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On Sunday, I wrote about the possibility of the Diamondbacks trading their top prospect Archie Bradley to the Rays for ace starter David Price. Well, the MLB Winter Meetings started on Monday, and the big news from the meetings are that the Diamondbacks are in on several of the top names available via trade or in free agency. They have already held talks about acquiring outfielder Mark Trumbo from the Angels for one of their starting pitchers, Tyler Skaggs or Trevor Cahill have been mentioned, and now they are rumored to be interested in signing outfielder Shin-Soo Choo.
Choo is one of the best on base percentage hitters in baseball, but the Diamondbacks already have more than enough outfielders on their 40-man roster, so I am confused as to why they want Choo. Listen, Choo is better than any outfielder they have on their roster right now, as he is a top 20 fantasy outfielder, but they already have Gerardo Parra, Adam Eaton, A.J. Pollock and Cody Ross in their crowded outfield. I could see the DBacks looking to improve in left field with Ross out there, so signing Choo would push Ross to the bench where he will be used as a platoon partner with Parra, I imagine.
With Pollock and Eaton both able to play center field, they could look to package one of them in an effort to bolster their rotation. Maybe they won't make my Bradley for Price speculated trade, but they could package Eaton/Pollock with a prospect package for Jeff Samardzija possibly.
Signing Choo allows the Diamondbacks to make a deal for a starter. Or as Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal reported on the MLB Network last night, if they don't sign Choo, they could trade for Trumbo and sign a free agent starter. Either way, it appears the Diamondbacks are looking to make a splash during the Winter Meetings.
Here is a quick look at what their lineup would look like should they sign Choo in the next day or so:
LF Shin Soo Choo
CF Adam Eaton/A.J. Pollock
RF Gerardo Parra
3B Martin Prado
SS Chris Owings/Didi Gregorius
2B Aaron Hill
1B Paul Goldschmidt
C Miguel Montero
And a batting order of :
Choo
Eaton
Hill
Goldschmidt
Prado
Montero
Parra
Owings/Gregorius
Not a bad lineup, and I imagine Goldschmidt will drive in a few more runs this season.
So, let us know whether you think the Diamondbacks should sign Choo or trade for Trumbo. I have a feeling they are leaking that they are in on Choo to get the Angels to lower their demands for Trumbo. For me, the Diamondbacks are a better team with Choo, but Trumbo fills their need for a big bat, and is cheaper. Should be interesting to see what they do this offseason.
Let us know your thoughts in the poll and comments below.
