Winter Meeting Needs And Wants

Whenever I used to ask my mom for something, she would always have the same response: “Is that a need or a want?” At the time, I thought everything was a “need,” but as I grew up, I understood the saying more. This saying might apply to the Arizona Diamondbacks this off season at the winter meetings. Kevin Towers and his crew are headed to Florida with a lengthy shopping list.

Need #1: Dominant starting pitcher

I think Arizona needs another starting pitcher–a dominant one. Although the rotation is somewhat established, I’m not super thrilled with it at this point. Who knows what you’ll get from Trevor Cahill and Brandon McCarthy on any given day? Randall Delgado is still young and raw, although the potential is there. Don’t worry about Wade Miley and Patrick Corbin–they’ll be great. If Arizona wants a dominant arm, they may need to dig a little deeper into their wallets. This is something that they haven’t done that much this off season. Sometimes it’s okay to splurge if the time is right. I mean come on, it’s the holidays!

Need (if the situation is right) #2: Outfielder with a big bat

Ehh, maybe? image: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

We have seen that Arizona is definitely willing to shop their outfielders this off season. A.J. Pollock is trade bait (which I don’t like) and Gerardo Parra is another possible part of a deal (which I dislike even more). If Arizona can somehow find a big bat to fill in at an outfield spot, then they should go for it. With that said, the D’backs can’t just settle on a guy–it needs to be perfect. If a trade will potentially cost Arizona one of the above players, it needs to be worth it. The name Mark Trumbo has been thrown around lately. I’m honestly intrigued by that possibility. Trumbo has a lot of talent and his talent has been overshadowed by Mike Trout in Los Angeles. Trumbo could shine in the desert, but at what price?

Want #1: Potential bench player to play the infield

Willie Bloomquist? Gone. Eric Chavez? Probably about to be gone. That has me thinking that Arizona needs another bench player–preferably one that can play on the left side of the infield. While this is not as much of a need for Arizona, it would be smart to at least browse the options because by the looks of it, Chavy is more interested in another team. In this area, the Snakes have a lot of ammo to use as trade bait if necessary. If they want to go after somebody, Cliff Pennington might be a pawn to use in a trade. This is at the bottom of the list for Arizona, but don’t be surprised if they start being aggressive shoppers.

Imagine you’re doing some Christmas shopping at the mall and there is always that one person who is rushing around the stores to try and find everything on their list. Kevin Towers is going to be that guy in Orlando.

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