D-Backs: Down-and-out to up-and-coming

If the Diamondbacks keep him, a rotation that starts with Johnson and extends to Ortiz and Brandon Webb is pretty good.

If they trade him, they can't miss. They've got to hit on a handful of impact major leaguers, including an impact pitcher with credentials such as those of the Yankees' Javier Vazquez or Oakland's Tim Hudson.

The Diamondbacks said they were operating Friday without having spoken to Johnson or his agents.

Might the club's moves over the past two days cause him to rescind his trade request?

"I don't want to presume that, but I would hope they might," Moorad said. "That's something he'll conclude on his own."