The D’Backs’ loss of Livan Hernandez should become official today when he declines their offer of arbitration. That leaves the team with a rotation of Brandon Webb, Randy Johnson, Doug Davis, and Micah Owings. The Big Unit is a question mark, so a starter must be acquired.
Back on November 15th, Nick Piecoro noted the team’s interest in Matt Clement and Bartolo Colon. But the Diamondbacks are sticking to their no bonuses/no escalator clauses mandate. So that pair will probably look elsewhere.
Hiroki Kuroda received a three-year offer and a pitch video featuring Randy Johnson. He’ll visit Arizona next week. If he chooses Seattle, L.A., or Kansas City, the D’Backs will have to move on. It’s rumored that the Ms added a fourth year to their offer.
The big name is Dan Haren. Jack Magruder says Arizona’s proposal included two of Carlos Gonzalez, Emilio Bonifacio, and Brett Anderson. Magruder believes the A’s are also seeking Major Leaguers, which makes sense. So that huge untouchables list might have to be compromised if the D’Backs are to get Haren.
