The Arizona Diamondbacks finished with the worst record in the National League at 52-110. It certainly wasn’t what the Snakes expected going into 2021. They had injuries to two of their best players in Ketel Marte and Carson Kelly. They also dealt with underperformances from some veterans like David Peralta and Nick Ahmed. Obviously not in contending mode, the Diamondbacks traded Eduardo Escobar, Joakim Soria, and Stephen Vogt in July.
The problems for Arizona were all around the diamond as they finished in the bottom five of the NL in most major hitting categories. They also finished with the worst ERA in the league at 5.11. The Diamondbacks have to reset a bit for 2022 even though they aren’t losing any key players to free agency. Let’s take a look at what they will be looking for over the winter.
Make sure to check out all of our other MLB Offseason Previews.
Offseason Strategy
When a team is one of the worst in all of baseball there is certainly the reaction to blow it up and start over. The Diamondbacks, however, have some solid pieces in place, especially in the lineup. They just need better performances from the hitters they should’ve been able to count on this year. Arizona also needs a few pitchers who can generate some swings and misses. The staff had a paltry 19.7 percent strikeout rate. Some help should come from a good minor league system which ranks ninth in the majors according to MLB Pipeline.
Keys to the Offseason
Turn Up the Power
The Diamondbacks had winning records each year from 2017-2019 and finished in the top 10 in HRs in the NL. Over the last two years, they have had a losing record and finished second-to-last each season in homers. While expecting more pop from Kelly, Marte, and Christian Walker, Arizona needs another slugger or two. Eduardo Escobar led the team with 22 bombs in just 98 games. He is now gone after being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers at the deadline.
Be Aggressive
The Dbacks have most of their players under control for the next few years. Marte is on a cheap contract with team options for 2023-2024 and other key pieces like Walker, Kelly, Luke Weaver, and Zac Gallen either hit arbitration this year or next year. This allows the Diamondbacks to build around a solid core. They should be aggressive in the way they attack the market. Depending on a free agent’s age and production level, they have the luxury of going with more years or handing out a high AAV.
Add Starting Pitching Depth
The starting five that Arizona went into last season with actually wound up throwing decent seasons. The problem was those hurlers only started 102 games. Their starters in the other 60 games had laughingly horrible stats: 7-31, 7.07 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, allowed 54 HRs in 254.2 IP. That, my friends, is downright awful. Depth is what the Diamondbacks need as they obviously can’t count on anyone on the staff to pick up the slack when injuries occur.
Offseason Targets
Kris Bryant, 29, Third Base/Outfielder
Bryant will be commanding a big contract in his first dip into the free-agent pool. Arizona needs that big bat, and the former Cub and Giant would qualify. He has a career .375 wOBA and 134 wRC+ which would more than make up for the loss of Escobar and would allow the Diamondbacks to play Josh Rojas mostly at second base. Bryant would fill a much-needed role as a franchise power bat in the middle of the lineup. That’s something that the Diamondbacks haven’t had since Paul Goldschmidt in 2018.
Avisail Garcia, 30, Right Fielder
Garcia recently declined his side of a $12 million mutual option from the Milwaukee Brewers. He opted instead for the $2 million buyout. The 30-year-old right fielder had career-highs with 29 HRs and 86 RBIs. He also produced a solid .346 wOBA and 115 wRC+. Defensively, Garcia had eight DRS in right field. Peralta and Pavin Smith are both left-handed hitters while Avi is right-handed. On top of that, Peralta is in the last year of his contract while Pavin Smith is still progressing. With youngsters Alek Thomas and Corbin Carroll still possibly a year away, Garcia will be an excellent transition as Peralta departs and Smith continues to improve.
Eduardo Rodriguez, 28, Starting Pitcher
E-Rod would be an excellent addition to the Diamondbacks. He has truly come into his own even though his ERA looks a little disappointing. Despite a 4.74 mark, his FIP was 3.32 and SIERA was 3.64. The southpaw also sported a 20.4 percent K-BB rate for the first time in his career. At only 28, Rodriguez is a pitcher the Diamondbacks can pair with Gallen at the top of the rotation.
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