Wrong Turns in the Desert Won’t Get You Anywhere

by Matt Wells

Remember 2001?  That year, Luis Gonzalez was last seen jumping up and down along the first base line, celebrating the hit that won the Fall Classic.  Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson were seen holding the MVP trophy, for both were named co-MVP’s of the series.  Bob Brenly, the ex-FOX broadcaster, was a World Series-winning manager.  Byung-Hyun Kim mistakes aside, the Diamondbacks were world champions.

Where have those days gone?

A couple of trades the D-Backs have made along the way have not worked out for the better.  Players have left and succeeded elsewhere, while those who have come to the desert have stuggled.The 2001 World Champion Arizona Diamondbacks had a few players recognizable to every baseball fan.  As previously mentioned, Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling were the aces of the staff.  The aforementioned Luis Gonzalez patrolled left field, while veteran Steve Finley played center.  Then there were the wily veterans, such as Mark Grace (15 HR during the regular season) and Matt Williams, who played 106 regular season games at third base.

After the championship, things went south for the D-Backs, not because of players slumping off or leaving for free agency (though free agency surely had something to do with it).  It was the trades.

Let’s look at some trades that didn’t exactly turn out the way Arizona intended them to turn out:

December 1, 2003: Diamondbacks trade Chris Capuano, Jorge de la Rosa, Chad Moeller, Junior Spivey, Craig Counsell, and Lyle Overbay to Milwaukee Brewers for Richie Sexson, minor-leaguer Shane Nance, and a player to be named

Mark Grace, finally winning that championship that eluded him with the Chicago Cubs, retired happy after the 2003 season.  The Diamondbacks, looking for an upgrade over Lyle Overbay at first base, turned their attention to 6’8″ Brewers slugger Richie Sexson.  That didn’t turn out too well.

Sexson would spend one injury-plagued season in the desert, where he would homer just 9 times.  He would bat just .233, and drive in just 23 runs.
Compare that to Sexsons’ stats from the previous season in Milwaukee: .272 AVG, 45 HR, 124 RBI.  No wonder the Diamondbacks thought they were getting power.

Of course, if Sexson didn’t get hurt, his numbers would have been higher.  With a healthier (and consequently, better) season from Sexson, the Diamondbacks may have opted to keep him in the fold.  Sure, you can’t fault someone for injuries.  However, you can fault them for who got traded.  This trade would not have been that bad if they had traded away players with very little talent.

The Diamondbacks traded away little known left-hander Chris Capuano to Milwaukee in order to get Sexson.  After being acquired by the Brewers, Capuano would split time between the majors and the minors in 2004.  However, good things would happen when he was called up for good in 2005.

After a subpar 2004, Capuano would go 18-12 for a young Brewer team in 2005.  Along with Ben Sheets, Capuano would help anchor the Brewers rotation and guide them back into the ranks of baseball respectability.  Thus far in 2006, Capuano is 7-4 with a 3.30 ERA…not too shabby.

Junior Spivey would play well at second base for the Brewers, hitting 12 homers and driving in 45 in 1 1/2 seasons for the team.  Lyle Overbay would also go on to great things, hitting 35 homers in 2 seasons in Milwaukee to go along with 159 RBI.

Spivey and Overbay wouldn’t spend much time in Milwaukee; however, they were productive when they were there.  You can’t really say that about the one subpar season Sexson had in Arizona.

Scorecard: Opposition 1, Diamondbacks 0

January 11, 2005: Diamondbacks trade Randy Johnson to New York Yankees for Javier Vazquez, Brad Halsey, and Dioner Navarro

After compiling a 14-10 record for the Yankees in 2004, the Diamondbacks believed that Javier Vazquez would be able to partially fill the whole left by Randy Johnson, who went to New York in the deal.  For the most part, they were wrong again.

Vazquez would compile an 11-15 record in 2005 for the D-Backs, even though his ERA in ’05 was half a run better than it was in 2004.  He would spend just one season in the desert before being traded away (stay tuned on that…).

The Yankees meanwhile would get one of the most intimidating pitchers in the game in Randy Johnson.  Yes, the Big Unit doesn’t look like his old self so far in 2006.  However, he has compiled 25-14 record in a little more than one season in pinstripes, including a 17-8 record last year.  A pitcher with 17 wins is something Arizona could have used.

