
So far this offseason the Diamondbacks have been one of the busiest teams in baseball. They made big-time headlines by first signing Zack Greinke, then by giving up a hefty package in a trade for Shelby Miller. Their rotation has improved tremendously. No doubt about it.
Arizona did sacrifice some offense to get Miller, most notably outfielder Ender Inciarte, who went to the Braves in the trade. The 25-year-old Inciarte had a 5.3 WAR season in 2015 thanks to a .303/.338/.408 (101 OPS+) batting line and exemplary defense. He'll be missed in the lineup, for sure.
The D-Backs were able to move Inciarte because of their outfield depth, however. The club has All-Star A.J. Pollock in center field, and David Peralta is slated to remain in left. Peralta, who was playing in an independent league as recently as 2013, hit .312/.371/.522 (139 OPS+) with 17 home runs in 2015. Those two plus Paul Goldschmidt form the core of Arizona's offense.
The trade of Inciarte frees up right field for Yasmany Tomas. The D-Backs signed the 25-year-old Tomas to a six-year, $68.5 million contract last winter, then made the curious decision to move him to third base. He looked very unnatural at the hot corner, and that's putting it kindly. The team pulled the plug on the third-base experiment in early June.
Regular outfield playing time was a little difficult to come by thanks to Pollock, Inciarte and Peralta. (And also some nagging injuries.) Tomas hit .273/.305/.401 (90 OPS+) with nine home runs in 426 plate appearances last season, including an ugly .200/.228/.318 line from Aug. 1 through Game 162. He struck out 34 times in his final 114 plate appearances.
That said, Tomas still showed off his exciting power potential, which includes the ability to drive the ball out of the park to all fields. To wit:
With Inciarte gone, Tomas will get regular playing time, and that's a positive for him. Going from playing every day to being a platoon bat like Tomas did in 2015 can be difficult. Regular at-bats are a good thing for him at this point.
Next season can't be a development year for Tomas though. Not if the D-Backs want to take the division. They don't figure to get much offense from their middle infield (Nick Ahmed and Chris Owings) and Jake Lamb will still be cutting his teeth at third base. It'll fall on Goldschmidt, Pollock and Peralta to carry the offense. Tomas will have to be the fourth piece.
For what it's worth, Steamer projects Tomas's true talent as a .263/.302/.426 hitter at this point of his career. He's probably never going to be a high on-base player because he rarely walks, though that's not a surprise. The D-Backs knew that when they signed him. Tomas is expected to make up for that with his power.
Arizona showed a lot of faith in Tomas last season, first by handing him that contract and then by asking him to change positions. They believed he has the athleticism and aptitude for the move. Third base didn't work out, so now he returns to his natural right field spot. The Inciarte trade freed up the position.
Now it's up to Tomas to return the favor and reward the team's faith by emerging as a centerpiece for the offense in 2016. The D-Backs are much improved this offseason, but the NL West looks to be very tight. If Tomas doesn't step in to the lineup and at the very least provide some power, it'll be tough for Arizona to win a winnable division.