Post by Commissioner Erick on Dec 31, 2019 8:02:33 GMT -5
It's instructive to look at championship teams and take note of how they were assembled. Discovering patterns can help us all find the magic formula to success, revealing a genius transaction can breed inspiration into us all, and finding some moves succeeded simply due to dumb luck reminds us how capricious the baseball gods are.
With that preamble, the Diamondbacks.
Players
Defaulted Into
Silvino Bracho
Brandon Drury (resigned to contract extension beginning 2022: 2 Years, $19 Million)
Frank Duncan
Curtis Taylor
Unlike last year's Nationals, there wasn't an overwhelming amount of talent in Arizona that the franchise defaulted into. Brandon Drury provided some power, but outside of a strong 2020, has always been a second-tier First Baseman. He had an OPS under .700 this season as a First Baseman in Chase Field, which is very underwhelming.
Frank Duncan has been a solid swingman for Arizona for a few years, and had a big start Game 1 of the World Series, but he's only a swingman. Curtis Taylor was underwhelming as a homer-prone 27-year-old rookie.
Silvino Bracho was the one player who had a big role for Arizona. He led the league in saves with 41, had a 2.84 ERA, with 92 strikeouts in 73 innings, and had a terrific postseason. He was just a reliever for awhile, was elevated to closer after Jimmie Sherfy was traded before the 2020 season, and was able to grow into one of the best ones in the National League.
Draft
Quentin Holmes (2017 1st Round Pick, 6th Overall)
Holmes was a premium pick back in 2017 but has taken his time being molded through the Arizona minors. Despite never being more than the #38 prospect, he was one of the better players in the majors in this, his rookie year. Holmes produced 4.0 WAR, despite not having a great year with the bat. However, he stole 28 of 32 bases, had 59 extra base hits, and will likely be the Gold Glove Winner among NL Center Fielders. That's how you produce a ton of value, despite having a .306 on-base percentage. Holmes already was important with just his legs and glove for Arizona, and should be better going forward.
International
Juan Gestoso (4/13/18 - Discovered out of Venezuela)
Doorbell Gestoso was discovered in 2018 and in the 2019 preseason he was named the #3 prospect in baseball. He has been one of the most hyped prospects since then, and while his half-season rookie year wasn't spectacular, he had one of the best postseasons in history. He stole 27 of 30 bases in about half a year in the majors, which is exceptional—after stealing 47 of 55 bases in a half year in Triple-A. He followed that up by having a postseason where he ranks in the top three in single-playoff Runs, RBIs, Hits, Steals, and Triples. Gestoso and Holmes have been the future for Arizona since 2019, and in 2022, that future was realized.
Trades
Andy Ibanez
Ariel Jurado (3/9/17 - Traded along with Joey Gallo from the Rangers for Paul Goldschmidt)
Yunior Severino (12/20/18 - Traded along with Ronald Acuna from the Braves for Tristan Beck, Clay Moffitt, Oswaldo Arcia, and Taijuan Walker)
Greg Allen (7/29/19 - Traded along with Miguel Amaya from the Indians for Robbie Ray)
Marco Gonzalez (12/12/19 - Traded from the Cardinals for Ildemaro Vargas, Jed Bradley, Eric O'Flaherty, Conner Uselton)
Ryan Johnson (12/12/19 - Traded from the White Sox for Jimmie Sherfy, Yasmany Tomas, and $6.5 million)
Aaron Blair (12/26/19 - Traded along with a 2020 4th Round Pick from the Braves for Jake Higginbotham, Anfernee Blair, and Amin Valdez)
Isan Diaz (12/7/20 - Traded along with Tyler Stephenson from the Reds for Arturo Escobar, Ronald Acuna, Wilmer Difo, 2021 1st Round Pick)
Marco Gonzalez
Jin-de Jhang (11/20/21 - Traded from the Pirates for Tyler Freeman and Rafael Jimenez)
Garrett Stubbs (3/28/22 - Traded from the Astros for Zach Flentje and Christian Yelich)
Brock Lundquist (6/20/22 - Traded along with Jake Higginbotham from the Braves for Brayan Hernandez)
More than anything, Arizona has built its team via trades, going way back to the initial preseason when Paul Goldschmidt was traded for Andy Ibanez, Ariel Jurado, and Joey Gallo. Gallo was cut mid-season amidst a whirlwind of strikeouts and the need to call up Doorbell Gestoso, but Ibanez and Jurado produced for the team in the playoffs.
