Diamondbacks Avoid Over-Staffing OF in Nixed Trade
By John Tenney
Ken Kendrick, General Partner of the Arizona Diamondbacks, has recently cancelled a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers that would have swapped 2 time All-Star backstop Miguel Montero for OF Andre Ethier according to a report by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.
Included in the deal would be Dodgers backup catcher Tom Fedorowicz along with two minor league prospects and cash to cover the nearly 16 Million difference between the two players in salary.
Both players are nearly similar in age. This deal simply makes no sense, which makes it really hard to believe Rosenthal’s report. Either is owed $53.5 million over the next three seasons, and he just isn’t worth that money.
He hit .249 in 130 games last season. Why would Stewart want to trade one undesirable contract for another when the team wants to cut payroll.
The club already has Mark Trumbo, David Peralta and newly signed Cuban sensation Yasmany Tomas covering Right Field. On top of that, the catching position is thin, so trading Montero at this point would make no sense.
With the D’backs dealing SS Didi Gregorius to the New York Yankees in a three club deal with Detroit in an effort to clarify an infield log jam, the Dbacks now have to turn to solving their crowded OF situation, and trading for Either would make that problem worse.
Clearly the Diamondbacks have an urgent need for pitching, as their fielding needs are already met. If the club can stay healthy, then it’s logical to think that this club could be a strong contender for the NL West Pennant.
Nixing the deal is clearly a sign that the front office is listening to the recently hired Chief Baseball Officer Tony LaRussa. The club needs to stay healthy, and continue to sort out the issues of payroll as Montero is still owed $40 Million over the next three years.
The off-season has been very busy, indicating that the front office is wanting to really shake things up so that the Diamondbacks don’t have another 64-98 season.
Declining this trade is another smart move in what appears to be a continuing trend of good moves during the winter meetings aimed at building a winning baseball club.
Only time will tell if the moves produce the right pieces to construct a winning baseball club capable of winning the NL West and perhaps a World Series.