Quite the fall from grace – not that long ago viewed as one of the best young teams in baseball, the Diamondbacks are rebuilding once again.

Present Talent – 69.17 (26th)

Diamondbacks 2011 Season Preview

Future Talent – 80.00 (t-16th)

Diamondbacks 2011 top 10 prospects

Financial Resources – 69.62 (27th)
Baseball Operations – 75.00 (t-25th)

Overall Rating – 72.38 (29th)

The Diamondbacks front office has been in transition since the middle of 2010. On July 1 ownership fired GM Josh Byrnes, just two and a half years after signing him to an eight-year extension. That left Jerry DiPoto in charge of the team for a few months until management hired Kevin Towers to take over the role.

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John Mozeliak is a liar. Either that, or he has a sharp sense of humor. According to SI’s Jon Heyman, Mozeliak “hasn’t thought about” whether he’ll pick up Adam Wainwright‘s two-year, $21 million option. Bull. While he does have other things on his mind, including the strength of the 2011 Cardinals and Albert Pujols’s impending free agency, the future of Adam Wainwright concerns him greatly. The only way his statement makes sense is if he meant that he “hasn’t thought about it” as a play on the term no-brainer. Because, really, the decision of whether to exercise Wainwright’s options takes little thought.

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It makes me shudder to think how the Braves outfield would have performed in 2010 if they hadn’t broken camp with Jason Heyward in right. He was far and away the team’s best outfielder, producing 5.0 WAR in 623 PA. The other seven Braves outfielders combined for 0.3 WAR. Thanks to some offseason maneuvers, the Braves can count on better production in 2011.

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The 2011 Marlins possess two distinct characteristics: youth and flexibility. Yet they might have taken that idea a step too far this winter when they named former NL Rookie of the Year Award winner Chris Coghlan the starting center fielder. While Coghlan has experience in the outfield, he has never played center as a professional, and his defensive numbers in left field have been below average. It makes me wonder if they made the move to ensure future flexibility.

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Long stretches of losing baseball can have devastating tolls on MLB teams. Perhaps none knows this better than the Pirates. The team hasn’t finished above .500 since Barry Bonds left after the 1992 season, and the futility has predictably dampened attendance. In the past seven seasons the team hasn’t finished better than 27th in the league in attendance. That necessarily means less revenue, which means that the Pirates have to play a different economic game than most of the league. This comes into play with their longest-tenured pitcher, Paul Maholm.

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The Twins currently have a problem that every team envies: they have more starters than rotation spots. This type of thing usually takes care of itself. Sometimes one of those guys gets hurt. Other times someone performs well below expectations. But however it shakes out, every team in the league would love to have the problem of six starters for five spots. The Twins have that now, and they have Kyle Gibson knocking on the door. They might deal with this via trade. We’ve heard the Francisco Liriano rumors, but those have quieted. Lately we’ve been hearing more about Kevin Slowey.

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All the Phillies can do now is hope that rest and rehab heals Chase Utley’s right knee. He has yet to play in a game this spring due to tendinitis, though his lack of response to treatment has caused deeper worry. This morning the Phillies said that they’re continuing “non-operative treatment” and that “additional options will be obtained,” but that language doesn’t sound encouraging. If Utley does miss significant time, the Phillies could have a hard time getting someone who can provide even a quarter of his potential value.

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They’re the only team in the league for which a mere ALCS appearance represents a disappointment. The Yankees fell six victories short of their goal, but went into the off-season with a bit of confidence. A bona fide ace, Cliff Lee, was on the market, and Yankee dollars would surely lure him to the South Bronx. When that plan backfired, the off-season was immediately deemed a disappointment. Yet the Yankees again return one of the strongest teams in the league for 2011.

The Starting Nine

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One of the more compelling story lines for any team in the spring is the battle, whether faux or real, for the final rotation spots. We often see teams set up battles among youngsters and veterans to foster a sense of competition — that is, so that they take nothing for granted. What we don’t often see is a team’s second best pitcher without a guaranteed rotation spot. Yet that is happening in the Chicago camp. Early in the spring we learned that Randy Wells was not guaranteed a role in the rotation, but was instead in a battle with the likes of Braden Looper and Todd Wellemeyer for two open spots. The perception of a battle continues into March, which makes it even more baffling.

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The Phillies might have grabbed the most headlines this off-season, and the Braves might remain the stable contender in the NL East, but it’s the Marlins that are the most interesting team in the division. They have finished second or third in each of the last three years, and are slowly amassing a core of young talent that could soon bring them into serious contention. In 2011 we’ll get to see a number of these players try their hands against major league competition.

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