Arizona Diamondbacks won’t pursue big name pitchers

Starting pitching was a problem in 2014 for the Arizona Diamondbacks, contributing to a club that finished with the worst record in all of baseball, but the team doesn’t expect to pursue any of the big name arms available on the free agent market. GM Dave Stewart made that intent clear in an interview on MLB Network Radio with Jim Bowden.

While this would seemingly rule out Max Scherzer, Jon Lester, and James Shields from the team’s plans for next season, it doesn’t mean they won’t actively look to bolster their pitching staff.

Stewart’s news doesn’t necessarily come as a complete surprise. The D’backs are not generally among the higher spending organizations in free agency and while their 2014 season was a sour note, there were few who expected them to play this poorly. Injuries slowed what could be a solid offensive core, but the team’s pitching staff is littered with inexperience and question marks.

Wade Miley figures to return as the team’s defacto ace, coming off a season in which he threw 201.1 innings with a 4.34 ERA and 1.401 WHIP. Josh Collmenter and Chase Anderson also figure to be in the mix. As things stand today, the final two spots in the rotation could go to Vidal Nuno and Trevor Cahill, with Randall Delgado as a long shot.

Team president Derrick Hall stated in a MLB.com chat with fans on Thursday that the team would prioritize starting pitching this winter. Neither he nor Stewart have given any indication as to who the team will pursue, but looking at the available names on the free agent market there are numerous candidates who could be potential fits – Justin Masterson, Jason Hammel, Ryan Vogelsong, Brandon Morrow, Chad Billingsley, Josh Johnson, and others.