Team news (more)
[dbacks.com] 3 offseason questions for D-backs - What do the D-backs do with all the arbitration-eligible players? The D-backs have a big group of players eligible for arbitration, and they'll have some decisions to make about them. Relievers like Hoover and McFarland could be non-tender candidates, while Herrmann might be as well. If the D-backs are looking to move money in order to afford Martinez (or someone else), Corbin and Pollock could be candidates. MLBTradeRumors.com projects the pair to earn $8.3 million and $8.5 million, respectively, next year.
[AZ Central] Chase Field lags MLB stadiums in concert bookings - Does that mean Chase Field is bad at hosting concerts? That's what the Arizona Diamondbacks say. It's a key argument in the team's lawsuit against Maricopa County, which questions the 19-year-old stadium's structural integrity and seeks freedom for the team to find a new home. The Diamondbacks lawsuit also blames the county's booking manager, Scottsdale-based Select Artists Associates, for scheduling a "paltry" number of non-baseball events.
[Call to the Pen] What does the future hold for Archie Bradley? - After team officials figure out how to juggle economics, sign important players and generally get the Arizona Diamondbacks in place over the winter, a significant resolution lies afterward. However the decision is reached, this could have a domino effect throughout the structure of the team, and how Torey Lovullo will manage the 2018 season, at least at the start. While club officials would not call this important decision “a dilemma,” there is little question that the future of right-hander Archie Bradley remains front and center in general manager Mike Hazen’s and Lovullo’s thinking.
[dbacks.com] D-backs convene scouting meeting during AFL - The D-backs recently got their amateur scouts together for a series of meetings wrapped around watching Arizona Fall League games as they look ahead to the upcoming high school and collegiate seasons. "This is the time that we make changes to scouting reports, roles that we're going to assign, maybe how we want to scout the spring, if there's anything that we want to focus on, review last year's Draft, those types of things," D-backs general manager Mike Hazen said.
[AZ Central] Diamondbacks offseason: Front office eyes bullpen help - As for where the Diamondbacks stand on Martinez, Hazen wouldn’t say, nor would he address the situation regarding any of his other departing free agents, a group that also includes catcher Chris Iannetta. “We’re going to stay engaged in the market,” Hazen said, declining to comment further. If the Diamondbacks can’t bring back Martinez – which appears to be the most likely outcome – Hazen said the club would do something else to address the outfield, which has A.J. Pollock, David Peralta and Yasmany Tomas all set to return.
Team news (less)
[AP] Red Sox hire Tony La Russa as special assistant - The Red Sox hired La Russa on Thursday to serve as a vice president and special assistant on its baseball operations staff. He will work for Dombrowski, the team’s president of baseball operations, in player development and consultation with the major and minor league staffs. ”It was an opportunity that I was excited about,” La Russa said. ”Everything you do professionally, if somehow there’s a personal connection, I think it adds something to the opportunity. Dave and I go way back.”
[ESPN] The way-too-early 2018 Power Rankings: Can Houston repeat? - 7. Arizona Diamondbacks. Of the final eight teams, the Diamondbacks would be the popular pick for the one most likely to miss the playoffs, but there's a lot to like here. I'm totally buying the breakout seasons of Robbie Ray (2.89 ERA, fourth among all MLB starters in strikeout rate) and Zack Godley (3.37 ERA), which helped give Arizona one of the best rotation in the majors, with ace Zack Greinke leading the way. A key will be re-signing J.D. Martinez, who raised holy terror for opposing pitchers while swatting 29 home runs in 62 games. Archie Bradley is probably ready to take over as closer from Fernando Rodney, but finding another set-up guy would help.
And, elsewhere...
[MLB Trade Rumors] 2017-18 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions - 2. J.D. Martinez – Red Sox. Six years, $150MM. The biggest knock on Martinez is his right field defense, which has been a clear negative for the last two years. He also missed significant time with an elbow fracture in 2016 and a foot sprain to begin this year. Still, Martinez’s right-handed power will make him the most coveted bat on the market, enough that teams without corner outfield openings could trade someone to create a spot. The Diamondbacks may not have the payroll space to retain Martinez, leaving the Cardinals, Red Sox, and Giants as top suitors.
[SI] Dodgers' Dream Season Crashes at the Finish Line: 'I Feel Like We Were the Best Team' - "The lasting image of this World Series was supposed to have been the embrace shared by two broad-backed lefties—one slightly stooped, the other raggedy-maned, but both now free of the weight of a team and a city. That it would have to happen after the first Game 7 played at Dodger Stadium seemed almost more poetic. Sandy Koufax threw the first pitch on Wednesday night, and Clayton Kershaw was going to throw the last. Instead the flashes seared on Dodgers’ fans memories will be of downcast heads and slow trudges off the field." All together now: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
[MLB.com] Upton bypasses opt-out, signs with Angels - Slugging outfielder's five-year deal includes full no-trade clause, runs through 2022. As Angels general manager Billy Eppler met with Justin Upton and his representatives throughout the month of October, he didn't think much about the possibility of losing Upton to free agency. For Eppler, it was clear that both sides were working toward the same goal, which yielded a new five-year, $106 million contract.