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When it comes to trade rumors, you don’t have to look very hard no matter which team is your team. And, for most teams, they ebb and flow and sometimes the rumor mill is quiet and other times, you can’t walk five steps without tripping over four or five rumors.

For the Diamondbacks, there’s been a slight resurgence in rumors this week.

Here’s what we know:

1. Miguel Montero would like to stay a Diamondback.
2. Miguel Montero and the team halted discussions of an extension until the end of the season, which would make him a free agent for 2013.
3. The Dbacks are a small market team with big market dreams and went over their projected payroll this year and are hoping that the people who hopped on the badwagon last year stick around to support it.
4. Yadier Molina just signed a pretty hefty, long-term deal that may become a bargaining chip in Montero’s free agency.
5. There’s a general lack of catching depth in the Dbacks’ organization. (And, frankly, in terms of prospects, the prospects are very heavily weighted towards pitching, pitching and more pitching.)
6. If something happens to Miguel Montero this season (dear heavens find some wood to knock on, y’all), then the Diamondbacks are more-or-less without an everyday catcher. And, if he’s gone at the end of the season, there’s a bit of a hole there for 2013.

So, when trade rumors that the Diamondbacks could be interested in Toronto Blue Jays catcher JP Arencibia, it does give reason for pause.

And, what are blogs for, if not to speculate?

» Continue reading “The Rumor Mill Goes Around And Around… Or: Dbacks Trade Speculation”

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There’s been a void here at “Snakes on the Grass” for the last few days, for which I offer my apologies.

Let’s remedy that right now, shall we?

If you’re looking for a daily recap of the spring training events so far, check out Steve Gilbert’s blog (Inside the Dbacks).

Today we’re going to talk about the slow, quiet, but steady rumblings that might be going on in the background of the Diamondbacks’ front office.

There’s been some murmuring around baseball that the Diamondbacks could use a little bit of depth at catcher (because heaven forbid something happen to Miguel Montero) and now, apparently, the team has been talking to Ivan Rodriguez. So, that’s interesting. We’ll have to wait and see how that plays out.

It also raises an interesting issue – again – of the 25 man roster. There’s been a lot of thought that, perhaps, the roster was already set, going into spring training. But, with the rumors of Ivan Rodriguez, the too-many-infielders-once-Stephen Drew-is-back, the discussion of possibly Drew not coming back for an extended period of time and needing a more permanent solution at shortstop and, not to mention, there’s a significant population of bloggers and fantasy baseball players out there who expect at least 1/3 of the current 25-man roster to regress from last year.

So if you haven’t taken the time to familiarize yourself with the 40-man roster and the non-roster pitchers and position players that were invited to spring training this year, now might be a good time. Because its spring training – and anything is possible.

So, with Bartolo Colon headed to Oakland, it looks like the search is still on for that 5th starter.

It seems  Bartolo Colon is headed in a “different direction” than the Dbacks: Possibly, he is heading in the direction of the $$. Or, if I’m being generous, perhaps it really was as sentimental as following his heart and going back from whence he came — back in the direction of his previous comfort zone in the AL West.

Predictably, this has started the rallying cries of much of the fan base (or, at least, the vocal portion) to give the spot to one of the young kids.

Its not Spring Training – yet! – so there’s still time for that elusive 5th starter to be added and the well hasn’t quite run dry on potential pitchers, either via free-agency (There’s still Oswalt, potentially looking for a shorter-term deal to rebuild his value. And, hey! Isn’t Edwin Jackson still available? He always pitched well for Arizona.***) or trade (I seem to recall that the Yankees currently have a 7 man rotation). Also, there’s at least one veteran invite to Spring Training that probably has his eye on that 5th starter gig.

But, it isn’t impossible that one of the young guns invited to camp will break camp with the team, if the front office decides that everyone is either too expensive or too risky or a combination of both.

As it stands now, the fifth spot is still up for grabs, and the longer it goes unclaimed, the more likely it is to go to one of the young guns and the more intense the competition is going to be at spring training.

And, after today’s news, I’m pretty sure that any prospect in the Arizona system with an invite to Spring Training in their hand is probably making sure they start eating their Wheaties for breakfast.

*** ps: The Edwin Jackson comment was totally facetious, people. Just clearing that up, in case you thought I was serious.

And, just when I thought I was going to have trouble coming up with things to write about today, this happened:

While I’m not opposed to the idea of a veteran starter on a 1 year contract as a general principle… This one just seems really, REALLY weird. (How’s that for in-depth baseball analysis?!)

Also, consider:

Trevor Cahill – Age 23

Daniel Hudson – Age 24

Josh Collmenter – Age 25

Ian Kennedy – Age 27

… Bartolo Colon – Age 38

./`  One of these things is not like the other…
One of these things just doesn’t belong… ./`

Is there any situation that can’t best be described by LOLcats? I’m beginning to think not.

(Edited for some baseball-related thoughts:)

So, yes, the Diamondbacks need a 5th starter. They non-tendered Joe Saunders (a steady presence in last year’s rotation, pitching north of 200 innings) and Micah Owings (who pretty much pitched whenever and wherever they told him to and couldn’t buy a loss, even when he tried. The kid had a golden horseshoe shoved where the sun don’t shine this year. Exhibit A. Exhibit B.)  

I’m going to go out on a limb and make a bold prediction: I’d bet my left shoe that Tyler Skaggs isn’t breaking camp with the team out of Spring Training.

It’s a pretty safe bet that no small market team is going to risk their top pitching prospect (and someone they’re banking on becoming a future anchor of the pitching staff) becoming a Super Two. Not when there are people to be had on the free agent (and trade) market that could fill in as the 5th starter in the offensively-iffy NL West.

Also, he’s 20 years old. Sure, it happens (hello, Felix Hernandez), but I’m not sure its happening this year. (Felix Hernandez is not the standard by which the trajectory of all pitching prospects should be predicted.)

Hence, Kevin Towers looking for a veteran on a 1-2 year contract to bridge the gap. And, his past history says Colon would potentially do okay in the NL West.

Now, I know its all rumor and speculation, but so far, in his tenure Kevin Towers hasn’t really been Alex Anthopoulos or even Kenny Williams, pulling off trades away from rumor or moves that are so ridiculous, you can’t believe its true until it happens. Things seem to usually be logical, predictable and believable. Usually.

So, its weird, but it makes sense. And, it is logical, predictable and believable. We’ll just have to wait and see what comes of it all.

 If only I were patient.