Arizona Diamondbacks Offseason Tracker: Hottest Free Agency News, Trade Rumors
The Arizona Diamondbacks expected to be contenders in 2014 but had to suffer through a long and disappointing season. Now, the franchise will try to go in a new direction under new leadership.
At 64-98, the Diamondbacks finished with the worst record in all of baseball. Injuries to Paul Goldschmidt, Mark Trumbo and Bronson Arroyo certainly didn't help the team's chances.
Arizona's offseason began early, as the team needed a new skipper after firing Kirk Gibson near the end of the season. The team picked Chip Hale to be its new manager.
With a skipper in place, the front office will now look to improve the roster.
Stay tuned throughout November to see what is going on with the Diamondbacks.
All stats are via MLB.com
Done Deals
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Done Deals
Oct. 30: Exercised $800,000 option on RHP Daniel Hudson
Oct. 30: Exercised $600,000 option on LHP Matt Reynolds
Nov. 14: Acquired RHP Jeremy Hellickson from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for IF Andrew Velazquez and OF Justin Williams
Nov. 22: Traded RHP Mike Bolsinger to the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash considerations
Nov. 22: Traded RHP Charles Brewer to the Cleveland Indians for cash considerations
Nov. 26: Signed OF Yasmany Tomas to six-year, $68.5 million deal
Dec. 5: Traded SS Didi Gregorius to New York (AL) as part of a three-team deal, acquired LHP Robbie Ray and an infielder from Detroit, which acquired RHP Shane Greene from New York (AL)
Dec. 9: Traded C Miguel Montero to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for RHP Jeferson Mejia and RHP Zack Godley
Rule 5 Draft
Dec. 11: Selected C Oscar Hernandez from the Tampa Bay Rays
Dec. 10: Diamondbacks Reportedly Have Agreed to Trade Wade Miley to Red Sox
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Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported that the Diamondbacks have an agreement in place to trade left-hander Wade Miley to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for right-hander Allen Webster, right-hander Rubby De La Rosa and a minor leaguer.
The 28-year-old went 8-12 with a 4.34 ERA in 33 starts in 2014. The southpaw was 38-35 with a 3.79 ERA in 106 games (102 starts) with Arizona.
Miley is eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter and is under club control through the 2017 season, which made him attractive to many teams.
Webster doesn’t have a ton of experience starting in the majors, but he has looked decent when he has pitched.
He went 5-3 with a 5.03 ERA in 11 starts with the Red Sox in 2014. Don’t let the overall numbers fool you; he pitched fairly outside of a couple of starts. He got roughed up for six runs in back-to-back starts at the end of August, but he allowed more than three earned runs in a game just once in his other nine starts.
His strikeout-to-walk ratio of 36-to-28 could use some work, but the 24-year-old has already shown some promise early in his career. Overall, he has made 19 appearances (18 starts) in the majors.
De La Rosa does have quite a bit more experience pitching in the majors than Webster.
The 25-year-old made 19 appearances (18 starts) with Boston this year. He went 4-8 with a 4.43 ERA, and he struck out 74 batters and walked 35 in 101.2 innings.
De La Rosa got off to a fairly good start this year. Through his first seven starts, he posted a 2.64 ERA and routinely went deep into games. However, he got roughed up in his eighth start and wasn’t quite as consistent after that. He had a few more good starts directly after the rough outing but failed to go more than 5.1 innings in six of his final seven starts.
Arizona made this deal to get some pieces for the future. Miley was able to bring back a nice return, and now, the Diamondbacks have some young pitchers who they give an extended look at.
Dec. 9: Diamondbacks Trade C Miguel Montero to the Cubs
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After nearly a decade in the desert, catcher Miguel Montero will be playing for a different team next season.
The Diamondbacks traded Montero to the Cubs, according to Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com. Chicago sent right-handed pitchers Jeferson Mejia and Zack Godley to the Arizona, according to Levine.
The Diamondbacks' willingness to part ways with Montero came down to one thing: money. The catcher is due $40 million over the next three seasons. With the Cubs looking for a veteran catcher, the Diamondbacks saw that as a chance to shed some salary.
In return, Arizona received a couple of young pitchers.
Mejia has been in Chicago's system since 2013. He has a 2-4 record and a 2.57 ERA in 15 starts in the low levels of the minors. He has struck out 51 batters in 49 innings, but like with many young pitchers, control is a bit of an issue. The 20-year-old has walked 20 hitters, hit eight and thrown 13 wild pitches.
Godley was drafted by the Cubs in the 10th round of the 2013 draft. He has worked his way up to Single-A since turning pro last year and is putting up solid numbers. The 24-year-old has a 6-3 record and a 2.74 ERA in 54 relief appearances. He has struck out 105 batters and walked just 29 in 82 innings.
Arizona made this deal to clear some salary, but it also got back some young arms that may be able to help the team in the future.
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Mark Trumbo: Potential Trade Candidate
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The Diamondbacks are open to trading Mark Trumbo, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.
Trumbo hit .235 with 14 home runs, 15 doubles and 61 RBI in his first season in the desert. He played in only 88 games this past season after suffering a foot injury in the first month of the season.
When healthy, Trumbo is good for 30 home runs and 90 RBI.
Arizona acquired Trumbo in a three-team trade last offseason in hopes that he would help them contend. A lot went wrong in 2014, so this trade didn't turn out the way the team had hoped. Now, it may be looking to deal him.
Trumbo still has two more years left of club control.
Nov. 26: Diamondbacks Sign Yasmany Tomas to 6-Year Deal
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The Arizona Diamondbacks have made a big splash early in the offseason.
