The Diamondbacks took a shot in 2016, signing Zack Greinke and trading for a young Shelby Miller in the offseason. These two were supposed to bring the Dbacks to the next level. However, the results were mixed, to say the least.
Story 1: Diamondbacks trade Zack Greinke, eat some of the salary, and take the lump.
Should Arizona be looking to deal Zack Greinke.
Greinke is making a whopping $34 M dollars in 2017. This is a huge portion of the overall team salary. It becomes very difficult very quickly to put together a competent team when nearly 50% of the team’s salary is tied to one starting pitcher. Having Paul Goldschimdt locked up for a few more years at an extremely reasonable rate definitely helps the team, but Greinke wasn’t quite as good as advertised. Trading Greinke for this year, and absorbing some of his salary makes the most sense. The trade for Taijuan Walker provides a competent pitcher who can eat up some innings, and lessen the blow of losing the top starter. Given that the Diamondbacks farm system isn’t the strongest, nabbing a good prospect or two would help out dramatically.
Story 2: Can AJ Pollock and David Peralta both stay healthy and make the All-Star game?
In the last few years, both Pollock and Peralta have had some of the better seasons of outfielders in the Majors. In 2015, Peralta in 149 games hit .312, 17 HR, and 78 RBI’s with a .371 OBP. He struggled to stay healthy in 2016. Pollock had a similarly good year in 2015, with a .315, 20 HR, 76 RBI’s line. Pollock also made the All-Star team and won the Gold Glove. If both of these players can stay healthy for the D’backs, along with Paul Goldschmidt, they might have a chance to contend for a playoff spot.
Story 3: Tony La Russa leaves the front office after the 2017 season
Tony La Russa was brought in by the Diamondbacks to provide some serious baseball experience and roster organization. After La Russa’s experience with winning in St. Louis, it seemed logical. Bring in someone with a lot of experience in a winning organization to help overall a farm system and team that had been stagnant for a few years. With Paul Goldschimdt on the cusp of stardom at that point, it was a great opportunity to build something special. After a solid 2015 year, and some good signings and initial trades before the 2016 season, the baseball world was ready to see La Russa succeed in a different aspect of baseball.
However, the results have been less than stellar. The other two people, Dave Stewart and De Jon Watson, were let go at the end of a disappointing 2016 year. They had some injury issues that led didn’t help, but if the team doesn’t take a step forward, check to see if La Russa returns for 2018.
