Both offer something a little different than the other. One is cheaper on some groceries and the other is cheaper in other groceries. So in an attempt to maximize our groceries and minimize our spending, my wife and I create two separate shopping lists – one with groceries that are usually cheaper at one store and another for groceries that are cheaper at the other. It’s our own personal “Moneyball” if you will. Billy Beane has nothing on us.

Okay, so we’re spending $200 instead of $60 million, but the idea is the same. We’re trying to maximum the value of our dollar.

Each season, every MLB team tries to do the same thing – maximize the value for their dollar. For teams like Beane’s A’s, the Rays and the D-backs, that means being only able to spend half, or less, the money that teams like the Dodgers, Yankees and Tigers can. So every dollar counts.

Miguel Montero was the latest Diamondback to sign a long-term deal but the D-backs will have to do some other shopping this offseason to round out their roster. Image: Chris Humphreys-US PRESSWIRE

With that in mind, I’ve taken a quick look at what the D-backs will be shopping for this offseason. Using Baseball Reference and Cot’s Contracts, I was able to compile the D-backs guaranteed contracts in 2013, arbitration eligible players and pre-arbitration eligible players.

To start, the D-backs used a 13 position player, 12 pitcher composition of their 25-man roster for most of the season. The D-backs have 10 players with guaranteed contracts in 2013 (numbers in parenthesis are in millions): Miguel Montero ($10), Justin Upton ($9.75), Jason Kubel ($7.5), Aaron Hill ($5.5), Willie Bloomquist ($1.9), John McDonald ($1.5), Heath Bell ($9), J.J. Putz ($6.5), Trevor Cahill ($5.5) and David Hernandez ($1.25). That fills six position player spots, one starting pitcher spot and three bullpen spots for a total of $58.4 million (minus $4 million that the Marlins will be paying of Bell’s contract).

Other players that are locks to make the opening day roster are Gerardo Parra, Paul Goldschmidt, Adam Eaton, Cliff Pennington, Ian Kennedy, Brad Ziegler, Matt Albers, Josh Collmenter and Wade Miley.

Parra, Kennedy, Ziegler and Albers are all arbitration eligible while Goldschmidt, Eaton, Pennington, Collmenter and Miley are all pre-arbitration. The exact numbers for each of these players’ salaries for next year is volatile so I won’t even pretend to guess at that number. However, the number will likely take the D-backs close to a $70 million cap number.

In addition, the D-backs have options on catcher Henry Blanco (club option for $1.24) and Matt Lindstrom (mutual option for $4). The D-backs seem unlikely to pick up Lindstrom’s option now with Bell, Ziegler, Putz, Hernandez, Collmenter and Albers already in the pen.

The option on Blanco is up in the air at this point.

Now that we’re all caught up with the details, it looks like the D-backs will have six spots on their grocery list to fill the 25-man roster: 3B, a back-up catcher, a bench corner infielder, two starting pitchers and one more relief pitcher.

The two starting spots seem to be the easiest to fill from within. Patrick Corbin probably is being considered a strong candidate for one of the two starting spots available. Corbin pitched well for the D-backs in stretches last season but did finish the season badly and ended with a 4.54 ERA. Corbin may be destined for the bullpen at some point. Last season as a reliever he had a 1.54 ERA, and as a starter, he had a 4.91 ERA.

Trevor Bauer struggled mightily in his stint with the D-backs last season but has to be a favorite to fill one of the two starting spots. Bauer, by pretty much all accounts, was stubborn in his approach and never wanted to challenge hitters by throwing strikes. Basically, he tried to get major league hitters to chase pitches out of the strike zone. Well, they’re major league hitters for a reason and wouldn’t give in to Bauer. Because of that, he had a 6.06 ERA and walked 13 batters in 16.1 innings of work.

The frustrating part is that Bauer has plus stuff and could challenge all hitters in the strike zone and get results. If he is able to learn that lesson and throw strikes, he could be the top of the rotation pitcher the D-backs thought they were drafting.

However, the pitcher I think should and will end up in one of the starting spots is Tyler Skaggs. Skaggs threw 29.1 innings in 2012 and compiled a mediocre at best 5.83 ERA. But I for one came away from his outings impressed. He wasn’t wild and has a repertoire that should be able to miss bats at the major league level. He’s spent four seasons in the minor leagues compiling a 2.98 ERA and appears to be ready to make the next step.

That fifth spot will either be Bauer or Corbin but signing a veteran free agent to a one-year deal worth $5 million or so isn’t outside of the realm of possibility, either.

The next biggest priority for the D-backs should be a starting third baseman. Chris Johnson took the D-backs by storm after his acquisition from the Astros last season but slowed down quickly. He is arbitration eligible this season for the first time and if the D-backs choose to sign him, he will undoubtedly be the starting third baseman. I think this might be the best option for the D-backs at this point. However, there are other options if the D-backs decide to go another way.

