Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.
Since the moment they were swept out of the 2007 NLCS, the Diamondbacks have been waiting. Waiting on their impressive collection of young talent. Waiting on their dynamic rotation duo of Dan Haren and Brandon Webb to deliver a playoff spot. Waiting for everything to come together.
It hasn't happened yet. Arizona was passed by the Dodgers in late 2008 after holding the NL West lead for much of the season. Then, this past year -- one filled with calamity, including a major shoulder injury to Webb that limited him to one start -- saw the Diamondbacks dip all the way to last place.
Arizona is still waiting. There is still promising young talent on hand, including the terrific Justin Upton. There is still hope. It's just tempered by all the work that needs to be done to get the Diamondbacks back in contention.
While most of baseball is focusing on Friday's non-waiver trade deadline and/or the news about David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez's failed drug tests, there are other things going on. Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Webb has left the team and is headed to Texas to consult with the Rangers' team physician about the shoulder injury that has kept him out of the lineup since Opening Day.
The right-hander had hoped that he could avoid surgery and return to the mound this season, but that seems less likely with Thursday's announcement. If he does wind up finally having surgery, it could make for a very difficult decision for the Diamondbacks this offseason.
The Brewers' biggest need with the trade deadline less than two weeks away is starting pitching, but that isn't stopping them from upgrading in other areas. Milwaukee traded for second baseman Felipe Lopez Sunday, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, filling a void in the middle of their infield that has existed since Rickie Weeks went down for the season with a muscle tear in his left wrist.
The Brewers sent two minor leaguers -- outfielder Cole Gillespie and relief pitcher Roque Mercedes -- to the Diamondbacks in return for Lopez. Gillespie was ranked the organization's ninth best prospect by Baseball America coming into the season, but he's having a mostly forgettable season at Triple-A Nashville.
If you've been following the travails of 2006 National League Cy Young winner Brandon Webb this season, the following news won't come as much of a shock. The Diamondbacks are strongly considering surgery as an option for the ace -- sidelined since Opening Day with a right shoulder injury -- after an MRI and a meeting with the team physician Tuesday, according to a report in the Arizona Republic.
Webb has been on the disabled list since April 7 with what the team has called shoulder bursitis, but he's experienced setback after setback in his attempts to return to the mound, most recently canceling a scheduled bullpen session at the end of last week because of pain in the area.
Now the team is hinting that Webb may have a torn labrum -- arguably the most ominous injury any pitcher can have -- while it waits for a second opinion on his shoulder. The injury that would require a surgical procedure and nine months of rehab, according to Nick Piecoro of the Republic.
Bob Melvin will not be manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, according to a report in the Arizona Republic. Melvin has already been fired, a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity told the Associated Press.
Arizona is 12-17 after Thursday's 10-inning loss at San Diego and in fourth place in the NL West. The Diamondbacks' core of young talent has not progressed as some had expected after the team reached the 2007 NLCS under Melvin. He was NL Manager of the Year for that season.
Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2009.
The Diamondbacks made one of the biggest splashes of the 2007 Hot Stove season, landing ace Dan Haren in a trade with the A's. In the end, though, their offense, which is stocked with youngsters, didn't improve even close to enough for them to repeat as NL West champs.
The good news is that Haren and NL Cy Young runner-up Brandon Webb will be back in 2009, along with a cast of talented hitters who have their best years ahead of them. Furthermore, the NL West is wide open with the reigning champion Dodgers headed for a winter of major turnover.
Of course, Arizona has a few notable holes to fill before Spring Training, but it is the closest thing to a favorite the West has at this point. The D'backs simply have to make a few tweaks to return to the top of the division and the postseason.
With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.
- Mark Teixeira is off the board, leaving a bunch of lesser players in the rumor mill. The best non-Teixeira rumors continue to surround Manny Ramirez, despite the fact that he is unlikely to be moved before the July 31 deadline. The Red Sox might be more reticent than ever to deal Ramirez with Teixeira off the table. He was the most obvious replacement for Ramirez's production (with Kevin Youkilis moving to left field in a potential deal). But Boston seems so fed up with the slugger it might move him anyway. So the question is, where?
Manny Ramirez, Red Sox Buzz: Boston is exploring possible deals for the slugger, but it remains unlikely he'll be moved before the deadline. The Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Phillies and Mets are believed to be the teams interested in the slugger.
Christian Petersen, Getty Images
Jose Guillen, Royals Buzz: Though he just signed with Kansas City last winter, Guillen is reportedly unhappy with manager Trey Hillman and would like a trade.
G. Newman Lowrance, Getty Images
Will Ohman, Braves Buzz: Mark Teixeira probably won't be the only player leaving Atlanta before the deadline. Ohman, a left-handed reliever, will probably get moved as well.
Drew Hallowell, Getty Images
A.J. Burnett, Blue Jays Buzz: With the Blue Jays back over the .500 mark, Toronto is planning to hold on to Burnett. A deal now looks like a longshot.
Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images
Jarrod Washburn, Mariners Buzz: The Yankees are stuck in a holding pattern as they try to acquire Washburn. New York is interested in him as a salary dump, but Seattle would prefer quality prospects. With the remaining money on his deal, the southpaw could sneak through waivers in an August trade.
Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images
Matt Holliday, Rockies Buzz: Colorado is believed to have pulled Holliday off the market as it attempts to make a push in the NL West.
Doug Pensinger, Getty Images
Brian Fuentes, Rockies Buzz: The Rockies are unlikely to trade their closer as they try to make a push in the NL West.
Doug Pensinger, Getty Images
LaTroy Hawkins Buzz: Hawkins, who was released recently after struggling with the Yankees, is drawing interest from both the Twins and Tigers.
