Arizona Diamondbacks: FanSided GM Simulation Begins!

This winter, while we await the Arizona Diamondbacks offseason action, FanSided is conducting a full-league simulated offseason. In the GM Simulation posts, we’ll track the action!

The Arizona Diamondbacks have begun winter’s negotiating season. Here at Venom Strikes, our own offseason action has begun as we embark on a site-wide GM Simulation.

Here is the layout: each of the FanSided sister sites has taken control of their given team to simulate the offseason over the course of two days here in November. The proceedings began yesterday, and we’ll finish up tomorrow.

To be clear, this is a simulation. The GM Simulation posts are not news, nor rumors, they are pure simulation and speculation.

The goal in performing this exercise is to see for ourselves how the offseason might play out. It’s easy to speculate about the best moves for the Diamondbacks in a vacuum, but with the 29 other active GM simulators trying to improve their own teams, we’ll see how difficult it really is.

Here at Venom Strikes, we’ll be playing the part of Diamondbacks’ GM Mike Hazen. Without a direct mandate from ownership, we can’t know exactly which direction Hazen will take the team this offseason. Then again, this is only a simulation, so we can simulate ownership’s feelings as well!

“Let me tell you something, Fake Mike Hazen: we’re not ready for a full rebuild – not as close as we’ve been to contention the last two seasons. Sure, money is tight, but do your best to straddle the line between retooling and rebuilding. I know we may have to trade Goldy, but I’m in no rush. Dude is an icon. And of course, watch your spending: we’re not the Yankees,” said fake owner Fakey Fakerson.

Projected 2019 Opening Day Payroll: $140MM**

We came to this payroll number fairly haphazardly. Consider last season’s relative payroll numbers, as listed by rosterresource.com:

2018 Opening Day Payroll: $131.50MM

2018 End of Year Payroll: $141.00MM

To be clear, we have no idea where Dbacks’ ownership will cap the payroll for Opening Day. Most years the Opening Day payroll is less than where the year before’s payroll ended. This isn’t unusual for teams, but it is significant. Therefore, my suspicion is next season’s Opening Day payroll will be closer to $130MM than $140MM.

Still, this year is a little different because team cornerstone Paul Goldschmidt is in the final year of his deal. If they do keep him, there’s probably a little more wiggle room, payroll wise, to make room for that $14.5MM contract.

They have to listen to offers for him, but if they want to maintain any hope of competitiveness in 2019, Goldschmidt has to be in the lineup. Personally, I don’t think it’s wise to sign him to an extension, but keeping him for 2019 and taking the draft pick when he leaves is not a terrible option.

If Goldschmidt ends up getting traded, then it’s hard to imagine this team competing, and I could see a full pivot with the goal of lowering their Opening Day payroll.

We’ll let you know the results of the Simulation soon via separate posts on trade activity, free agents and, of course, a look at our Simulated 2019 Opening Day Roster.

Keep an eye out for further updates on the Arizona Diamondbacks’ offseason, both real and fake! It’ll still probably be a couple weeks until the real MLB offseason gets moving, but here at FanSided, our simulated offseason is well underway. Stay tuned!