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After nearly three weeks of the 2004 season, it is clear that the Arizona Diamondbacks are in desperate need of help for their pitching staff. The departure of Curt Schilling is far more profound than the team had imagined. The thought was that Brandon Webb would be an adequate replacement for Schilling and that Elmer Dessens would rebound and give the Diamondbacks a lot of innings. The team planned to have Shane Reynolds be a capable fourth starter then finalize the rotation with knuckleballer Steve Sparks. Joe Garagiola Jr. had the statistics that stated Sparks would shine in the National League. Instead, he has been roughed up in nearly every game he has pitched in. This coupled with Reynolds beginning the year on the disabled list and the implosion of the bullpen has everyone scratching their heads wondering what to do next. The thought was that Matt Mantei would begin the season as the closer then the Diamondbacks would trade him eliminating $7 million in payroll. Instead, Mantei has struggled on the mound reducing his trade value to the point where the team cannot move him. Outside of Randy Johnson and Brandon Webb, there is not a lot to be encouraged at from the pitching staff of 2004. With a slow start, look to see the Diamondbacks consider some moves even before the all-star break to shore up their pitching corps.

It seems Father Time is a baseball fan as the Diamondbacks and their Olden Gloves hang on to win the National League Western Division by 2 games over Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants. It seems like sweet vindication to the aging stars of the Arizona Diamondbacks to show that hey maybe they weren't so old after all.

Matt Mantei is now telling everyone that his 2001 season is officially over. He will fly to Georgia and meet with doctors to determine whether surgery will be required on his pitching elbow. If surgery is indeed required, Mantei may be out until the All-Star break of 2002.

Word coming out of the Diamondbacks organization was that they would not be very involved this off-season with free agent signings. The team would like to reduce payroll while maintaining the core of their team intact. That is why the Mark Grace deal makes so little sense. With the Diamondbacks already having an abundance of first basemen on the roster, adding a 36 year old veteran seems questionable.

It is questionable whether the Diamondbacks will pull the trigger on any trades between now and the trading deadline on July 31. It is not that the Diamondbacks are not willing to make a trade. The issue is whether the Diamondbacks can afford to make a deal. With attendance down again this year, Arizona expects to lose more money than they did last season. This makes it extremely difficult to add more payroll when revenues are declining. Given the current financial situation, the only move the Diamondbacks may make would be to transfer equal payroll or perhaps unload some of their higher price players. Regardless of this situation, there are still a couple of trade rumors that continue to make the rounds.

Given the multitude of injuries the Diamondbacks have endured this season, you have to give the team credit for working through their adversity. Matt Williams continues his rehabilitation on his right quadriceps muscle while Durazo is back on the disabled list with soreness of his surgically repaired wrist. Todd Stottlemyre's elbow is in much worse shape than first noted leaving a large hole in the starting rotation. Given these injuries and the tight race in the National League West, the Diamondbacks look to pull off a deal before the July 31 trading deadline. There have been two interesting deals talked about in the press lately.

Matt Mantei went onto the disabled list for a second time in a month. He is suffering from a weak arm and will begin rehabilitation this week. The Diamondbacks have placed him on the same workout program they used for Todd Stottlemyre last year as he recovered from a torn rotator cuff. Mantei continues to throw on the side and is reporting no pain. In his absence, the Diamondbacks have been using a bullpen by committee. Byung-Hyun Kim continues to dominate his opponents and is the Diamondbacks best hope for a closer. Vicente Padilla was brought up from Tucson to fill Mantei's roster spot and has looked very good in his outings for the Diamondbacks. Even with the emergence of these two young stars, the Diamondbacks continue to talk with other teams about possibly acquiring another relief pitcher. The name that seems to come each time is Roberto Hernandez of Tampa Bay. Arizona tried to trade for Hernandez last season but a deal could not be worked out. Talks are resuming between the teams. Don't be surprised to see a trade happen before the all-star break. Given the log jam of outfielders the Diamondbacks possess, it seems most logical that the trade will involve some package of these players.

During the second inning of the final home spring training game at Tucson Electric Park, Matt Williams broke the second metatarsal bone in his right foot. Williams being the gamer that he is, completed the at bat by lining hard to the center fielder. After the out, Williams was taken to a local hospital for x-rays before returning to Phoenix to meet with team physicians. The break was a non-displacement injury meaning no surgery will be required. Team doctors are confident Matt will be able to return in 6 to 8 weeks. This is a tremendous blow to the Diamondbacks as Williams is looked at both as the clean-up hitter and more importantly as the clubhouse leader. In the third inning, Williams was replaced by Lenny Harris who will most likely be Matt's replacement during his absence. Others who may get playing time at third base are Greg Colbrunn and Hanley Frias. Andy Fox, who would have been the back-up third baseman is still healing from a broken hand. Fox is expected to be sidelined until at least mid-April.

With the regular season now less than two weeks away, it is time to look at the team and assess their progress. The hitters again seem to be ahead of the pitchers with many on the team putting up monster numbers at the plate. The Travis Lee experiment seems to be going nicely with Lee hitting .354 this spring with 8 doubles and a home run. He is getting a lot of at bats this spring to try and prove his offensive numbers last year were a fluke. Erubiel Durazo continues to be hampered this spring by tendinitis in his wrist that has limited his playing time this spring. Greg Colburnn has been on fire with the bat but as of late has suffered from an thigh bruise. This has left Buck with little choice but to use Travis Lee at first base. The positive from this has been the ability for Buck to look at David Dellucci in right field and see how he is progressing. David has been struggling at the plate and is in the middle of a 2-16 slump. The right field job appears to be going down to the wire with a decision being made in the last week of training camp. Based upon my observations, I look to see Dellucci start in Tucson so that he can get a few more at bats before joining the team in May.