Nick Laham, Getty Images
Jason Bay, Pirates Buzz: With Pittsburgh's asking price for Bay high, the market around the outfielder seems to have cooled. The Braves were reportedly on the verge of a deal this weekend for the outfielder, but it was nixed by Pirates ownership.
Nick Laham, Getty Images
Brian Giles, Padres Buzz: Giles is an on-base machine and a solid defender who could give a contender looking for a corner bat a boost. The Mets are one of the teams that may have interest in the outfielder.
Doug Pensinger, Getty Images
The Dodgers have moved to the front of the line for Ramirez, offering an outfielder in return -- believed to be either Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier and perhaps prospects. When Teixeira was still available, it was believed they would spin those players to Atlanta for the first basemen, but the Red Sox could hold onto someone like Kemp, who could equal Ramirez's value when you account for defense. The Diamondbacks are unlikely to make a move for Ramirez, especially considering GM Josh Byrnes' familiarity with the slugger (he worked under Theo Epstein in Boston). Ditto for the Phillies. The Mets are very difficult to read, with the team claiming they have no interest and media reports saying otherwise.
- The Royals could infuse some late life into the outfield market if they decide to make Jose Guillen available. Guillen signed a three-year, $36 million deal with Kansas City this winter, but there are rumors that he's unhappy with manager Trey Hillman. Guillen has denied the reports, but he is not known as a great clubhouse guy and he had a very public and messy feud with Mike Scioscia in his last days with the Angels. On the other hand, he is only 32 and is still productive. After hitting .183 in April, Guillen has hit .288 since.
How will the D'Backs fill the hole in their outfield? As if on cue, reporters were quick to ask about Barry Bonds, whom Josh Byrnes refused to deny was a possibility:
"He and maybe a couple of others are sort of sitting out there," Byrnes said. "I think it's a bit of assessing any player's readiness, then knocking somebody out of the lineup, dollars, etc.
"I don't want to talk about him specifically but, believe me, we've considered a lot of options. There is sort of no one obvious option right now, but there are a lot of considerations."
Sure, the D'Backs could fish for options on the trade market, but that'd obviously require giving something up. If Bonds does return this year, it's going to be with a desperate contender -- and considering the D'Backs are sitting exactly at .500 with the Dodgers just a game behind them in the NL West, there probably aren't many teams more desperate than them.
I don't even need to begin to tell you the kind of negative PR that Bonds would bring to the team, but he'd also bring an amazing spark to the lineup. Over the last three years, Bonds hit .333/.591/.593 in 27 at-bats (with 16 walks) at Chase Field.
Well, at least we all knew that first month of the season wouldn't last forever; the Diamondbacks are totally legit and a stacked World Series contender, but something had to give. The offense caved a little first and then the pitching stopped getting quite as lucky. Now, there are some injuries creeping in. Eric Byrnes is the latest victim, heading to the DL with sore hamstrings, for the first time in his career.
'I'm not thrilled about it, but that's just my competitive nature,' he said. 'I wanted to keep playing. It's something I've been dealing with for a month now, and in my mind I feel like I've gone through the worst of it.'
Manager Bob Melvin said he and general manager Josh Byrnes made the decision that rest was required for the outfielder to regain the ever-hustling style that is his trademark.
'He's not 100 per cent, in my opinion not really even close. Both hamstrings are bothering him,' Melvin said. 'He needs all his weapons to be Eric Byrnes, and we need him 100 per cent. We need him to play a certain way and he's not able to do it right now.'
Of course, the Snakes are still four games up on the Dodgers and the NL West is still theirs to lose at the moment, but it definitely feels like there is a little less confidence in this Arizona team than there was earlier in the year, which is completely understandable.
All indications point to uber-prospect Max Scherzer being "the next big thing," but the Diamondbacks are determined to temper their enthusiasm and use him with restraint. From Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic:
Rookie Max Scherzer will make his first major-league start Monday night and perhaps two or three more after that before left-hander Doug Davis figures to be ready to come off the disabled list.
Barring other developments, that likely would mean Scherzer's time in the rotation would be up. As far as his development goes, that might not be such a bad thing.
"I think potentially a good byproduct of that is keeping Max's innings in check as we get him through the season," General Manager Josh Byrnes said.
Teams generally want pitching prospects to avoid a big innings spike from one year to the next, and considering Scherzer pitched only 119 innings between the minors and the Arizona Fall League last year, there's not a lot of wiggle room when it comes to keeping him in the rotation and still having him available for the stretch run and playoffs.
If he's used as a spot-starter/reliever, though, he could theoretically be available to help the team 2-3 times a week from now through the rest of the season. It's not an unusual problem: the Yankees have spent the past year trying to figure out how to do this with Joba Chamberlain, and the Dodgers are doing the same thing with Clayton Kershaw. One thing is sure, though; these kids are dripping with talent, and no matter what role they're used in, they're going to help their team.
Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.
While most of baseball is focusing on Friday's non-waiver trade deadline and/or the news about 
The Brewers' biggest need with the trade deadline less than two weeks away is starting pitching, but that isn't stopping them from upgrading in other areas. Milwaukee traded for second baseman 
If you've been following the travails of 2006 National League Cy Young winner 
Bob Melvin
Footprints in the Snow
The D'Backs placed 
Well, at least we all knew that first month of the season wouldn't last forever; the Diamondbacks are totally legit and a stacked World Series contender, but something had to give. The offense caved a little first and then the pitching stopped getting quite as lucky. Now, there are some injuries creeping in. 
All indications point to uber-prospect 
