For the Arizona Diamondbacks, it was business as usual for their off-season additions. With their movements this season it is clear that the team’s ground has been raised with the addition of veterans to the squad and roster. But the concern is what could be the ceiling of this team. D-backs general manager Mike Hazen believes the core of young playersAnd improving them through their first full season in the big league will be key to raising that ceiling.
The defenders still have some work to do, trying to improve on their 74 wins and hopefully be in the mix for a postseason spot at the end of the season.
Go Longoria
Most of the D-backs’ move in free agency has revolved around adding veterans to the roster to augment the young core. this week, Arizona signed free agent third baseman Evan Longoria to a one-year deal. Longoria, who lives just seven minutes away from Salt River Fields, listed Arizona as one of his three favorite destinations when he reached free agency for the first time in his career. 37 years old You will be expected to provide seasoned leadership to a young clubplatooned at third base with Josh Rojas, and gave the team an impact bat in the lineup against left-handed pitchers.
Being a Tampa Bay youth player, Longoria credits Eric Hinske and Clive Floyd for helping him learn how to play the right way. In his first year in the major leagues, the Rays won the AL Pennant Award. After 15 years, he hopes to provide that kind of leadership and lay the foundation for a successful D-backs team. In his career, Longoria has made the postseason teams five different times. Arizona State breaking a five-year slump may be the perfect way to end his career.
More relief required
The D-back has done a lot churning list With a bullpen in the off season. Their additions to the pen include a pair of free agent signatures, w/ Scott McGough And Miguel Castro Sign two deals for one year in a row, claim waiver with Arizona acquires Cole Sullser from the Marlins, and a trade to the Cleveland Guardians for powerful right-hander Carlos Vargas. Perhaps the most interesting list is leaving the bullpen with Taylor Widener, Edwin Uceta, Tyler Gilbert, Humberto Castellanos, Ian Kennedy, Reyes Moronta, Sean Poppen and Keynan Middleton either released, or not bidding. , or claim exemptions, or release them to minors.
When asked if he had finished making moves related to the bulls before Opening Day, Hazen did not rule out making another addition. Arizona was Previously associated with Japanese right-hand man Shintaro Fujinami as a prospective student in December, but there has been no news of him. The deadline for teams to reach an agreement with Fujinami is January 15th, 45 days after it was posted on December 1st. We’ll have an idea next week about where Agent Boras will be signing.
One out-of-the-box idea for the bullpen is to take one or two of your best starting pitching prospects and move them into an extended rest period. Part of building the Bulls also includes taking marginal starting pitchers and seeing if they can handle the role of the Bulls. While it’s unlikely that Arizona will have the same five starting pitchers, it’s important for players like Dry Jameson, Rin Nelson, and Tommy Henry to take on major league hitters rather than spend their time in Reno.
Alternatively, it could target Arizona Other free agents in the market as Andrew Chafin, Matt Moore, Corey Knebel or Michael Fulmer. At this point, none of these players will be too expensive and add more experience and stability to the game. It would be crucial for the Arizona bullpen to be more successful in preventing opposing teams from scoring late so they can make it. Compete on the Wild Card website in 2023.
Darkhorse is nominated for Rookie of the Year
Corbin Carroll is a frontrunner for the 2023 National League Rookie of the Year. In his first 32 games, spanning 115 games, the 22-year-old hit .260/.330/.500 with four home runs and played solid defense in left field. In total, its average value was approximately 1.3 wars. There are some concerns about his ability to maintain that level of production in his first full big-league season, but given the tools and general make-up, I think Carroll will be one of the top contenders for the award when the season is over if he can play in at least 140 games.
Looking at the rest of the organization, the next best candidate to win the award would be right-handed pitcher Brandon Pfadt. Pfaadt is an impressive story, as a player who wasn’t heavily recruited out of high school before ending up in Bellarmine’s Division-II program. A strong summer in the Cape Cod League was followed by a stellar five-start run as a junior in the fifth round by Arizona. Less than three years later, Pfaadt has become one of the best shooting prospects in the game after tearing through two harsh environments in a system of video game D-backs as numbers.
It will be interesting to see where Pfaadt is on the lists of prospects entering 2023. Although he doesn’t throw 98+, the 24-year-old right-hander commands three pitches that light up as well as potential between the fastball, slider and changeup very well. He has all the ideal attributes of a starting mid-rotational starting contender for the playoffs, with a sturdy 6’4″ 230-pound frame, and has already shown he can handle the workload of a typical MLB starter with 172 innings over 30 starts between the minor league regular season and the Pacific Coast Championship game. .
He would only need to place in the Top 100 twice between Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and ESPN in order to qualify for the potential pitching incentive program in the current collective bargaining agreement. Considering he was on Pipeline’s top 100 by the end of the 2022 season, Pfaadt has a good chance of qualifying. This could play into how the D linebackers shape the rotation, as it would give them a legitimate second candidate for Rookie of the Year honors. We know the potential reward for the top 100 prospects who make the Opening Day list and win Rookie of the Year, as a The Seattle Mariners earned a first-round pick when Julio Rodriguez was named American League Rookie of the Year for the 2022 season.
Carlos Correa’s weird free agency continues
Carlos Correa is heading off the D-back range and moves they’ve made this off-season. He initially agreed to a 13-year, $350 million contract with the San Francisco Giants, another NL West team. That deal ultimately fell through on the day Correa was scheduled to be introduced to the giant media and free agent shortstop agreed to a 12-year, $315 million deal with the New York Mets. That deal is also in danger of falling through, as the Mets red-flagged his right leg and were extremely frustrated with the negotiating process.
The issue at hand with both the Giants and Mets relates to an injury from the 2014 season, in which Correa broke his fibula sliding into base. It wasn’t a recurring problem for the subsequent eight seasons, though it would be an area of ​​potential concern when talking about a long-term deal. Mets owner Steve Cohen may have opened his team up to a potential complaint about the entire ordeal by commenting on Correa’s signing before the deal was finalized.
Ultimately, which team signs Korea is anyone’s guess. The Minnesota Twins re-engaged in negotiations with 2022 shortstop and He reportedly had an offer of $285 million for 10 years earlier this season. My guess is that Corea and the Mets came to terms on a revised deal, or the Twins eventually signed him to a deal closer to what they previously offered.