What a disaster.
The Diamondbacks pushed all their chips in on 2016 -- you might even say literally, given the $206.5 million they handed Zack Greinke -- and the result was a 69-93 record, a fourth-place finish and across-the-board firings.
New GM Mike Hazen has been tasked with picking up the pieces, and so far, other than selecting a new field staff (led by manager Torey Lovullo), all he has done is trade the lone bright spot from that train wreck of a season, Jean Segura, for a couple of ex-prospects who wore out their welcome in Seattle.
But hey, it's a start.
The truth is that standing pat could be the best thing for the Diamondbacks. They assembled the talent for a playoff run last year and watched as one player after another delivered his worst-case scenario. Greinke's ERA jumped nearly three runs, from 1.66 to 4.37. Emerging MVP candidate A.J. Pollock broke his elbow a week before the start of the season, costing him nearly all of it. Shelby Miller, who had already cost the Diamondbacks No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanson in a trade that was doomed from the get-go, completely forgot how to pitch. Ditto Patrick Corbin. Even franchise player Paul Goldschmidt, as good of a hitter as there is in the majors (not to mention a slam-dunk first-rounder in Fantasy), hit an underwhelming 24 home runs.
As disappointing as each of those cases were, none appears to be a lost cause now except for maybe Miller, who doesn't have the track record Greinke does and didn't have the late resurgence Corbin did. But even he's only 26, with a top-prospect pedigree and an All-Star appearance to his name. It's not outside the realm of possibility a new set of eyes uncovers the mechanical problems that plagued him.
But that's just one of the endless number of reclamation projects on this team, not the least of which are the two former Mariners, Taijuan Walker and Ketel Marte. Throw in two platoon predicaments in Jake Lamb and David Peralta, a defensive albatross in Yasmany Tomas, an uncertain second base situation and a complete mess of a bullpen, and it's safe to conclude the odds are against the Diamondbacks in 2017.
But I'm saying there's a chance.
| 1 | 
A.J. Pollock
CF
|
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | 
Jake Lamb
3B
|
| 5 | |
| 6 | |
| 7 | 
Chris Owings
SS
|
| 8 | |
| Bench | 
Ketel Marte
SS
|
| Bench | 
Chris Herrmann
C/OF
|
| Bench | |
| 1 | 
Zack Greinke
RHP
|
| 2 | 
Robbie Ray
LHP
|
| 3 | 
Taijuan Walker
RHP
|
| 4 | 
Patrick Corbin
LHP
|
| 5 | 
Shelby Miller
RHP
|
| Alt SP | 
Archie Bradley
RHP
|
| Closer | 
Fernando Rodney
RHP
|
| Setup | 
Jake Barrett
RHP
|
| Relief | 
Randall Delgado
RHP
|
| Relief | 
Andrew Chafin
LHP
|
| Relief | 
Braden Shipley
RHP
|
Is Zack Greinke redeemable?
Well, the Diamondbacks didn't look to unload him this offseason, so clearly they're holding out some hope. In all probability, yes, he's redeemable. He has put together a career verging on Hall of Fame-worthy and has overcome ERAs as bad as last year's 4.37 mark (most recently, a 4.17 mark in 2010) in the past.
But we're lacking a concrete explanation for what went wrong in the first place. Certainly, some regression was expected after he looked like an in-his-prime Greg Maddux in 2015, but the extent of his downturn suggests something was actually wrong. The velocity was close enough to normal to imply it wasn't health- or age-related, and the uncharacteristic high walk rate would hint it was some sort of mechanical issue.
He made reference to tweaking his mechanics midway through last September but didn't go into details, and the results weren't vastly different. Still, given his track record and pitching intelligence, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, especially since he's being drafted alongside other potential, but less-than-certain, bounce-back aces like Dallas Keuchel and Matt Harvey.
Will A.J. Pollock be back to normal?
Believe it or not, last year was neither the first time Pollock fractured his right elbow nor had a screw inserted into that elbow. In fact, the failure of the original screw is what led to last year's mess.
Now, 2010 was a long time ago, before Pollock became the offensive juggernaut we now know him to be, so whether or not it impacted his performance in the months thereafter is hard to say. But if the little bit he played last year is any indication, he suffered no ill effects from the ordeal.
He made a mockery of minor-league pitching (as a player of his caliber should) during a rehab assignment, hitting .425 with three home runs, two stolen bases and a 1.286 OPS in 40 at-bats, and even though he hit only .244 in his 12 major-league games before suffering a season-ending groin injury, his other percentages were right where you want them to be.
He was looking like a borderline first-round pick in Fantasy for his across-the-board potential at this time last year, so even though he isn't entirely worry-free, the middle of the third round is about the furthest you'd want him to fall.
What's the plan at second base?
The Diamondbacks could go a number of different directions with the void they created in the Jean Segura trade. Ketel Marte, who was acquired in the deal, was the Mariners starting shortstop to begin last year and has a leadoff profile still deserving of everyday looks, so having him bump the versatile Chris Owings to second base would be the tidiest solution. Or light-hitting Nick Ahmed could be the one who displaces Owings, giving a team in need of some bounce-back pitching performances a plus-plus defender at the most premium position.
But GM Mike Hazen, the man who made the Segura trade, would cast his vote for Brandon Drury.
"I think more than anything else when you have a hitter of that caliber you want to find him at-bats," Hazen told The Arizona Republic in November. "It's a similar situation to what we had with Brock Holt in Boston. You find a way to get him on the field. That's of the most critical importance, getting him in the lineup. The defensive position becomes secondary."
Drury may lack of the plate discipline to be a true standout in Fantasy, but he homered 16 times in his 461 at-bats in a part-time role last year, including six times in his final 88 at-bats. Since he's not a natural second baseman, spending more time at third base and in the outfield last year, he may bounce around quite a bit, allowing Marte and Ahmed to play some as well.
But you heard the man. The Diamondbacks want Drury's bat in the lineup. And for some versatile late-round pop, so should you.