More than anything those two have done, it showed that the team was willing to make moves and deal big names to improve the roster, something that has paid off down the road.
The Diamondbacks traded veterans Taijuan Walker and Oswaldo Arcia for Yunior Severino and Ronald Acuna back in 2018, then later traded Acuna for Isan Diaz. Severino and Diaz were a solid young middle-infield combination this year, with Diaz providing more power and Severino producing more speed and defense. The veterans Arcia, Difo and Walker haven't been great since leaving the team, though the prospects given up in Escobar, Beck and Moffitt have potential. Still, Arizona stabilized its middle infield and Severino and Diaz are still young enough to keep producing for the club. Arizona identified two young players to become its long-term middle infield, and was willing to execute the trade.
Greg Allen was the best position player for the team in the regular season, stealing 36 of 41 bases, hitting .282, and playing Gold Glove-caliber defense. He was acquired for a pitcher in Robbie Ray Jr. who helped Cleveland win a World Series in 2020 before falling off. Cleveland didn't need Allen at that point, but did need Robbie Ray. Arizona in 2022 needed Allen's speed, defense, and ability to get on base to shape the identity of the club as a speed-and-defense superpower. Arizona saw Allen dangling and was willing to move a veteran to get a player who could help their team over the long haul.
Arizona identified the White Sox' Ryan Johnson as a player who could be a middle-order hitter in their outfield, while also contributing defensively and coming cheap. Johnson was a luxury piece in Chicago's offensive demolition crew and needed to upgrade its bullpen. Arizona paid cash to get off Yasmany Tomas' albatross contract, and swapped Sherfy for Johnson. Johnson regressed after 2020, where low batting averages, combined with Arizona's extreme hitting environment have suppressed his WAR. He's been serviceable though, and provided power to a team built more around speed. Arizona promoted Silvino Bracho to be its closer, a job he's done admirably. Meanwhile, Chicago could have used Johnson, but Sherfy helped solidify a very good bullpen. Like with the Allen trade, Arizona made a fair trade that helped itself in one context, while helping the other team in another one.
In its biggest trade for a pitching, Arizona executed a trade that at the time looked unfair, and has only grown more stark. The Diamondbacks realized they would need to upgrade their pitching staff as they looked to become more competitive before the 2020 season. They identified Marco Gonzalez as a young ace still making the minimum who could grow with the team. Arizona fleeced the Cardinals into accepting a package for a veteran reliever who would never play for the Cardinals in Eric O'Flaherty, spare part veterans in Ildemaro Vargas and Jed Bradley, and a prospect in Conner Uselton. However good Uselton is, Gonzalez has been the ace of the staff, had a solid 2020 and 2021, and was sensational in 2022 with a 13-4 record, a 3.13 ERA, and 5.2 WAR. Gonzalez had a 2.23 Postseason ERA in seven starts, dominating all playoff opponents to enable the Diamondbacks' first championship. Uselton may be productive power bat. This trade may go down as one of the sneakiest worst deals of the league if Uselton doesn't go down as a perennial 30-home run bat—and as Uselton is on Houston, the Cardinals won't reap any of those rewards.
Aaron Blair was the fourth player traded for that offseason, coming over in a deal with Atlanta. Blair's consistently had an ERA in the upper 4s, with any variance due to his fluctuating home run numbers. He's oscillated between homer-prone, and home-run derby over his time with Arizona, but when he's merely homer-prone, his curveball is good enough to strike hitters out and he has good enough control to not walk hitters. Of the players he was traded for, Higginbotham found his way back to the desert, Valdez is still incredibly young, and Anfernee Grier is likely a fifth outfielder. The 2020 pick wasn't signed, so Atlanta didn't get anything out of it. There's still future value Atlanta can reap from Valdez, but Blair's been a pretty useful back-end starter for Arizona.
