Almost Every 2014 Arizona Diamondbacks’ Move Has Backfired

Addison Reed has not performed up to expectations. Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

If 2014 is your first season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, you have entered a black hole. Moves were made with the intention of improving on back-to-back .500 seasons.  However, three of the four major offseason additions and the one in-season acquisition have turned out to be snakebit (no pun intended) and have contributed to the assurance that Arizona will not be .500 again.  They will be worse. Much worse as the current 35-50 record indicates. Oliver Perez, who has allowed only two earned runs over the last two months has been the exception. Let’s look to see how each of these players have had their seasons torpedoed.

Mark Trumbo: The first addition was the most controversial. The D’backs gave up promising players in Tyler Skaggs and Adam Eaton in a three way trade to land the power bat of Trumbo. With good reason, most fans were skeptical because the team soured on Skaggs and Eaton and gave up on them way too quickly and Trumbo brought an all-or-nothing approach to a squad that needed more consistency. The 28-year old left fielder gave the team exactly what we all expected: he was among the early league leaders in home runs with seven and RBI’s with 19. The other part of his offense followed him to the desert as he hit .210with a .264 on-base percentage. Trumbo has been on the disabled list since April 24th with a stress fracture in his left foot. He is not scheduled to return until after the All Star break.

Addison Reed: He was brought to the D’backs to help solidify a bullpen that blew a Major League-high 29 saves in 2013. While Reed does have 19 saves, his overall numbers are less than impressive. His outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates was dreadful: last night, he helped turn Wade Miley‘s gem into a 3-2 loss as the Pirates hit him hard. Reed is 1-4 with a 4.15 ERA in 34 2/3 innings pitched. While his 40 strikeouts are nice, allowing 34 hits and 8 walks is not. Most egregious are the eight home runs allowed; many stated that he was a fly ball pitcher going to a hitter-friendly park. They weren’t wrong.

Bronson Arroyo: His first four starts yielded an ERA of 9.50. I wanted him very much in the offseason and then almost wished I didn’t. However, he then morphed into the pitcher Arizona thought they were getting. By the time the calendar turned to June, Arroyo was the best, most consistent member of the club’s rotation. His record the night of June 15th stood at 7-4 with a 4.08 ERA. However, he is now on the disabled list for the first time in his career with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). He has not resumed any baseball activity yet and it seems as though he may not return until at least August. With that type of injury, there is also the distinct possibility that he may become the third D’backs’ pitcher to undergo Tommy John surgery this year.

Jordan Pacheco: I questioned the wisdom of claiming the former Colorado Rockie off waivers. It seemed as though that he would be taking away valuable playing time away from guys such as Chris Owings. the move appeared to pay early dividends as the versatile Pacheco began his Snakes’ career with three hits in eight at-bats. Unfortunately, the good times did not last as he was placed on the disabled list last week with shoulder tendonitis. By the time he is eligible to return, Pacheco will have spent more time on the DL than in a D’back uniform.

The offseason moves made by Kevin Towers and company have not worked out nearly enough to make the D’backs competitive enough in 2014. It may end up costing KT his job.