers working on things.
scottaz
Blah. Blah. Blah. Both the article and the commenters are so tired. I’ve heard this babble hundreds of times. I look forward to the 2016 D’backs winning the NL West and playing in the World Series.
thecoffinnail
You seem to keep up with the D-backs. Do you think Peter O’Brien makes the team this year? I have been a fan of his since his AA days in Trenton. I was hoping to read something about him here fighting for atleast a platoon spot but got Brito (never heard of him) instead.
scottaz
O’Brien’s power is legit. If the D’backs needed a power bat off the bench, he’d be ideal. But there’s a roster crunch, so I think he gets squeezed out. Because of Tomas’ big contract, he will be at least a platoon at one corner probably with Peralta. Brito may be the NL ROY, he’s looked that good as a late season call up last year and built on it in Spring Training. He’ll be the 2016 Inciarte for the D’backs, with a breakout year. The first ML call up will be the versatile Evan Marzilli, who can play all 3 outfield positions and is having a great Spring. He’s really opened some eyes. Next up would be O’Brien.
ryeandi
My guess is that the 25th man job comes down to Weeks vs. O’Brien. I’m pulling for O’Brien as I think he’ll be much more of a weapon off the bench.
Gogerty
Would be an amazing feat to top the Cubs to make the World Series.
scottaz
Agreed. Cubs look great. They’d be my second pick. D’backs improved by 15 games from 2014 to 2015. They had the best offense and the best defense in the NL and MLB respectively in 2015. But their starting pitching sucked, and they had to overtax the bullpen as a result. So, they added Greinke and Miller to the top of their rotation, and Corbin is now back for a full season. Corbin will be as good as or better than Greinke, so with Corbin, Greinke and Miller at the top of the rotation, and two solid back of the rotation arms in Ray and De La Rosa, plus depth everywhere to fill in for injuries or underperformance, there really aren’t any weaknesses this year. That’s why I’m predicting the D’backs will represent the NL in the World Series this year.
Gogerty
I agree with your analysis there and hope the overpays show to be worth it. As a Braves fan, I have appreciated the Diamondbacks front office the past few years. Regardless, if they do make the NLCS vs. the Cubs as you predict, that will be one hell of a series I think. Cannot wait for the season to start.
BlueSkyLA
If you put together a team good enough to win the thing, how can it be an overpay? AZ is riding the rollercoaster that the financing of MLB requires of small and mid-market teams. They can afford to be competitive only within brief windows. They just opened up a window for a couple of seasons, and if nothing else became the team to beat in the NLW. So what if in 2018 they are weighted down by some big contracts and a barren farm system? If they’re brought a championship home during those years then the local fans will have no complaints. In fact what the D-backs are doing now could well work out better from a fan perspective than the big experiment currently running in LA.
Gogerty
Only reason I state overpay is San Diego did the same thing recently and did not turn it into a contender.
BlueSkyLA
The point is, “overpaying” doesn’t matter half as much as many insist it does. Most franchises do not have the financing to support competitive teams year after year, so they have to go all-in when they see a competitive window opening. San Diego swung and missed last year. So what? They will reboot and try again in a few more years. That’s the problem I have with the Dodgers’ current strategy. Nothing about what they’ve said or done to date suggests that they will ever be motivated to go all-in. Yet they will always be facing one or two teams in their division who are putting all their chips on the table just as AZ is doing now.
christian18cutshaw
I love everything they did. For one reason there my SECOND favorite team and all the moves BUT ONE made them A LOT better… And two, my first favorite team is the Braves and I’m going to really enjoy seeing Swanson, Albies and Inciarte up the middle for years to come. Lol.
bigmarketbusts
I think Stewart must be getting a pretty large cheque from the braves as well lol. Toussant, Swanson, and Blair for Miller and a little money off the books. I like Arizona as well as a secondary team and hope them and Greinke do well. But in 4 years you guys should call Stewart and see what you can get if you take on his full contract. Youre just a prospect dumping ground for him
MannyBeingMVP
Respectfully, it is more likely that you will see Swanson, Albies and M. Smith up the middle, because the Braves will probably trade Inciarte for another quality prospect or two prior to the start of 2017.
stymeedone
They made some splashy moves. They overpaid for Grienke. They over-traded for Miller. Two solid pitchers could have been acquired for less, without strangling future payroll, or emptying the farm system. If they were closer last year, I could see this, but I think they were too far away for two splashy moves to be enough. The other moves really didn’t make much of an improvement over what they had last year.
thecoffinnail
Agreed. Leake really wanted to play there as well. Is Miller really a better option than Leake, Swanson, Blair, and Inciarte?