It's likely that Arizona traded for Jin-de Jhang for Jhang to be the starting catcher. When Arizona later acquired Garrett Stubbs, Jhang was relegated to backup duty, and struggled in the role. Jhang had a .268 OBP and just four extra base hits this season. Given that a player Arizona traded away hit 28 home runs as a rookie, and this was a clear whiff.
Stubs, for his part, has demonstrated an ability to be extremely streaky and never fully healthy. He had a rough defensive year, and only had a modest .703 OPS, despite being a former All-Star. Arizona gave up a prospect in Zach Flentje, plus Christian Yelich. While Yelich's production would have helped, Arizona only turned a slight profit on the year despite their World Series win. Yelich was likely too expensive to account for. Arizona decided to start Quentin Holmes in Center Field, move Allen to Right Field, and create the best defensive outfield in the league instead.
The last trade Arizona made was an in-season one by Arlo Zimmerman as he brought on Brock Lundquist as his fifth outfielder. Lundquist saw minimal playing time, but he's hit well in Triple-A, he's only 26, and he has options. Arizona also reacquired Jake Higginbotham in the deal as a potential future starter before the pitcher underwent elbow surgery in August. Brayan Hernandez could be a nice player for Atlanta, but Arizona opted for an extra roll of the dice with two players over one.
Free Agents
Tae-hoon Do (4/9/19 - Minor League Free Agent)
Chang-min Shim (12/12/19 - 1 Year, $980K. Auto-renewal $980K in title year)
Kevin Plawecki (12/08/20 - 1 Year, $1.5 million. Auto-renewal $1.5 million in title year)
Dan Reynolds (12/29/20 - Minor League Free Agent)
Joey Rickard (1/7/21 - 1 Year, $3 million, extended 2 Years, $6 million. $3 million in title year)
Jake Odorizzi (1/7/21 - 4 Years, $23 million. $5.5 million in title year)
Jake Cosart (3/2/21 - Minor League Free Agent)
Brandon Finnegan (10/24/21 - 2 Years, 19.4 million. $10 million in title year)
Edubray Ramos (1/13/22 - 2 Years, $2.6 million. $1.3 million in title year)
Chris Archer (2/18/22 - 3 Years, $9.6 million. $3.2 million in title year)
Arizona historically hasn't spent much in Free Agency given their status as a smaller market without an owner with deep pockets. Of their 2022 players, only two players made more than $3 million. Brandon Finnegan was one of them, and he was signed after he sat out a season with Tommy John surgery, signed in-season before teams could reset their budget, and signed after lowering his demand significantly. Even then, the deal backfired somewhat in that Finnegan lost the stamina to start with his damaged elbow. Finnegan made up for that with a spectacularly effective postseason , as he continues to build a reputation as a pitcher who thrives under pressure.
The other significant investment was Jake Odorizzi. Odorizzi hasn't had the best time of it with Arizona as he doesn't strike hitters out and his fly-ball style leads to a huge amount of home runs in the desert. He's been a fourth or fifth starter for the snakes and hasn't been a disaster though. That's not the worst for $5.5 million.
Arizona's other free agent moves, were minor league moves, backup acquisitions, and Chris Archer.
Tae-hoon Do and Chang-min Shim were signed in 2019 after stints in the KBO. Do started about the half the season for Arizona, hit 11 homers with a league-average OPS. Shim allowed only three home runs with a 4.21 ERA in half a season of relief. Not bad for cheap backup options.
Reynolds and Cosart were both back-end options in the bullpen. Reynolds walked 41 batters in 76 innings, with 11 home runs, so he was not good. Cosart allowed 12 home runs in 72 innings and had a 4.50 ERA, so he was not good. However, each was cheap and only needed to fill out the bullpen.
Kevin Plawecki had a 24 OPS+ this season as the third catcher, and was wholly superfluous. His $1.5 million contract was too much money, but it was still only $1.5 million. Joey Rickard only had 93 Plate Appearances, though good defense, a .280 average, 5-5 in stolen bases, and a 9.7% walk rate led to Rickard being worth 0.6 WAR. That's not a bad deal for $3 million.