Ryan Wheeler played for the D-backs regularly after his call up in late July last season. However, he failed to impress. He had a .294 OBP and a .339 Slugging in 109 at bats. Now, that’s still a small sample size and the D-backs may believe in Wheeler enough to give him the starting spot, but I think that would be a mistake. Wheeler has always been strike out prone and his defense is suspect at best.

The problem the D-backs face, if they don’t believe in Wheeler or Johnson, is the free agent class at third, though. The class is mediocre with Kevin Youkilis probably the best option. The D-backs would likely only want a short-term contract to serve as a stop gap until prospect Matt Davidson is ready (most likely the 2013 season).

Yet another possibility is trading for a third baseman, which GM Kevin Towers has shown he is not afraid to do. Still, I think the most likely option, out of the few mediocre options, is signing Johnson.

That leaves a backup catcher and one more bench player. Montero played a league leading 141 games at catcher last season. That left a paltry 21 games for backup Blanco for the entire season. Montero’s durability is part of the reason the D-backs signed him to a six-year, $65.9 million deal during the season. However, that contract is also a big reason to make sure Montero stays healthy by sitting him a few more games.

They should take his starts down to a more manageable 125-130 per year. That’s still quite a bit but it also makes a decent backup catcher a bit more valuable. Blanco probably is not the answer at 41 years old. A good right-hand hitting catcher to allow Montero to sit against tough lefties is probably the goal. Perhaps a guy like Kelly Shoppach at one year and $1.5 million would be a good fit. Shoppach has a career .868 OPS against lefties and a .658 OPS against righties.

Having that extra bat to come off the bench against lefties can be very valuable to the D-backs.

To fill the last bench spot, the D-backs should look at a left-handed hitter that can fill in at first to give Goldschmidt some help against tough righties. (Side note: as much as Goldy is known for absolutely owning Tim Lincecum, he has actually struggled against righties and killing left-handed pitching. He has a 200 point difference in OPS from lefties to righties.)

A guy like Adam Laroche, if his option is not picked up by the Nationals, should strongly be considered by the D-backs.

To round out the shopping list, the D-backs will need one more relief pitcher to fill out the bullpen. That will almost assuredly come from with the organization. Guys like Bryan Shaw and Sam Demel will probably be the front runners for that slot. I’d like to see the D-backs give Shaw another shot.

All-in-all, here is the 25-man roster that is most likely (plus a few things I would personally like to see) going into 2013:

C- Montero

1B- Goldschmidt

2B- Hill

3B- Johnson

SS- Pennington

LF- Kubel

CF- Eaton

RF- Upton

BN- Parra

BN- Bloomquist

BN- McDonald

BN- Shoppach

BN- LH Power Bat (e.g. Laroche)

SP- Kennedy

SP- Cahill

SP- Miley

SP- Skaggs

SP- Bauer

CL- Putz

SU- Hernandez

RP- Bell

RP- Ziegler

RP- Albers

RP- Collmenter

RP- Shaw

Perhaps the team is only one or two players away from being in serious contention for postseason discussion. But who should we go after? Who should we trade?

Conventional wisdom would suggest that pitching depth is the greatest need for any team in contention for postseason play around the All-Star break. After all, starting pitching is supposed to win you a World Series. Ask the 2010 Giants.

However, the Snakes have plenty of starting pitching. Actually, we may have too much of it. With Trevor Bauer and Tyler Skaggs waiting for their shot to do some damage at the big league level, the team may have to make some room as opposed to adding more depth.

March 20, 2012; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Trevor Bauer (61) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

Wade Miley has certainly pitched his way into the Rookie of the Year discussion, and has earned his spot in the rotation, so we will not include him in this discussion. Ian Kennedy certainly has the ability to be an ace, but has not done so consistently to this point of the season. Trevor Cahill has pitched much better after his first month of the season, and looks to be a staple in the rotation for the next few years. Daniel Hudson has been the most inconsistent starter this season, losing his ability to control his secondary pitches as of late. That can be attributed to an injury that kept him out for nearly a month. I can see him working with pitching coach Charles Nagy to straighten out his mechanics.

That leaves us with Joe Saunders. I love that we were able to bring Saunders back on a one year deal to complete the rotation until the youngsters got a little more exposure in the minors. He got off to a hot start in April, but has since cooled down in his last ten starts, putting up a 4.20 ERA in those games. He will be a free agent at the end of the season and will most likely not get resigned with the depth that the team has.

According to multiple sports outlets, numerous teams have inquired about the lefty, with Baltimore being the most suitable trading partner. The only problem I have with this trade scenario is that I’m not too sure who we would get in return. Baltimore is surprisingly in the hunt for the AL East, and has numerous players on the DL, which only indicates that they should be hesitant to part ways with any major league ready or valuable position players.