Arizona signed Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas to a six-year, $68.5 million deal, according to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez. According to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, Tomas will be able to opt out of the deal and become a free agent after four years.
CBS Sports' Jon Heyman initially reported that Tomas is looking to top the Cuban record of $72.5 million, but it looks like that number came up a bit short.
A lot of teams had shown interest in Tomas. The Philadelphia Phillies, the Atlanta Braves, the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants were among the teams that also showed interest in the outfielder, with the Diamondbacks showing interest late in the process. However, they were able to get something done quickly.
Tomas has tremendous power and should help provide protection for Paul Goldschmidt. He can play either of the corner outfield positions, so the club will have to decide whether to play him in right or move Mark Trumbo to right and put Tomas in left.
Arizona needed some thunder in its lineup. Goldschmidt is a legitimate MVP candidate, and Trumbo has a lot of power. Now, the Diamondbacks have someone who is expected to be one of the best sluggers in the league.
Tomas turned 24 years old on Nov. 14.
Diamondbacks Interested in James Shields
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As the Diamondbacks look to continue to improve their rotation, they may be looking big. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported that the club is interested in free agent James Shields.
Shields went 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA in 34 starts with Kansas City this year. The right-hander has a 114-90 record and a 3.72 ERA in his nine-year career.
The 32-year-old has often been referred to as "Big Game James." However, he probably cost himself quite a bit of money with an unimpressive postseason. He recorded only two quality starts in five starts this postseason and failed to go deeper than six innings in any of those showings.
Although Arizona does have interest in him, it may not be able to afford the pitcher. Shields is one of the top free agents on the market.
Nov. 14: Diamondbacks Acquire RHP Jeremy Hellickson from the Rays
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The Diamondbacks have acquired Jeremy Hellickson from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for outfielder Justin Williams and infielder Andrew Velazquez, per the team's official Twitter account.
Hellickson went 1-5 with a 4.52 ERA in just 13 starts this year. The right-hander missed the start of this past season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his pitching shoulder in spring training and not make his 2014 debut until July.
The 27-year-old has spent his entire career in the Rays organization after getting drafted by the club in the fourth round of the 2005 draft. Hellickson is 40-36 with a 3.78 ERA in 115 games (108 starts) in his five-year career.
Arizona had been looking to upgrade a rotation that ranked 27th in baseball last year with a 4.44 ERA. Hellickson had a strong two-plus seasons to start his career but has struggled the last two years. However, the Diamondbacks are hoping that he will be able to regain his form in the desert.
Hellickson is set to become a free agent after the 2016 season.
Chad Billingsley: Free Agent Target
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The Diamondbacks are interested in free agent Chad Billingsley, according to Jack Magruder of FoxSportsArizona.com.
Billingsley was a very solid pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2006-13. He posted an 81-61 record and a 3.65 ERA during that span.
Unfortunately for him, injuries have forced him to miss much of the last two seasons. Billingsley has not pitched since April 2013. He underwent Tommy John surgery last year and had surgery to repair a partially torn flexor tendon in the same elbow this year.
Billingsley was a first-round pick in the 2003 draft.
Will the Diamondbacks Try to Trade an Infielder for Pitching?
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Update: Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 10:14 a.m. ET
The New York Post's Joel Sherman reported that Didi Gregorius has drawn a lot of interest from around the league.
--End of Update--
The Arizona Diamondbacks have an abundance of young talent in the infield, so they may look to swap an infielder or two for some starting pitching.
Chris Owings, Didi Gregorius and Nick Ahmed are all talented players, but there aren't enough spots on the field to play all of them. As each of them battles to show that he should be considered the shortstop of the future, the Diamondbacks may have to consider dealing one of them to bring in some arms.
The Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro wrote that the team is highest on Owings, who appears to have the biggest offensive upside of the trio. That means Gregorius and Ahmed may be dangled with the hope of getting back a solid starting pitcher.
Oct. 30: Diamondbacks Exercise Option on Daniel Hudson
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Daniel Hudson has worked his way back from two Tommy John surgeries, and now the Diamondbacks are taking a low-risk chance on him by picking up his $800,000 option for next season, per the team's Twitter account. He also has the chance to earn $300,000 in roster bonuses.
The right-hander made nine starts in 2012 but then had to undergo Tommy John surgery in July 2012. While working his way back from that surgery, he ended up re-tearing an elbow ligament in June 2013. That meant he needed to go under the knife for a second time in less than a year.
Hudson worked his way back from the second surgery this year. After missing two-and-a-half seasons, the 27-year-old finally got back on the mound this September. He allowed four runs in 2.2 innings of work, spanning four outings.
In his one full season in the majors, Hudson showed a lot of promise. He won 16 games and posted a 3.49 ERA in 33 starts in 2011.
Now the team has decided to stick with him, and we'll see if he produces. Considering Arizona needs help on the mound, it's not a bad move.
Oct. 30: Diamondbacks Exercise Option on Matt Reynolds
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The Diamondbacks have exercised their $600,000 option on reliever Matt Reynolds, per the team's Twitter account.
Reynolds has pitched just one season for Arizona. In 2013, he posted a 1.98 ERA in 30 outings. He struck out 23 and walked just five in 27.1 innings pitched that year. The southpaw has a career 3.58 ERA in 195 games.
Unfortunately for him and the team, Reynolds had to undergo Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2013 season. He missed the entire 2014 season.
It's not much of a risk to exercise his $600,000 option. If he is able to get back to pitching the way he was before the surgery, it will pay off.
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