Of the two players signed in 2022, both were good deals. Ramos signed on the cheap after a rough 2021 and turned in a 4.01 ERA. He walked only 19 hitters in 74 innings, and allowed only 19% percent of inherited runners to score. He also allowed only a 2.35 ERA in the playoffs. That kind of postseason success combined with a serviceable regular year, makes him well- worth his $1.3 million.
Meanwhile, Chris Archer rejected Tampa Bay's qualifying offer only to find nothing in Free Agency. He signed with Arizona late in the offseason to a three-year deal with total money worth less than his qualifying offer. He went 14-8 with the Rays in 2021 and repeated that number in Arizona, with a 3.66 ERA nearly a run lower than his 2021 mark. Archer's BABIP plummeted thanks to Arizona's terrific defense, allowing him to turn in a strong season for only $3.2 million.
STAFF
Assistant GM: Farhan Zaidi:
While the Assistant GM spot is mainly a figurehead position, Zaidi has known nothing but success in the PBA. He was a member of the Dodgers from 2017-2019, making the playoffs each year, and was signed by Arizona before the 2021 season. He's made the playoffs all five years of his career, and won two titles with two different teams. He was also named to GM the Canadian National Team in 2020.
Bench Coach: Bob Melvin:
With Arizona struggling mid-season, Arlo Zimmerman fired Gavin Douglass, replacing him with Bob Melvin. Melvin was in a Front Office role in Chicago assisting Mike Ball in building their juggernaut, and he took that experience with him to Arizona. The Diamondbacks went 49-30 under his watch, soaring to the NL West title and a World Series win, He replaced Gavin Douglas, who loved to run, but also favored power and prospects with a team trying to win a title with contact and defense. The move turned out to be the right one as Melvin joined Zaidi with a second ring.
Pitching Coach: Roy Borger: With Arizona featuring a number of veterans, the club signed Roy Burger to be the Pitching Coach. Borger doesn't specialize in a type of pitcher, but he didn't have major league experience either, allowing him to come on the cheap. With a veteran staff that didn't need development, that was fine as his steady guidance helped Arizona stay the course after a rough start. Similar to Zaidi and Melvin, Borger had known success in his prior stops, making the playoffs all three years with the Arkansas Travelers of the Texas League, and finishing second with Toledo last year. Ben Nuzzo had a type, but surrounding the club with coaches who demonstrated success worked out.
Hitting Coach: Roy Gomez
Scouting Director: Greg Dowling
Trainer: Sue Falsone
All three of these coaches were signed prior to 2021. Gomez, interestingly, was known for his work with power hitting veterans, as he was brought on mainly to connect with Joey Gallo. That part of his performance was a failure as the slugger followed up a 51-home run 2021 with a -1.1 WAR campaign this year before being cut mid-season. To Gomez' credit, he was still able to guide the offense to a strong postseason, and didn't curtail the offensive development of the youngsters. Holmes, Severino and Gestoso were the worst offensive performers, along with Gallo, on the team, but all three neophytes had terrific postseasons. Unsurprisingly, Gomez won two titles with the Mets' Florida State League Team.
Greg Dowling had no baseball experience at all when he signed on as Scouting Director prior to the 2021 season. Most of the deals made under his watch have been small ones to fill out the roster, with the Acuna for Diaz trade likely his biggest move. Dowling recognized Ronald Acuna wouldn't be able to stick in Center Field, and saw Isan Diaz as a young blossoming slugger. Most of the roster work was done before Dowling's time.
All Falsone did was oversee the second healthiest team in baseball. There were only a few injuries that lasted over a week and the ones involving position players mainly involved catchers. Even Aaron Blair's injury came off the field when he chased a mugger who pick pocketed him one evening. Chris Archer suffered shoulder inflammation during the postseason, but that was the only significant injury to a significant player under his watch. Falsone was the only coach who had experience that wasn't championship experience, as the Angels struggled under his watch. He had a good track record of preventing arm injuries though, and has used that to taste success with the Diamondbacks.
Summary: Arizona has made a number of trades over the years, identifying young, cost-controlled players with upside and bringing them aboard. Despite being in a below average market without an oversized budget, that approach has led the team to develop talent without accruing significant expenses. They've used the 2017 draft to develop a key starter in Quentin Holmes, while also sending out players to get the veterans they've targeted. They've also been fortunate to discover Doorbell Gestoso, who announced his arrival loudly this postseason. The overall approach has been meticulous and needed patience to implement, but the payoff has Arizona on top of the PBA.
