Arizona Diamondbacks

Losses: P Max Scherzer, P Doug Davis, 1B Chad Tracy, P Scott Schoenweis, 1B Scott Whitesell, P Daniel Schlereth

Gains: P Edwin Jackson, P Ian Kennedy, 2B Kelly Johnson, 1B Adam LaRoche, P Bob Howry, P Aaron Heilman, Brandon Webb (from injury)

Analysis: There will be plenty of new faces in the desert this summer, as the Diamondbacks try to return to the playoffs after missing out the last two seasons. They traded away two former first round picks (Scherzer and Schlereth) in order to land Jackson and Kennedy. While Jackson is coming off a nice year (13-9, 3.62 ERA, 1.26 WHIP), Kennedy was very inconsistent during his time with the Yankees. He is currently slotted for the back end of the rotation, though, so he should have a chance to feel his way without too much pressure (having Brandon Webb and Dan Haren atop the rotation has that effect).
Arizona also retooled the right side of the infield by bringing in LaRoche and Johnson. Despite making a splash earlier in his career, Chad Tracy wasn’t exactly reminding anyone of Albert Pujols (or Shea Hillenbrand for that matter), so LaRoche is definitely an upgrade offensively at first. He could be a liability defensively though, especially with Webb inducing a ton of ground balls. Johnson, on the other hand, is solid defensively and if he can bounce back from last year’s sub-par performance at the plate, he will definitely be a valuable piece.
Howry and Heilman are both erratic relievers that have had nice runs in the past, and Arizona is going to need both of them to rekindle the magic this season in order to have a shot at the playoffs, because the rest of the bullpen is suspect (except of course for Clay Zavada, for obvious reasons ).

2010 Thoughts: Not as badly as they did last year. Many felt that they gave up on Scherzer too soon, however given his injury history they may have been shrewd in getting something for him now. If Kennedy can live up to his potential, the rotation could become something special. Of course this also depends on how Webb performs after missing almost all of 2009. With the additions of LaRoche and Johnson, their batting order all of a sudden is looking pretty potent, led by Mr. All-or-Nothing himself, Mark Reynolds.

Prediction: I don’t see any reason why this team can’t finish above .500, and while the NL West is deeper than it has been in recent years, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them steal the division or the Wild Card. It all hinges on the bullpen, though. My official prediction is third in the division, behind the Rockies and the Dodgers.

APT’s Prediction: 4th in a tight NL West