Dioner Navarro would be traded to the Dodgers in the Shawn Green deal, and Brad Halsey would spend just one season in Arizona before being traded to the Oakland Athletics for Juan Cruz.  Halsey went 8-12 in his only season in Arizona.

Scorecard: Opposition 2, Diamondbacks 0

Jan 12, 2005: Diamondbacks trade Shea Hillenbrand to Toronto Blue Jays for Adam Peterson

I give full marks to the Diamondbacks for acquiring Hillenbrand in the first place.  After the 2003 season, the D-Backs traded reliever Byung-Hyun Kim to get the young Hillenbrand.  However, they didn’t hold on to him very long.

Hillenbrand would spend one full season at the major league level for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and that one season was productive.  He hit .310 with 15 HR and 80 RBI.  That is production I would take from a corner infielder.  However, after just one season, the Diamondbacks traded Hillenbrand to Toronto.

Hillenbrand, in a little more than 1 season with the Jays, has hit 29 dingers while driving in 115.  He’s also hit .299 in that span, tallying 245 hits in 819 at-bats.

Adam Peterson?  He would never play a game at the major league level in Arizona and the Detroit Tigers would claim him on April 19, 2005.

Ouch.

Scorecard: Opposition 3, Diamondbacks 0

December 20, 2005: Diamondbacks trade Javier Vazquez to Chicago White Sox for Orlando Hernandez, Luis Vizcaino, and Chris Young

After having Vazquez for just one season, Arizona decided to trade him to the World Champion White Sox.  They were losers in this deal for two reasons:

-Vazquez, despite the 7-5 record this year, has pitched very well for the White Sox. Of course, who wouldn’t with that lineup?  With the White Sox continually winning, Vazquez could win as many as 15-20 games this year.

-Hernandez would spend less than 2 months in Arizona, compiling a 2-4 record with a 6.11 ERA.  That wasn’t exactly the greatest compliment to ace Brandon Webb.

However, the Diamondbacks did get outfielder Chris Young in the Vazquez deal.  Young, believed to be a star in the making, has homered 10 times in just 48 games for Triple-A Tuscon this season.

But still, considering the success of Vazquez and the failure of Hernandez…

Scorecard: Opposition 4, Diamondbacks 0

Diamondbacks trade Troy Glaus and Sergio Santos to Toronto Blue Jays for Miguel Batista and Orlando Hudson

Glaus hit 37 dingers for the Diamondbacks in 2005, but waived his no-trade clause to join the Blue Jays, who made several splashes during the offseason that drew the interest of Glaus.

Glaus has already hit 20 homers in 66 games for the Jays this year, while driving in 52.  He’s on pace for more homeruns and RBI than he had last year in the desert.

Meanwhile, Orlando Hudson has hit just .259 with 3 HR and 20 RBI in 2006.  Batista, Toronto’s closer last year, is 6-4 with a 4.68 ERA as a starter this year.  Do you think the D-Backs could use Glaus’s offense this season?

Can you say “ouch” again?

Final scorecard: Opposition 5, Diamondbacks 0

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Now, don’t think everything has gone wrong for the Diamondbacks.  Brandon Webb has turned into a formidable ace and a potential Cy Young candidate for the 2006 season.

The trades mentioned above have helped pave the way for youngsters Chad Tracy and Connor Jackson.  Room has also been made for phenom Stephen Drew, who is currently in the minor leagues.

In addition, some trades have also been favorable for Arizona.  The acquistion of Shawn Green has been the most favorable of other moves made.  I just focused on the negatives.

Of course, money is almost guaranteed to have been involved in some of these deals, making some of the trades inevitable.  Salary caps are watched religiously these days, you know.

But, still, you can’t help feel that the Diamondbacks have come up short in the aforementioned trades.  Gone are bona fide players such as Capuano, Johnson, Hillenbrand, Vazquez, and Glaus.  Those are players who have excelled in their new homes, and those are players the Diamondbacks would most likely like to have back.

However, a 36-34 record in 2006 is something for Diamondback fans to look forward to.  The past is in the past, and the future is now.  Who knows where the Diamondbacks bus will drive now?