With that preamble, the Diamondbacks.
Players
Defaulted Into
Silvino Bracho
Brandon Drury (resigned to contract extension beginning 2022: 2 Years, $19 Million)
Frank Duncan
Curtis Taylor
Unlike last year's Nationals, there wasn't an overwhelming amount of talent in Arizona that the franchise defaulted into. Brandon Drury provided some power, but outside of a strong 2020, has always been a second-tier First Baseman. He had an OPS under .700 this season as a First Baseman in Chase Field, which is very underwhelming.
Frank Duncan has been a solid swingman for Arizona for a few years, and had a big start Game 1 of the World Series, but he's only a swingman. Curtis Taylor was underwhelming as a homer-prone 27-year-old rookie.
Silvino Bracho was the one player who had a big role for Arizona. He led the league in saves with 41, had a 2.84 ERA, with 92 strikeouts in 73 innings, and had a terrific postseason. He was just a reliever for awhile, was elevated to closer after Jimmie Sherfy was traded before the 2020 season, and was able to grow into one of the best ones in the National League.
Draft
Quentin Holmes (2017 1st Round Pick, 6th Overall)
Holmes was a premium pick back in 2017 but has taken his time being molded through the Arizona minors. Despite never being more than the #38 prospect, he was one of the better players in the majors in this, his rookie year. Holmes produced 4.0 WAR, despite not having a great year with the bat. However, he stole 28 of 32 bases, had 59 extra base hits, and will likely be the Gold Glove Winner among NL Center Fielders. That's how you produce a ton of value, despite having a .306 on-base percentage. Holmes already was important with just his legs and glove for Arizona, and should be better going forward.
International
Juan Gestoso (4/13/18 - Discovered out of Venezuela)
Doorbell Gestoso was discovered in 2018 and in the 2019 preseason he was named the #3 prospect in baseball. He has been one of the most hyped prospects since then, and while his half-season rookie year wasn't spectacular, he had one of the best postseasons in history. He stole 27 of 30 bases in about half a year in the majors, which is exceptional—after stealing 47 of 55 bases in a half year in Triple-A. He followed that up by having a postseason where he ranks in the top three in single-playoff Runs, RBIs, Hits, Steals, and Triples. Gestoso and Holmes have been the future for Arizona since 2019, and in 2022, that future was realized.
Trades
Andy Ibanez
Ariel Jurado (3/9/17 - Traded along with Joey Gallo from the Rangers for Paul Goldschmidt)
Yunior Severino (12/20/18 - Traded along with Ronald Acuna from the Braves for Tristan Beck, Clay Moffitt, Oswaldo Arcia, and Taijuan Walker)
Greg Allen (7/29/19 - Traded along with Miguel Amaya from the Indians for Robbie Ray)
Marco Gonzalez (12/12/19 - Traded from the Cardinals for Ildemaro Vargas, Jed Bradley, Eric O'Flaherty, Conner Uselton)
Ryan Johnson (12/12/19 - Traded from the White Sox for Jimmie Sherfy, Yasmany Tomas, and $6.5 million)
Aaron Blair (12/26/19 - Traded along with a 2020 4th Round Pick from the Braves for Jake Higginbotham, Anfernee Blair, and Amin Valdez)
Isan Diaz (12/7/20 - Traded along with Tyler Stephenson from the Reds for Arturo Escobar, Ronald Acuna, Wilmer Difo, 2021 1st Round Pick)
Marco Gonzalez
Jin-de Jhang (11/20/21 - Traded from the Pirates for Tyler Freeman and Rafael Jimenez)
Garrett Stubbs (3/28/22 - Traded from the Astros for Zach Flentje and Christian Yelich)
Brock Lundquist (6/20/22 - Traded along with Jake Higginbotham from the Braves for Brayan Hernandez)
More than anything, Arizona has built its team via trades, going way back to the initial preseason when Paul Goldschmidt was traded for Andy Ibanez, Ariel Jurado, and Joey Gallo. Gallo was cut mid-season amidst a whirlwind of strikeouts and the need to call up Doorbell Gestoso, but Ibanez and Jurado produced for the team in the playoffs.
