KPHX - The Snake Pit: Interview with Diamondbacks GM "Hon"
Mar 23, 2019 10:45:01 GMT -5
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Post by dbackhon on Mar 23, 2019 10:45:01 GMT -5
Guz: Hello Rattler Nation! My name is Ronald Guzman probably better known over the airwaves as The Guz and today we have a very special guest in studio, here to talk about all things Diamondbacks is Arizona GM Benjamin "Hon" Nuzzo. How are you doing today Hon?
Hon: Thanks for having me on Guz, and I'm doing well. It's one of my favorite times of year anticipation for the year to come. Finalizing the roster and getting ready for another season of Diamondbacks Baseball.
Guz: This season, it has a little more buzz to it than previous years. After missing out on a playoff berth by so little and staying in contention until the very end this fanbase is clamoring for another season and another shot at the playoffs. We got a taste of meaningful September baseball for the first time in a while and now that there's a taste we need more.
Hon: Last season was certainly an important one for our organization. We certainly built our roster with a potential playoff berth in mind and a couple of breaks in different ways and we could have certainly been in it... We really carried a lot of that momentum from last year into this year trying to improve on the roster to get us over the hump and not only send the Diamondbacks into the playoffs but also once in the playoffs I fully believe that we have a lineup that can win on any given day. We certainly have had our struggles in September but couched in there were I believe six straight wins over the Cubs - it may have been 5 out of 6 - and a good record against the White Sox as well.
Guz: So what I'm taking from that is that the Isan Diaz deal is a win now move?
Hon: It was a move that I think was necessarily for our organization to keep building towards the playoffs. Diaz is a bona fide stud, who will be on this team for a long time to come. We had to give up a lot for him and it is always hard to see players and assets leaving the organization but ultimately Diaz is a stellar player, one of the best shortstops in the game and one that once he became available we couldn't pass up on if we could come to a fair offer. Which we certainly did.
Guz: Another major blow to the organization was the loss of Martin Perez, first to injury and then to free agency... Have you been in contact with the Perez camp to potentially bring him back? And do you think you've done enough to replace his production?
Hon: Ultimately the injury was a fairly substantial issue for both sides. We would have loved to bring Martin back with a short term deal or a QO but when we spoke to his camp the QO was obviously not an option for the organization and he is looking for financial security and a long-term deal. Offers have been made, I'm not at liberty to speak further on those but we appreciate Martin's contribution to the ball club and would like him to return if circumstances are right for us to do so. As for improving the pitching, bringing in Odorizzi and re-signing Kevin Gausman I think has done a lot to deepen our rotation. Gausman was very solid for us down the stretch last year and we are excited to see how he performs over the course of a full year with the club, and I also think Odorizzi is a heck of a ballplayer. He's bounced around the past few years but he's produced for every team that he's played for. We are happy to be able to offer him the security and we are happy to have him on the ballclub. He doesn't need to be an ace but strenth in the middle and end of the rotation is something that really hurt us last year as injuries piled up, Odorizzi and Gausman give us strong options in full health and I like a lot of arms in Reno and elsewhere that you'll see in spring training to help supplant our depth.
One other point is that I think that Diaz will be able to help the club prevent runs and thus helps our pitching staff as well. We were not a very good defensive team last year, 12th in efficiency and I think it really showed up in the stat sheet for a few of our pitchers. Marcos [Gonzalez] had a FIP of 3.90, and put up nearly 4 WAR but traditional stats didn't reflect how good he really was pitching and some of that is on the defense. Our team knows they have to be better on defense this year.
Guz: I know we would all like to see improvements wherever they come.
Hon: And it's my job to deliver them, as well as ensure the long term future of this club... I do regret that I wasn't able to bring in Mike Trout. *laughs*
Guz: *laughs* So what are your expectations for the season?
Hon: We built this roster to make a serious push a playoff berth... We were so close last year, the last team pushed out and I think we have the ability to do it. Making the playoffs certainly isn't an easy task and with Trout coming to the Nationals the NL gets that much more talented but this roster is strong top to bottom... And it's young, a core group of players like Greg Allen, Gallo, Diaz, Gonzlaez, Johnson, Blair, Ibanez, Severino and so many more are going to be on this team for at least three more years. We have the 2020 rookie of the year, the 2019 rookie of the year, and a darn good candidate for the 2021 rookie of the year in Yunior Severino. And this isn't just a let the kids play, our organization has expectations and we at the very least expect to be playing very meaningful games in September and October as well.
