MLB: Handing Out Offseason Grades to All 30 Teams

Arizona Diamondbacks

Additions: RHP Zack Greinke, RHP Shelby Miller, SS Jean Segura

Subtractions: SS Dansby Swanson, RHP Aaron Blair, OF Ender Inciarte, RHP Jeremy Hellickson, RHP David Hernandez, RHP Chase Anderson, MIF Isan Diaz, 2B Aaron Hill

To complement one of the best offenses in baseball last year, the Diamondbacks set out to greatly improve their starting rotation, which they certainly did. They stunned the baseball world by coming out of nowhere to sign the premier free agent pitcher, Greinke, and then swung a deal to add a quite talented 25-year-old starter, Miller. They also traded for Segura, who at 25 years old is still an exciting young player, from Milwaukee to add to the glut of middle infielders they have. To get Miller, who figures to be the second starter behind Greinke, Arizona had to give up a lot.

The ransom the Braves received in the Miller deal included a very good young outfielder (Inciarte), the D’Backs’ 2015 Organizational Pitcher of the Year (Blair), and the first overall pick in the 2015 amateur draft (Swanson). Miller is a very good pitcher, but losing three players of that caliber is always a tough price to pay.

In the Segura deal, they traded Anderson, who has spent a lot of the last two seasons in the Arizona rotation, and Diaz, a second-round pick in 2014 who hit .360 in Rookie ball as a 19-year-old last season. On the other hand, they were also able to unload Hill’s ugly contract. They also traded Hellickson, a solid back-end starter, to the Phillies, and lost Hernandez to free agency.

Even with those losses, Arizona should be in good position over the coming seasons to compete in an NL West that now has a completely new look.

Final Grade: A-

Next: Atlanta Braves