Who else might the D-backs target this offseason? Spoiler alert: the answer may be “none of the above,” although the team could be in position to pick up an extra piece or two in February as they did with Oliver Perez last year. The jewels of what remains of the free agent class are still Max Scherzer and James Shields, but even as the theoretically more affordable of the two, Shields may have a five-year, $110M deal on the table, as Ken Rosenthal reported. Also in the same piece, Rosenthal reports that sources tell him the D-backs are among some clubs who “have backed off Shields due to the expected price.”
Shields may never really have been in the cards; the D-backs almost certainly explored trading Aaron Hill and Trevor Cahill before moving the as-yet not replaced Miguel Montero, and the front office probably feels as though it’s cut all of the salary it can reasonably cut from this roster. The signing of Yasmany Tomas, however, probably sealed the deal on the D-backs not snagging a top free agent starting pitcher. Mid-tier guys like Jake Peavy are also off the board, and as free agent starting pitchers go, only Brandon Beachy or Chad Billingsley look like possible fits.
http://insidethezona.com/2015/01/roundup-remaining-free-agent-fits-d-backs/
It’s catcher where the D-backs may be scrounging for some help. A lot of the trade or free agent possibilities identified by Jeff Wiser in the Montero trade writeup are still valid — and with respect to free agents specifically, there absolutely is a good chance that by February, one or more of Wil Nieves, Gerald Laird or John Baker could be had on minor league deals. Geovany Soto would cost more. And while I like J.P. Arencibia for his pop and his surprisingly good pitch framing (learned midseason in 2013), he’s probably in line for more than a minor league deal, and yet not promising enough for the D-backs to take a stab at signing him for a starting role. I like Jeff Mathis here as a fit for the D-backs. Going defense-only would be a bit of a swerve, but he’d help make this new group of pitchers look really good, and he might be able to help bring Oscar Hernandez along. Fingers crossed.
Shields may never really have been in the cards; the D-backs almost certainly explored trading Aaron Hill and Trevor Cahill before moving the as-yet not replaced Miguel Montero, and the front office probably feels as though it’s cut all of the salary it can reasonably cut from this roster. The signing of Yasmany Tomas, however, probably sealed the deal on the D-backs not snagging a top free agent starting pitcher. Mid-tier guys like Jake Peavy are also off the board, and as free agent starting pitchers go, only Brandon Beachy or Chad Billingsley look like possible fits.
http://insidethezona.com/2015/01/roundup-remaining-free-agent-fits-d-backs/
It’s catcher where the D-backs may be scrounging for some help. A lot of the trade or free agent possibilities identified by Jeff Wiser in the Montero trade writeup are still valid — and with respect to free agents specifically, there absolutely is a good chance that by February, one or more of Wil Nieves, Gerald Laird or John Baker could be had on minor league deals. Geovany Soto would cost more. And while I like J.P. Arencibia for his pop and his surprisingly good pitch framing (learned midseason in 2013), he’s probably in line for more than a minor league deal, and yet not promising enough for the D-backs to take a stab at signing him for a starting role. I like Jeff Mathis here as a fit for the D-backs. Going defense-only would be a bit of a swerve, but he’d help make this new group of pitchers look really good, and he might be able to help bring Oscar Hernandez along. Fingers crossed.