The most glaring need that I see on the team is depth at the third base position. I must say, this is difficult for me to write as I am one of the biggest Tatman (Ryan Roberts) fans there is, but he is definitely not as consistent at the plate this season as he was last season. He still has some good pop in his bat and plays his heart out every night, but the fact is we need that production from the third base position every night.

June 17, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis (20) hits a single against the Chicago Cubs during the eighth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

The team has continued to be linked to Boston veteran Kevin Youkilis, as his team is trying to dump his heavy contract and find more production in return. Now, I am a huge Youkilis fan, but I would have a problem with this trade. First off, he has been plagued with constant injuries for the past three seasons, and his production is not nearly what it used to be. Even if we did get him and Boston was willing to eat most of his $12 million contract, I wouldn’t consider him an upgrade over Roberts. He only has four homer runs and 13 RBIs in 41 games. Roberts can be streaky at times, but has five home runs and 29 RBIs in 60 games, and can be a spark plug for the team at times, providing a lot of energy.

I wouldn’t mind seeing the club check into the availability of San Diego third baseman Chase Headley. Although his club is at the bottom of the National League, Headley has been one of the few bright spots on the team, and provides production at a consistent level in one of the worst hitters parks in all of baseball, PETCO Park.

I’d also like to see the team go after some bullpen depth. We all know that to this point of the season, the Arizona bullpen has been anything but consistent. One or two more arms would definitely relieve some late inning anxiety that fans have unfortunately experienced so far this season.

Of course, these are just rumblings and grumblings. Still a long way to go this season, and a lot of time before the trade deadline. I think that our club has a better makeup at this point of the season then we did last year at the same point.

Arizona Diamondbacks executive vice president and general manager Kevin Towers looks on during batting practice. Image: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

The most obvious weakness for the Diamondbacks so far has been the inconsistency out of their third basemen. Ryan Roberts had a career year in 2011 and was awarded the starting job this season but struggled mightily in April posting a .152 average in 66 at bats. May was significantly better (.288 avg for the month) and June has been his most productive month so far hitting .346 in his 26 at bats for a season average of .244. It appears as though his dismal start is behind him and we can expect this level of production to continue from here on out. But for a team looking to compete for the N.L. West or at least one of the two wild cards spots, the question is whether the front office thinks that will be enough.

Kevin Youkilis’ name was thrown around the rumor mill two weeks ago but Towers shot that one down pretty quickly and he has struggled worse than Roberts anyway. Now it looks like Padres third baseman Chase Headley may be the answer. Headley is playing in his fourth full season and has been above average so far. In all of the major offensive categories the 28 year old is in the top four of all N.L. third basemen. He is second in OBP and OPS behind only David Wright- both considered two of the most important stats in today’s game. Comparatively, Roberts is 7th or lower in all categories except stolen bases. His fielding is on par with Roberts’ as they both sit around the .960 fielding percentage.

The right handed Headley is a doubles hitter, not a power hitter. He has hit at least 28 doubles in each of the last three years but never hit more than 12 homeruns in a season. His career average is .269 and he’s hitting .273 right now.

So while Headley’s line may not look impressive in itself- when compared to other third basemen around the league- he is actually one of the most productive. He turned 28 in May while Roberts turns 32 in September. Towers knows the Padres organization as well as anyone and watched Headley develop into the player he is today. Headley is earning $3.48 million this year on a one year contract with the Padres. Roberts is earning $2 million on a one year deal as well. So picking up the remainder of his contract wouldn’t be an issue for the team and the possibility of resigning him at five or six million a year for three to five years wouldn’t be out of the question once this season expires.

The question is what the Dbacks would have to give up to get Headley- both in talent and monetarily. As the Padres are clearly in a rebuilding stage, you would think they would look to our pitchers and 20 year old Tyler Skaggs may be on top of their list. It would be surprising to see a swap occur with Roberts heading over to San Diego as the organization has their eye on prospect Jedd Gyorko to take over if and when Headley leaves. Besides, there is definite value with Roberts remaining a Dback and his versatility and clutch hitting have shown that as of late. It would be easy for the team to send Josh Bell back to Reno to clear a roster spot as he hasn’t been able to produce in the big leagues as expected.

It will be interesting to see what Towers has in store for us and we may have to wait longer than usual with the addition of one more wild card team to the playoff hunt. The additional playoff spot will keep teams looking for that extra boost just a little bit longer than in years past. In the meantime, at least Roberts has been more productive over the last few weeks and hopefully from here on out. The team can win a playoff spot with Roberts at third- but only if he can be consistent with his offense as he was in 2011.

Follow me on Twitter at @ndougherty313 and our team at @venomstrikes.