Early Grades for All of the Arizona Diamondbacks' Offseason Acquisitions

The Arizona Diamondbacks had a relatively busy offseason entering 2015. Besides cleaning house in several areas of management, they made a number of acquisitions via signings and trades that have had an impact thus far.

The D-backs sit at 8-8 entering Saturday and have showed signs of improvement from their abysmal 2014 campaign. Some of the new players have assisted in that regard.

Here are the early grades for Arizona's offseason acquisitions.

Robbie Ray

Ben Margot/Associated Press

After Arizona acquired Robbie Ray from the Detroit Tigers this winter, it was expected he would compete for a spot in the rotation.

That was not to be. Ray did not do enough in the spring, so the D-backs opted to stick with five right-handed pitchers in the rotation. 

Ray went 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA in spring training. Opposing hitters batted .288 against him, and he surrendered nine walks.

After being optioned to Triple-A Reno, Ray has shown improvement in some areas, where he is 1-1 with a 3.29 ERA. However, he has walked 11 hitters in just over 13 innings pitched. If Ray is to see time at the big league level this year, he will need to show more progress in Reno or capitalize on an injury to another pitcher.

Grade: C-

Allen Webster

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Allen Webster was one of the three players acquired from the Boston Red Sox in the Wade Miley deal. General manager Dave Stewart was excited to add "young power arms" to the roster, and Webster certainly fits that criterion.

During the spring, however, he struggled greatly. Webster was hit hard, going 0-1 with an 8.18 ERA. Opposing hitters batted .360 off Webster, and like Ray, he had issues with his command. 

In Triple-A Reno in 2015, Webster has been even worse, going 0-1 with a 19.29 ERA.

In his first start, he allowed six runs in only three innings pitched. In his second start, he allowed nine runs in only four innings. 

At this point, Webster will likely not be called up unless a number of injuries occur in the starting rotation. It's been a disappointing start for the young right-hander.

Grade: D-

Rubby De La Rosa

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Coming over to the desert as the other piece to the Miley deal, Rubby De La Rosa has fared much better than Webster.

He entered the 2015 season as the D-backs' No. 2 starter in the rotation.

With a power fastball that is consistently in the mid-to-upper 90s alongside a devastating changeup, De La Rosa has kept hitters off balance.

He leads the team in strikeouts with 17 while going 2-1 in three starts. But those numbers are not necessarily indicative of how De La Rosa has pitched as a whole. His ERA sits at 6.00, which is much too high for a No. 2 starter. He has also given up four home runs leading up to his Saturday start.

It's still early, and there is no question that his stuff is electric. If De La Rosa can keep the ball out of the zone a bit more, he should be able to lower his ERA and be a solid starter going forward.

Grade: B

Jeremy Hellickson

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Acquired from the Rays in the offseason, Jeremy Hellickson had a nice spring for Arizona, going 3-1.

He quickly earned the No. 3 spot in the rotation entering the season. But thus far, Hellickson has proved to be hittable. 

In 17.2 innings (three starts), he has surrendered 24 hits while only striking out 10. His record is 1-2 entering Saturday, and he has only logged one quality start. 

That was Sunday at San Francisco, where Hellickson shut down the former world champions, allowing only one run in 6.2 innings.

It remains to be seen whether Hellickson possesses the same deception in his pitches that helped him win the AL Rookie of the Year award in 2010 with the Rays.

But he did show Sunday that he has the potential to be a decent option in the middle of the rotation.

Grade: C+

Yasmany Tomas

Matt York/Associated Press

The offseason acquisition that generated the most noise in Arizona was certainly Yasmany Tomas. After signing a six-year, $68.5 million contract, he had an up-and-down spring.

He started out playing third base, despite playing outfield in his years in Cuba. The experiment showed that Tomas needed to improve his defense in order to secure a spot on the big league roster.

His bat was solid in the spring though, as he hit .257 with two home runs and 12 RBI in 24 games. A bit of rust was to be expected, as he needed some time to adjust to major league pitching.

When the 2015 season began, Tomas was optioned to Triple-A Reno, where he hit .190 with one home run and three RBI in five games. 

But a foot injury to young Jake Lamb at third base resulted in Tomas being called up and receiving playing time right away. 

In six games with the big club, he is hitting .400 and has yet to strike out in his 10 at-bats. 

He does have an error at third base, but he has looked comfortable otherwise, making several tough plays including a scoop tag Friday.

D-backs fans are likely waiting for the power in Tomas' bat to show up, since slugger Mark Trumbo only has one home run entering Saturday's contest.

That time will come.

Grade: B+

All statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference, unless otherwise noted.