| Gary D. Brown. 11th July, 2006 - 10:50 pm
 If the once proud Kansas City Royals were playing anywhere close to .500 baseball a chorus of angels would sing from heaven. But for the 2001 World Champion Arizona Diamondbacks, average is hardly acceptable.
Jekyll versus Hyde? In 2005, Arizona won 15 games during May, and then lost 18 games in June. Fast forward to the 2006 season. The Diamondbacks won 17 games during May 2006 and lost 20 games during a mostly forgettable June.
Unlike the Royals, the future is bright in Arizona. Baseball America rates Arizona’s minor league talent #1 in all of baseball. Highly rated kids such as Justin Upton, Stephen Drew, Carlos Quentin and Chris Young are major league ready, or only a year or two away.
Rich in position depth in the minor leagues, the Diamondbacks have ammunition to go after starting pitching, if they choose to trade. A major weakness since Schilling and the Big Unit departed, the Diamondbacks drafted pitching with eleven of their first thirteen picks in the 2006 amateur draft last month.
Starting pitching may be all that stands between Arizona and another National League West title in 2007. Once you make the playoffs, anything can happen.
With rumors that veterans such as Barry Zito, John Smoltz and possibly Dontrelle Willis can be had for the right price, Arizona will have important decisions to make as the trading deadline looms. They won a championship with the two headed monster of Schilling and Johnson. But Arizona has not been able to find another pitcher anywhere near Brandon Webb’s consistency, which is the missing piece of the puzzle.
To bring in another dominant starter, should the Diamondbacks part with young talent or attempt to trade a veteran such as Luis Gonzalez, 39, or Shawn Green, 34.
Gonzalez has the right to veto any trade, as a 10-5 guy and his popularity among fans is unrivaled for past contributions, which would make trading him a difficult pill to swallow for Arizona. Green, though short on power numbers, has been one of the team’s most consistent hitters this season, and his defense is always dependable.
Unlike the Royals, the Arizona franchise is not destined to play sub .500 baseball forever. Whatever trade the Diamondbacks make, should they go that route – it is this writer’s opinion that Arizona will make a sound baseball decision come trade day.
You do not earn the number one ranking from Baseball America by making consistently bad management decisions. Arizona has earned the right to expect some trust and faith from its fan base with whatever trade they make or do not make. |