Guz: Thank you very much that's about all the time we have but we'll check back in later in the season! That's all here from the Snake Pit my name is Ronald Guzman and have a lovely warm Arizona winter everybody!
Hon: Thanks for having me on Guz, and I'm doing well. It's one of my favorite times of year anticipation for the year to come. Finalizing the roster and getting ready for another season of Diamondbacks Baseball.
Guz: This season, it has a little more buzz to it than previous years. After missing out on a playoff berth by so little and staying in contention until the very end this fanbase is clamoring for another season and another shot at the playoffs. We got a taste of meaningful September baseball for the first time in a while and now that there's a taste we need more.
Hon: Last season was certainly an important one for our organization. We certainly built our roster with a potential playoff berth in mind and a couple of breaks in different ways and we could have certainly been in it... We really carried a lot of that momentum from last year into this year trying to improve on the roster to get us over the hump and not only send the Diamondbacks into the playoffs but also once in the playoffs I fully believe that we have a lineup that can win on any given day. We certainly have had our struggles in September but couched in there were I believe six straight wins over the Cubs - it may have been 5 out of 6 - and a good record against the White Sox as well.
Guz: So what I'm taking from that is that the Isan Diaz deal is a win now move?
Hon: It was a move that I think was necessarily for our organization to keep building towards the playoffs. Diaz is a bona fide stud, who will be on this team for a long time to come. We had to give up a lot for him and it is always hard to see players and assets leaving the organization but ultimately Diaz is a stellar player, one of the best shortstops in the game and one that once he became available we couldn't pass up on if we could come to a fair offer. Which we certainly did.
Guz: Another major blow to the organization was the loss of Martin Perez, first to injury and then to free agency... Have you been in contact with the Perez camp to potentially bring him back? And do you think you've done enough to replace his production?
Hon: Ultimately the injury was a fairly substantial issue for both sides. We would have loved to bring Martin back with a short term deal or a QO but when we spoke to his camp the QO was obviously not an option for the organization and he is looking for financial security and a long-term deal. Offers have been made, I'm not at liberty to speak further on those but we appreciate Martin's contribution to the ball club and would like him to return if circumstances are right for us to do so. As for improving the pitching, bringing in Odorizzi and re-signing Kevin Gausman I think has done a lot to deepen our rotation. Gausman was very solid for us down the stretch last year and we are excited to see how he performs over the course of a full year with the club, and I also think Odorizzi is a heck of a ballplayer. He's bounced around the past few years but he's produced for every team that he's played for. We are happy to be able to offer him the security and we are happy to have him on the ballclub. He doesn't need to be an ace but strenth in the middle and end of the rotation is something that really hurt us last year as injuries piled up, Odorizzi and Gausman give us strong options in full health and I like a lot of arms in Reno and elsewhere that you'll see in spring training to help supplant our depth.
One other point is that I think that Diaz will be able to help the club prevent runs and thus helps our pitching staff as well. We were not a very good defensive team last year, 12th in efficiency and I think it really showed up in the stat sheet for a few of our pitchers. Marcos [Gonzalez] had a FIP of 3.90, and put up nearly 4 WAR but traditional stats didn't reflect how good he really was pitching and some of that is on the defense. Our team knows they have to be better on defense this year.
Guz: I know we would all like to see improvements wherever they come.
Hon: And it's my job to deliver them, as well as ensure the long term future of this club... I do regret that I wasn't able to bring in Mike Trout. *laughs*
Guz: *laughs* So what are your expectations for the season?
Hon: We built this roster to make a serious push a playoff berth... We were so close last year, the last team pushed out and I think we have the ability to do it. Making the playoffs certainly isn't an easy task and with Trout coming to the Nationals the NL gets that much more talented but this roster is strong top to bottom... And it's young, a core group of players like Greg Allen, Gallo, Diaz, Gonzlaez, Johnson, Blair, Ibanez, Severino and so many more are going to be on this team for at least three more years. We have the 2020 rookie of the year, the 2019 rookie of the year, and a darn good candidate for the 2021 rookie of the year in Yunior Severino. And this isn't just a let the kids play, our organization has expectations and we at the very least expect to be playing very meaningful games in September and October as well.
Guz: Thank you very much that's about all the time we have but we'll check back in later in the season! That's all here from the Snake Pit my name is Ronald Guzman and have a lovely warm Arizona winter everybody!