More than anything those two have done, it showed that the team was willing to make moves and deal big names to improve the roster, something that has paid off down the road.
The Diamondbacks traded veterans Taijuan Walker and Oswaldo Arcia for Yunior Severino and Ronald Acuna back in 2018, then later traded Acuna for Isan Diaz. Severino and Diaz were a solid young middle-infield combination this year, with Diaz providing more power and Severino producing more speed and defense. The veterans Arcia, Difo and Walker haven't been great since leaving the team, though the prospects given up in Escobar, Beck and Moffitt have potential. Still, Arizona stabilized its middle infield and Severino and Diaz are still young enough to keep producing for the club. Arizona identified two young players to become its long-term middle infield, and was willing to execute the trade.
Greg Allen was the best position player for the team in the regular season, stealing 36 of 41 bases, hitting .282, and playing Gold Glove-caliber defense. He was acquired for a pitcher in Robbie Ray Jr. who helped Cleveland win a World Series in 2020 before falling off. Cleveland didn't need Allen at that point, but did need Robbie Ray. Arizona in 2022 needed Allen's speed, defense, and ability to get on base to shape the identity of the club as a speed-and-defense superpower. Arizona saw Allen dangling and was willing to move a veteran to get a player who could help their team over the long haul.
Arizona identified the White Sox' Ryan Johnson as a player who could be a middle-order hitter in their outfield, while also contributing defensively and coming cheap. Johnson was a luxury piece in Chicago's offensive demolition crew and needed to upgrade its bullpen. Arizona paid cash to get off Yasmany Tomas' albatross contract, and swapped Sherfy for Johnson. Johnson regressed after 2020, where low batting averages, combined with Arizona's extreme hitting environment have suppressed his WAR. He's been serviceable though, and provided power to a team built more around speed. Arizona promoted Silvino Bracho to be its closer, a job he's done admirably. Meanwhile, Chicago could have used Johnson, but Sherfy helped solidify a very good bullpen. Like with the Allen trade, Arizona made a fair trade that helped itself in one context, while helping the other team in another one.
In its biggest trade for a pitching, Arizona executed a trade that at the time looked unfair, and has only grown more stark. The Diamondbacks realized they would need to upgrade their pitching staff as they looked to become more competitive before the 2020 season. They identified Marco Gonzalez as a young ace still making the minimum who could grow with the team. Arizona fleeced the Cardinals into accepting a package for a veteran reliever who would never play for the Cardinals in Eric O'Flaherty, spare part veterans in Ildemaro Vargas and Jed Bradley, and a prospect in Conner Uselton. However good Uselton is, Gonzalez has been the ace of the staff, had a solid 2020 and 2021, and was sensational in 2022 with a 13-4 record, a 3.13 ERA, and 5.2 WAR. Gonzalez had a 2.23 Postseason ERA in seven starts, dominating all playoff opponents to enable the Diamondbacks' first championship. Uselton may be productive power bat. This trade may go down as one of the sneakiest worst deals of the league if Uselton doesn't go down as a perennial 30-home run bat—and as Uselton is on Houston, the Cardinals won't reap any of those rewards.
Aaron Blair was the fourth player traded for that offseason, coming over in a deal with Atlanta. Blair's consistently had an ERA in the upper 4s, with any variance due to his fluctuating home run numbers. He's oscillated between homer-prone, and home-run derby over his time with Arizona, but when he's merely homer-prone, his curveball is good enough to strike hitters out and he has good enough control to not walk hitters. Of the players he was traded for, Higginbotham found his way back to the desert, Valdez is still incredibly young, and Anfernee Grier is likely a fifth outfielder. The 2020 pick wasn't signed, so Atlanta didn't get anything out of it. There's still future value Atlanta can reap from Valdez, but Blair's been a pretty useful back-end starter for Arizona.
It's likely that Arizona traded for Jin-de Jhang for Jhang to be the starting catcher. When Arizona later acquired Garrett Stubbs, Jhang was relegated to backup duty, and struggled in the role. Jhang had a .268 OBP and just four extra base hits this season. Given that a player Arizona traded away hit 28 home runs as a rookie, and this was a clear whiff.
