David Peralta at the plate against the Reds. Image by Hayden Schiff. The day is June 1st, 2014, and the D-backs are in last place. The night before, Johnny Cueto’s fastball found A.J. Pollock’s hand and fractured it. With Mark Trumbo out since April with a fractured foot, the D-backs were running low on outfielders, … Continue reading A Farewell to David Peralta
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The Ketel Marte Extension, v 2.0
Photo taken by Hayden Schiff. Offseasons for non-contenders tend to be long and dreary. Your favorite player gets traded away for prospects, the best signing is a middling reliever or washup starter, and the eager expectation for the upcoming season lacks its pristine shine. While some of these characteristics are found in the D-backs’ offseason, … Continue reading The Ketel Marte Extension, v 2.0
Spending Small and Not Spending At All
The offseason is naturally a boring time for baseball fans, and we try to hold ourselves over until Pitchers and Catchers Report Day through projections, prospect rankings, and offseason signings. But in the past few years, offseason signings have dwindled, and the dreary winter months have been more boring than ever. For the Dbacks, this has been more true than most teams, quite remarkably, because Hazen, three offseasons in, has yet to make a major splash in free agency. Each offseason has been highlighted by one major trade (Segura, Souza, Goldy), followed by a series of minor pickups that you will have forgotten in five years time.
And The Beginning
In the last article, I wrote about the Goldschmidt Trade entirely from the viewpoint of what the Dbacks gave away, what that meant, and the end of the era. I intentionally ignored the return because the face of the franchise leaving is too large of a deal to not get its own spotlight. But the end of the Goldy Era has fostered the beginning of the next era, whatever that may look like, so now, I am going to look at the trade entirely from the opposite perspective: what we gained, what that means, and the birth of an era.
It's been wild ride for Weaver over the past couple of years. Before the 2017 season, he was ranked as the 7th best prospect in the Cardinals organization on account of "an easy plus change," but he lacked a third pitch that could keep him in a major-league rotation. He broke out to a 3.88/2.93/3.19 ERA/xFIP/DRA line in ten games started that season, but in 2018, in fifteen more starts, he was less valuable, as his DRA rose to 4.62, about three percent below-average. His strikeout rate fell 8.7%, his walk rate rose 2.1%, and he still is searching for that ever-so-important third pitch.
The End
Welcome to the end of the Goldschmidt Era, to the day we've all wanted to avoid. Regardless, the sun rose over the desert this morning, as it will on Opening Day this April. That first week Luke Weaver will pitch with Carson Kelly behind the plate, and somebody different at first base. The transition is going to be ugly, and Chase Field will be empty. Maybe, the organization has turned a corner, and the pieces acquired yesterday afternoon will hoist the trophy; maybe Goldy's talent won't be put to waste. But for now, all we know is that this is the end, and that we will never forget 44.
What You Can Buy With Seven Million Dollars
Escobar deserves more than seven million dollars, and if he chose to take the highest offer on the free agent market, Escobar would be paid a whole lot more than seven million dollars. Yet for some combination of reasons which we will never fully know, Escobar decided to sign with the Dbacks for three years, earning only seven million dollars every year. It's a strange scenario, and also a strange reminder that these are not robots trying to earn as much gold as possible before they break down. These are real players with real emotions, concerns, and interests, and somehow those lined up to where Escobar was willing to sign for cheap.
A Revamped Bullpen
You could sense that it was all coming to a close, but Archie was still out there. He didn't want the dream to end, and he was the only one qualified in the pen to be there. So, Lovullo ran him out there for fourty-eight pitches after he tossed fourty just two days prior. As the sun set on the 2017 season, everybody knew that Archie needed more help; he couldn't do it alone. Bullpens are so important in the postseason, and Bradley, essentially, was the Diamondbacks' bullpen. Now, having learned from his mistakes, Hazen seems resolved to put together a full team of relievers, ready for a second run to the postseason.
Dbacks Add Escobar to Fuel Stretch Run
The trade sends a clear, all-caps message to the rest of the league that the Dbacks are here to compete, as expected. It ensures that the team will not suffer from the Lamb injury, and once he is healthy, it improves the everyday offense while also providing at least one potentially potent bat off the bench to be leveraged for the stretch run. It allows Lovullo to use the platoon advantages of Escobar's switch-hitting abilities to better tailor lineups to the pitcher. Rather than the big, flashy production of J.D. Martinez, Hazen has decided to keep his top prospects while improving two spots in the lineup. While the competitive window is closing fast, the front office is ensuring it will be as competitive as possible.
The First Deadline Trade
When you have prospects and cash like the trees have leaves, sustainability can afford to become an afterthought. When you don't, sustainability must be an important factor in every decision. As the Manny Machado sweepstakes swirled out of the Diamondbacks' price range, it became clear that the front office would have to find other, subtler ways in their attempt to keep up with their rich neighbors by the Pacific. Acquiring Matt Andriese and his 4.07 ERA is not going to change the franchise; he certainly will not be remembered the way Curt Schilling or J.D. Martinez are. But, with the team pulled between the bright present and the murky future, the trade takes care of needs in both time frames.
Stars, Scrubs, and Jon Jay
The 2018 Diamondbacks' offense has essentially been stars-and-scrubs. Lineups often featured Nick Ahmed, Jeff Mathis, and Jarrod Dyson hitting in front of the pitcher. While all of these players have a clear purpose on the team, it places a massive pressure on the top of the lineup to produce runs consistently and often. It worked well enough in April; the offense was middle of the pack in terms of run production, which is fine when the pitching staff is one of the best in the league. But when May reared his ugly head, the flaws of the strategy became clear: it only works when the stars are healthy and performing. A combination of injury and ineffectiveness plagues the Diamondbacks' four offensive stars, and the offense was the worst in the league. Clearly, they weren't that bad, but something needed to change. Cue Jon Jay.
Roof and Panels Open 