Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been that team on the cusp for quite some time, with the last couple of seasons witnessing hot starts, only to see them fizzle out in the second half of the season. If this winter has taught us anything, it’s that Kevin Towers is none too happy with the recent results, and he appears to be going all in on the 2014 season.
That continued to be illustrated on Monday afternoon, as the Diamondbacks went out and acquired closer Addison Reed from the Chicago White Sox. The Diamondbacks surrendered one of their top prospects, Matt Davidson, in order to acquire him. Davidson got a taste of the bigs last season, and looks like he could be the Sox everyday third baseman in 2014.
As far as Reed is concerned, he’ll greatly help out a Diamondbacks bullpen that has had a reputation in recent years of being a less-than-reputable group. They started to find their groove toward the end of last year, with their final numbers finishing around the middle of the pack, in relation to other relief corps around the league. Reed will very likely take over as the closer immediately.
Reed joins a group of relievers that includes the likes of David Hernandez, Brad Ziegler, and J.J. Putz, two of which have had their crack at the ninth inning recently. Reed’s 3.79 ERA as a closer doesn’t look pretty, but his 3.17 FIP makes it much more promising as he transitions to the National League. From the Diamondbacks’ perspective, it’s certainly an overpay, given Davidson’s upside, but a logical one.
It’s clear that the Diamondbacks are going all in on the 2014 season. They had already been associated with the White Sox once this offseason, in the three-team deal that saw the D-Backs acquire Mark Trumbo. Addison Reed should be a fine addition at the back end of ballgames, and should be a sizable upgrade, in numbers more than figure, over the recently-departed Heath Bell.