Stubs, for his part, has demonstrated an ability to be extremely streaky and never fully healthy. He had a rough defensive year, and only had a modest .703 OPS, despite being a former All-Star. Arizona gave up a prospect in Zach Flentje, plus Christian Yelich. While Yelich's production would have helped, Arizona only turned a slight profit on the year despite their World Series win. Yelich was likely too expensive to account for. Arizona decided to start Quentin Holmes in Center Field, move Allen to Right Field, and create the best defensive outfield in the league instead.
The last trade Arizona made was an in-season one by Arlo Zimmerman as he brought on Brock Lundquist as his fifth outfielder. Lundquist saw minimal playing time, but he's hit well in Triple-A, he's only 26, and he has options. Arizona also reacquired Jake Higginbotham in the deal as a potential future starter before the pitcher underwent elbow surgery in August. Brayan Hernandez could be a nice player for Atlanta, but Arizona opted for an extra roll of the dice with two players over one.
Free Agents
Tae-hoon Do (4/9/19 - Minor League Free Agent)
Chang-min Shim (12/12/19 - 1 Year, $980K. Auto-renewal $980K in title year)
Kevin Plawecki (12/08/20 - 1 Year, $1.5 million. Auto-renewal $1.5 million in title year)
Dan Reynolds (12/29/20 - Minor League Free Agent)
Joey Rickard (1/7/21 - 1 Year, $3 million, extended 2 Years, $6 million. $3 million in title year)
Jake Odorizzi (1/7/21 - 4 Years, $23 million. $5.5 million in title year)
Jake Cosart (3/2/21 - Minor League Free Agent)
Brandon Finnegan (10/24/21 - 2 Years, 19.4 million. $10 million in title year)
Edubray Ramos (1/13/22 - 2 Years, $2.6 million. $1.3 million in title year)
Chris Archer (2/18/22 - 3 Years, $9.6 million. $3.2 million in title year)
Arizona historically hasn't spent much in Free Agency given their status as a smaller market without an owner with deep pockets. Of their 2022 players, only two players made more than $3 million. Brandon Finnegan was one of them, and he was signed after he sat out a season with Tommy John surgery, signed in-season before teams could reset their budget, and signed after lowering his demand significantly. Even then, the deal backfired somewhat in that Finnegan lost the stamina to start with his damaged elbow. Finnegan made up for that with a spectacularly effective postseason , as he continues to build a reputation as a pitcher who thrives under pressure.
The other significant investment was Jake Odorizzi. Odorizzi hasn't had the best time of it with Arizona as he doesn't strike hitters out and his fly-ball style leads to a huge amount of home runs in the desert. He's been a fourth or fifth starter for the snakes and hasn't been a disaster though. That's not the worst for $5.5 million.
Arizona's other free agent moves, were minor league moves, backup acquisitions, and Chris Archer.
Tae-hoon Do and Chang-min Shim were signed in 2019 after stints in the KBO. Do started about the half the season for Arizona, hit 11 homers with a league-average OPS. Shim allowed only three home runs with a 4.21 ERA in half a season of relief. Not bad for cheap backup options.
Reynolds and Cosart were both back-end options in the bullpen. Reynolds walked 41 batters in 76 innings, with 11 home runs, so he was not good. Cosart allowed 12 home runs in 72 innings and had a 4.50 ERA, so he was not good. However, each was cheap and only needed to fill out the bullpen.
Kevin Plawecki had a 24 OPS+ this season as the third catcher, and was wholly superfluous. His $1.5 million contract was too much money, but it was still only $1.5 million. Joey Rickard only had 93 Plate Appearances, though good defense, a .280 average, 5-5 in stolen bases, and a 9.7% walk rate led to Rickard being worth 0.6 WAR. That's not a bad deal for $3 million.
Of the two players signed in 2022, both were good deals. Ramos signed on the cheap after a rough 2021 and turned in a 4.01 ERA. He walked only 19 hitters in 74 innings, and allowed only 19% percent of inherited runners to score. He also allowed only a 2.35 ERA in the playoffs. That kind of postseason success combined with a serviceable regular year, makes him well- worth his $1.3 million.
