Arizona Diamondbacks Team Roster

Last November, Arizona lead owner Ken Kendrick was pleading poverty to Major League Baseball's Executive Council, asking the league to forgive $80 million in loans if it wanted to keep the Diamondbacks out of bankruptcy.

Midway through December, the Diamond-backs shelled out four-year deals to sign third baseman Troy Glaus ($45 million) and right-handed pitcher Russ Ortiz ($33 million). They did so even though Glaus hadn't thrown a baseball since undergoing shoulder surgery, and Ortiz's fastball was, according to scouts, stuck in the mid-80s the final six weeks of 2004.

Kendrick expressed surprise at public concern over his team's finances, ignoring the fact that projections said the Diamondbacks, who have about $30 million in deferred salaries due this year, actually were able to add to payroll because they had unloaded nearly $40 million in 2004 salaries. They were able to separate themselves from the contracts of 11 players, including first baseman Richie Sexson ($8.7 million), center fielder Steve Finley ($7 million) and oft-injured closer Matt Mantei ($7 million).

Then the new year came, and an Arizona team that had its sights set on returning to the postseason dealt the most intimidating pitcher in the game, Randy Johnson, to the Yankees. The D'backs did, however, add the bat of outfielder Shawn Green, who reworked his $16 million salary into a three-year, $32 million deal that cleared the way for a mid-January trade with the Dodgers.

Manager Bob Melvin, returning to an Arizona team he once served as a bench coach before getting his first managerial opportunity in Seattle, is being asked to put the pieces of this puzzle together.
It's not going to be easy for the Diamond-backs, who made the postseason in their Walks allowed by Arizona's 2004 pitching a team record that ranked second in the second year of existence and won a world championship in their fourth (2001), but stumbled into oblivion last season.