Stephen Drew celebrates

The Arizona Diamondbacks sputtered in 2009. Due to the economy, the team has become cash-strapped unable to resign veteran Randy Johnson in 2009 despite him wanting to stay a Diamondback. Due to the team’s unexpected success in 2007, many expected more of the same the last two seasons. However the growing pains with the young position players (which was expected in 2007) has been occurring now. With the struggles came manager Bob Melvin’s firing and the hiring of AJ Hinch, who had never coached or managed at any level before and was the Diamondbacks director of player development. New blood did not change the losing ways. The Diamondbacks have quite a few needs, but may have to fill them internally unless they can make a deal. Most likely they will not be making a splash on the free agent market. Here’s the Diamondbacks wish list:

1. 

   Brandon Webb

   A healthy Brandon Webb: The ace made just one start for the Diamondbacks in 2009, putting the team in a huge hole to start the season. It also put a lot of pressure on the second ace Dan Haren. Losing Webb, who is considered one of the best pitchers in the National League and who has a career ERA of 3.27, hurts as the team lost a workhorse, a mentor for the young pitchers, and the one in the 1-2 punch of him and Haren, which is one of the toughest in the NL (behind St. Louis’ Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright). Webb, who had right shoulder surgery in August, is expected to be ready for spring training as the Diamondbacks picked up his club option for 2010.

2. The core young players to duplicate their 2007 seasons: The Diamondbacks surprised everyone by winning the NL West in 2007 with a talented young core. However every team has made adjustments to them and they’ve struggled. Catcher Chris Snyder was hurt in 2009 and succumbed to back surgery, which opened the door for Miguel Montero, and put Snyder on the trade block. Snyder played in just 61 games, hitting just .200. Third baseman Mark Reynolds has incredible power but he is now the record holder for most strikeouts in a season. His homeruns and RBIs since 2007 have increased each year. His defense has also been suspect, though his errors were down to 19 at third base in 2009 (from 34 in 2008). Stephen Drew has been great defensively but his offense has been up-and-down. He struggled in 2007, but hit .291 in 2008. Though he was down to .261 in 2009, he was pretty solid despite playing in fewer games (only 135). Chris Young struggled so much in 2009 that he was demoted to the minors with a sub .200 average. He was almost a 30-30 player in 2007 with great upside. However the strikeouts have continued to mount and he struck out 133 times in 433 at-bats. Augie Ojeda was a huge part of the NL West champions in 2007 as he took over for the injured Orlando Hudson late in the year and hit .274. As his at-bats have increased, his batting average has decreased into the .240s.
3. 

   Clay Zavada

   Upgrades to the bullpen: The Diamondbacks traded closer Jose Valverde to the Houston Astros after the 2007 season for closer Chad Qualls. Qualls suffered a freak knee injury towards the end of the 2009 season, though he is expected to be ready for spring training. Qualls proved he can close full-time as he converted 24 of 29 saves with a 3.63 ERA. The winning mustached-man Clay Zavada provided a lift to the bullpen (and to the fans) and should be a factor late in games in 2010. Zavada had a 3.35 ERA in 49 games, with opponents hitting just .236. Daniel Schlereth should also be given an opportunity to pitch late in games for the Diamondbacks. They just acquired Aaron Heilman which should help. They could use another veteran reliever and possibly a lefty to help the young lefties Zavada and Schlereth.

4. A first baseman: The Diamondbacks promoted prospect Brandon Allen late in the year to give him experience in the big leagues. However Allen struggled mightily and continued to struggle in the Arizona Fall League. In Phoenix, Allen hit just .202 in 104 at-bats with 40 strikeouts. In the AFL, Allen hit just .177 in 113 at-bats. Though his walks increased (22), he did strike out 33 times. There is talk that they are looking for a veteran to fill the spot until Allen is ready, though they had Tony Clark and let him go. Conor Jackson could be a short-term fix as the outfielder could move to first.
5. Starting pitching: If Brandon Webb can come back healthy and back to his CY Young form, he will team up with perennial All-Star Dan Haren and Max Scherzer. The combination of Billy Buckner, Bryan Augenstine, and Kevin Mulvey will battle for the other spots. The Diamondbacks would prefer for those three to battle for the fifth rotation spot. They could use a left-hander as they have zero left-handed starters. With their low payroll, the Diamondbacks may have to make a deal for a starting pitcher as they probably won’t have the money to lure a pitcher on the free agent market to Phoenix.

Update: The Diamondbacks added All-Star pitcher Edwin Jackson in a 3-team deal that sent Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth to the Detroit Tigers. They also received Ian Kennedy from the Yankees. Yes the Diamondbacks received 2 starting pitchers, but Jackson costs more than Scherzer and Schlereth combined (and then some) and Kennedy is not proven. For a team that is rebuilding and trying to get younger, I’m not sure that this deal makes sense.