The Diamondbacks are in good shape with Hazen at the helm.
Give Arizona Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen credit; instead of fretting when the team lost free agent J.D. Martinez to the Boston Red Sox, he instead traded for his replacement, someone who will make about one-eighth of what Martinez will earn in 2018 despite out producing the slugger in WAR last season. In a three-team trade with the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, the Diamondbacks acquired outfielder Steven Souza Jr. in exchange for sending infielder Brandon Drury to the Yankees, while the Rays received Yankees prospect Nick Solak, Diamondbacks pitcher Anthony Banda, and two players to be named later.
Without a doubt, Martinez was at the heart of the Diamondbacks playoff run last season, helping them finish with 93 wins after hitting .302/.366/.741 with 29 HR and 65 RBI in only 62 games following a midseason trade from the Detroit Tigers. For the season, Martinez finished with 4.1 WAR in 119 games, leading the MLB in SLG and finishing third in OPS by hitting .303/.376/.690 with 45 HR and 104 RBI. However, Souza, 28, is a fine replacement in his own right, having compiled 4.2 WAR last season, and hitting .239/.351/.459 with 30 HR and 78 RBI. Despite striking out 179 times last season, Souza also set a career high with 84 walks, while Martinez’s career high for a season is 53. Additionally, Souza stole 16 bases last year, and has been worth a career 5 Defensive Runs Saved in the outfield; both numbers show how Souza may be a more complete player than Martinez, who has stolen 16 total bases in his career and is worth -35 Defensive Runs Saved. Hitting behind or in front of Paul Goldschmidt, Souza’s numbers should only increase in Arizona, especially when taking into account he is moving from Tropicana Field (24th in the MLB in Park Factor) to Chase Field, which is 3rd in Park Factor and is widely regarded as one of the friendliest hitters parks in baseball. Perhaps most importantly for the Diamondbacks, Souza is only making $3.55 million this season and is under team control through 2021, a huge departure from the up to $110 million the Red Sox will be paying Martinez should he remain in Boston for the next five seasons.
In addition to bringing in Souza, the Diamondbacks also brought in Jarrod Dyson to help fortify their outfield, agreeing to a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the speedy 33-year old. Over the past four seasons, Dyson has averaged 2.7 WAR, 30 stolen bases, and 11.25 Defensive Runs saved per season, the latter two of which would have led the Diamondbacks in 2017. Last season, Dyson hit .251/.324/.350 in 111 games with the Seattle Mariners, stealing 28 bases, and compiling 15 Defensive Runs Saved. Projected to be the semi-regular fourth outfielder for the Diamondbacks, Dyson has a career 84.6% stolen-base success rate and has stolen 30 or more bases in a season four times. A member of the 2015 World Series champion Kansas City Royals, Dyson should bring valuable postseason experience to a Diamondbacks team looking to build upon their first playoff appearance since 2011 last season. With the additions of Dyson and Souza joining center fielder A.J. Pollock and right fielder David Peralta, it appears that Yasmany Tomas and his $13.5 million contract will be headed for a bench role with the Diamondbacks in 2018.
In Drury, 25, the Yankees have given themselves insurance in the infield should top prospects Glyber Torres and Miguel Andujar need more seasoning in the minor leagues after spring training. From General Manager Brian Cashman’s perspective, the insurance was necessary given Andujar’s .915 fielding percentage in the minor leagues and the fact that Torres is recovering from Tommy John surgery on his non-throwing arm, and has played only 55 games above A ball. In his three years with the Diamondbacks, Drury has played all four-infield positions but is expected to mainly compete for the starting job at third base during spring training. While Drury’s BB: K ratio of 28 to 103 last season leaves a lot to be desired, he still managed to hit .267/.317/.447 with 13 HR, and 37 doubles. At Chase Field, Drury excelled, hitting .305/.360/.533 in 509 plate appearances; it should be noted however that those numbers fell drastically on the road, with career marks of .239/.280/.368 in 529 plate appearances. That being said, Drury should only benefit from moving to the AL East, as his he is remaining in a strong hitters park at Yankee Stadium, and is switching out division games at Petco Park (29th in Park Factor) Dodger Stadium (17th in Park Factor) and AT&T Park (27th in park factor) for games at Fenway Park and Camden Yards (Tied for 11th in Park Factor). Acquiring Drury also likely allows the Yankees to keep Ronald Torreyes in a bench role, where he excelled last season hitting .292 last season. It also likely means that Tyler Wade, who hit .155/.222/.224 in the majors but .310/.382/.460 at AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season, is on the outside looking in for a roster spot.
After already moving or releasing Evan Longoria, Corey Dickerson, and Jake Odorizzi, Souza represents another core member of the Rays that the team has moved this offseason. The big prospect the Rays received in the move was Nick Solak, a 23-year-old second baseman who was a second-round pick for the Yankees out of the University of Louisville in 2016. After hitting .376/.470/.564 in his final season at Louisville, Solak .297/384/.452 between High A and AA last season, and is revered for his contact and on-base skills. While he will likely start the season at AA after playing only 30 games at the level a year ago, he is likely headed for a 2019 debut in the MLB if he continues to develop at his current pace. From the Diamondbacks, the Rays received LHP Anthony Banda, who was Baseball America’s #88 overall prospect heading into the 2017 season. Last season, Banda struggled, going 8-7 with a 5.39 ERA and 1.443 WHIP at the AAA level, before going 2-3 with a 5.96 ERA and 1.403 WHIP in 25.2 innings for the Diamondbacks. That said, there were some positives, as Banda struck out 25 batters in 25.2 innings in the MLB, and only allowed one home run. With a mid-90s fastball that tops out at 98, a low-80s curveball and a changeup, Banda has the stuff and the build to potentially make an impact in the Rays rotation this season, and should only benefit from moving away from Chase Field and into Tropicana Field.
It’s rare that a trade benefits all parties involved, especially when it involves three teams. However, this may be the rare trade that pays off for everyone, as the Diamondbacks got the right-handed power they were after, the Yankees received a quality major league infielder, and the Rays continued to shed salary while getting young, cost-controlled players in the process.
