Anyone who saw more than a few Diamondbacks games in the mid-2010s knows that Nick Ahmed diving for baseballs has been a fixture of the franchise for nearly a decade. Typically, in a matter of milliseconds, he gets up and delivers a strike to first base. But in 2020, during the second iteration of spring camp prior to a 60-game season, one particular dive didn’t feel right. “We had that new turf installed over at Chase Field, and I didn’t slide,” Ahmed said. “When you dive, you normally land and then slide a little bit. I dove and just stuck, and I felt my shoulder jam up really bad.” In retrospect, Ahmed now views that moment as the first chapter…

Entering 2022, Jake McCarthy was a promising depth piece for the Diamondbacks. He was lightning fast. He held his own at all three outfield positions. He was still only 24 years old. But even then, prospect evaluators made little mention of the University of Virginia product. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t be a big leaguer — he broke into the...

In many respects, the Los Angeles Dodgers are Major League Baseball’s powerhouse franchise. They have won nine of the last 10 NL West division titles, many of them by a mile. The only year they did not win it in that span was 2021. That season, the Dodgers finished second in the NL West behind the 107-win San Francisco Giants....

From 2008 to 2013, Evan Longoria was one of the 10 best position players in baseball. He got MVP votes in five of those seasons, he made three All-Star teams and won two Gold Gloves. He hit .275/.357/.512 in 3,419 plate appearances. And by the end of that stretch, he was still just 27. A decade has passed, and Longoria has fallen off the Hall-of-Fame trajectory of his early days in the league. Nonetheless, he’s still accumulated 7,500-plus plate appearances with a 120 OPS+, a feat that only eight third basemen in MLB history have accomplished. The Diamondbacks believe he still has something to offer, particularly for a team as young as theirs. “Evan was someone we pursued all offseason,”…

In some ways, the Arizona Diamondbacks will benefit from the rule changes coming to Major League Baseball in 2023. In others, the D-backs could be hurt significantly. What we know for sure is that baseball will be more fun. We also discuss takeaways from Mike Hazen and Evan Longoria’s press conference and the latest on Carlos Correa’s deal with the New York Mets.

According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports, the Arizona Diamondbacks made a “substantial offer” to shortstop Dansby Swanson that was not far off from the deal he ultimately signed with the Chicago Cubs. Should the Diamondbacks have pulled the trigger? Meanwhile, the D-backs reportedly brought back Zach Davies on a one-year contract.

According to a report from the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, the Diamondbacks are bringing back right-handed pitcher Zach Davies on a one year, $5 million deal with $3 million in incentives. Some outlets have also reported a $5.5 million mutual option for 2024. Given that Davies just had a 4.09 ERA and 98 ERA+ in his age-29 season, the...

With Evan Longoria and Zach Davies reportedly in the fold on one-year deals, the Diamondbacks’ offseason to-do list is nearing completion and the 2023 roster is taking shape. It is hard to say if any individual move to date has meaningfully moved the ball forward for 2023, but the team as a whole looks better on paper. In addition to Longoria and Davies, the Diamondbacks signed a pair of free-agent relievers in Scott McGough and Miguel Castro. They also dealt Cooper Hummel to the Seattle Mariners for an intriguing right-handed bat in Kyle Lewis. The biggest headliner of the offseason to date was trading outfielder Daulton Varsho to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and…

If you’ve been listening to the PHNX Diamondbacks Podcast over the last year, you have probably heard some people refer to me as “Well-Actually” Jesse. I’ve taken a lot of heat around here for being the pessimist — or, as I might argue, the realist. My co-host is Derek Montilla, after all. Of course I’m going to be the reasonable...