Meanwhile, Chris Archer rejected Tampa Bay's qualifying offer only to find nothing in Free Agency. He signed with Arizona late in the offseason to a three-year deal with total money worth less than his qualifying offer. He went 14-8 with the Rays in 2021 and repeated that number in Arizona, with a 3.66 ERA nearly a run lower than his 2021 mark. Archer's BABIP plummeted thanks to Arizona's terrific defense, allowing him to turn in a strong season for only $3.2 million.
STAFF
Assistant GM: Farhan Zaidi:
While the Assistant GM spot is mainly a figurehead position, Zaidi has known nothing but success in the PBA. He was a member of the Dodgers from 2017-2019, making the playoffs each year, and was signed by Arizona before the 2021 season. He's made the playoffs all five years of his career, and won two titles with two different teams. He was also named to GM the Canadian National Team in 2020.
Bench Coach: Bob Melvin:
With Arizona struggling mid-season, Arlo Zimmerman fired Gavin Douglass, replacing him with Bob Melvin. Melvin was in a Front Office role in Chicago assisting Mike Ball in building their juggernaut, and he took that experience with him to Arizona. The Diamondbacks went 49-30 under his watch, soaring to the NL West title and a World Series win, He replaced Gavin Douglas, who loved to run, but also favored power and prospects with a team trying to win a title with contact and defense. The move turned out to be the right one as Melvin joined Zaidi with a second ring.
Pitching Coach: Roy Borger: With Arizona featuring a number of veterans, the club signed Roy Burger to be the Pitching Coach. Borger doesn't specialize in a type of pitcher, but he didn't have major league experience either, allowing him to come on the cheap. With a veteran staff that didn't need development, that was fine as his steady guidance helped Arizona stay the course after a rough start. Similar to Zaidi and Melvin, Borger had known success in his prior stops, making the playoffs all three years with the Arkansas Travelers of the Texas League, and finishing second with Toledo last year. Ben Nuzzo had a type, but surrounding the club with coaches who demonstrated success worked out.
Hitting Coach: Roy Gomez
Scouting Director: Greg Dowling
Trainer: Sue Falsone
All three of these coaches were signed prior to 2021. Gomez, interestingly, was known for his work with power hitting veterans, as he was brought on mainly to connect with Joey Gallo. That part of his performance was a failure as the slugger followed up a 51-home run 2021 with a -1.1 WAR campaign this year before being cut mid-season. To Gomez' credit, he was still able to guide the offense to a strong postseason, and didn't curtail the offensive development of the youngsters. Holmes, Severino and Gestoso were the worst offensive performers, along with Gallo, on the team, but all three neophytes had terrific postseasons. Unsurprisingly, Gomez won two titles with the Mets' Florida State League Team.
Greg Dowling had no baseball experience at all when he signed on as Scouting Director prior to the 2021 season. Most of the deals made under his watch have been small ones to fill out the roster, with the Acuna for Diaz trade likely his biggest move. Dowling recognized Ronald Acuna wouldn't be able to stick in Center Field, and saw Isan Diaz as a young blossoming slugger. Most of the roster work was done before Dowling's time.
All Falsone did was oversee the second healthiest team in baseball. There were only a few injuries that lasted over a week and the ones involving position players mainly involved catchers. Even Aaron Blair's injury came off the field when he chased a mugger who pick pocketed him one evening. Chris Archer suffered shoulder inflammation during the postseason, but that was the only significant injury to a significant player under his watch. Falsone was the only coach who had experience that wasn't championship experience, as the Angels struggled under his watch. He had a good track record of preventing arm injuries though, and has used that to taste success with the Diamondbacks.
Summary: Arizona has made a number of trades over the years, identifying young, cost-controlled players with upside and bringing them aboard. Despite being in a below average market without an oversized budget, that approach has led the team to develop talent without accruing significant expenses. They've used the 2017 draft to develop a key starter in Quentin Holmes, while also sending out players to get the veterans they've targeted. They've also been fortunate to discover Doorbell Gestoso, who announced his arrival loudly this postseason. The overall approach has been meticulous and needed patience to implement, but the payoff has Arizona on top of the PBA.