MannyBeingMVP
Clearly not. But Leake might have cost $70-80 million over six years. I would have traded multiple years of Inciarte straight up for a year of Andrew Cashner – Pads would have even thrown in a minor prospect. More importantly, D-backs would keep Swanson and Blair.
ryeandi
They did not over-pay for Greinke. They sniped Greinke from the dodgers and Giants and that was the cost. And, from someone who watches over 150 D-backs games every year, they were much closer last season than you give them credit for. Their rotation was a kiss-of-death. This team knows how to score runs. Their bullpen is much better than the numbers as the rotation was so bad that they were forced to throw a ridiculous number of innings. Their defense was one of the best in all of baseball. Last year there was exactly one glaring weakness and that was the rotation. Now it’s being held up as one of the best. This team is much better than anyone is giving them credit..
BlueSkyLA
Some of us are giving them credit.
MannyBeingMVP
While I still pick the D-backs for 3rd place, Greinke is no B.J. Upton. I like the Braves deals much better than the ones by the Phillies or Brewers.
ammiel
Signing Greinke changes the Division, so its a big win Arizona. Miller isnt elite so I cant agree to trading Inciarte, Blair and Swanson for 3 years of his services, when there was still similar pitches available on the free agency market. Clippard is a good signing, so all in all I gave a Grade B. I still can’t see the D’Backs pushing the Giants for the division however, thus no Grade A.
thecoffinnail
If Clippard would have pitched in Arizona last year his numbers would have been shockingly high. His modest contract and past performance will keep him trade-able for awhile though.
gobraves46
Id gave them an A for 4 huge reasons: Swanson, Inciarte, Blair, and Tussiant…. In all honesty though I gave them a C.
sk 73
Who cares if they overpaid. The D- Backs will be better and more exciting. Enjoy the year!!
YourDaddy
An exciting 3rd place. Oh yeah.
MannyBeingMVP
From a fans’ perspective, it is more fun to spend money and come close than to pinch pennies and finish far out. Greinke was an overpay but I am sure that most D-backs fans are quite happy with it. I question trading Swanson and Inciarte for Miller, when Inciarte alone could have obtained a decent pitcher in return. Swanson and Blair would have helped the team in 2017 or 2018, whereas while Inciarte was very good, the D-backs have other outfield options like Brito, Tomas and O’Brien.
theo2016
This was padres fans exact sentiment last year.
YourDaddy
If it wasn’t for the unprecedented amount of talent they gave up for a #3 starter in Miller I would have given them a B.
JoeyPankake
Think they would have been better off signing two second tier starters like Leake and Samardzija or similar guys and keeping all the guys they gave up for Miller. I’ll be curious to see how the Greinke contract effects them when it is time to pay Goldshmidt and Pollock. But there is something to be said for going all in to at least show the fans you aren’t content always being mediocre.
MannyBeingMVP
Greinke was an overpay, but makes the team much better. Segura was a low risk deal, so I like it. The deal for Shelby Miller was the worst deal this off-season. Dansby Swanson, Aaron Blair and Ender Inciarte – all three of them – is just too much for Shelby Miller. I believe that they could traded Inciarte straight up for a decent pitcher like Andrew Cashner (Padres), Chris Heston (Giants), Joe Ross (Nationals), or Zack Wheeler (Mets).
edari
I just believe the only move I did not liked it was giving up Inciarte. I understand that the approach to win and to acquire such a high caliber arm as MIller requires the team to give up a very talented and controllable player, but still I will miss him. Hope he does well in Atlanta. As for the Dbacks, now we are in a true position to contend, if all the pieces perform at expected level. Can’t wait for opening day!