DaVanon supposedly had a shoulder surgery and his rehab hadn't progressed as expected when the Dbacks looked at him the first time around; rumor has it that he would've gotten a guaranteed 2 year deal in the 3 to 4m range then. I guess his shoulder is looking a lot better now and/or his demands have dropped sufficiently, so that the Dbacks decided to gamble on him.

The deal carries a player option that can be anywhere from around 700k to 1.25m. The 2007 option varies a lot depending on how many days he spends on the active roster in 2006, presumably with a healthy shoulder. If he's healthy, he's a great 4th OFer, who can play some CF vs. tough RF pitchers, and can allow Bob Melvin to bench Gonzo or especially Green vs. tough LHP.

Mike Gosling was DFAed to clear a spot on the 40 man roster. I wonder if he will clear waivers... or if he'll get traded somewhere. We'll know soon.

Also, DaVanon lives in Chandler, AZ, so he fits in AZ's MO of getting local guys (like Eric Byrnes... and Russ Ortiz... gack) and may have influenced DaVanon's decision to choose AZ over another team...

Thanks Dan, appreciate you putting this up. The D backs are going to need every small incremental improvement they can find this year on offense, and Davanon getting at bats that would go to Terrero, (Or Green against lefties) is a nice little bump...assuming as you say, he is healthy.

Cincinnati Reds - Claimed pitcher Michael Gosling off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks; designated pitcher Luke Hudson for assignment.

He couldn't have gone to a team with a better chance of cracking the rotation, considering the Reds have the worst rotation in the league.

I like this, too. Essentially no-risk contract and he's not going to steal PT from anyone worthwhile if he's healthy.

I'm even surprised the Reds took a chance. Gosling has nothing - I caught a start of his in Tucson last year where he made Ligtenberg look like like Gagne.

Diamondbacks signed LHP Felix Heredia to a minor league contract.

Heredia missed most of last season after surgery to repair an aneurysm in his left shoulder, but he returned for the Dominican Winter League season and had a 2.45 ERA in 36 2/3 innings. He'll be a long shot to win a spot in Arizona's bullpen, and if he ever is called up, he'll have to serve a 10-day steroids suspension.


What a waste of money.

Heredia is moneyball. That's why Byrnes got him.

If he stays buried in the minors, no one will ever notice or care. If the guy actually manages to make it back to the majors and is halfway effective, Byrnes will look smart.

Can't lose either way, really.

I think there are better fliers to give $250K or $500K.

spivey--only if the run fairy makes the roster. which he won't.

Details on the option year from Steve Gilbert, MLB.com beat writer

Did Arizona sign Jeff DaVanon to a one- or two-year contract?
-- Melissa S., Chandler, Ariz.

DaVanon's contract is for 2006 with a player option for 2007. He will make $525,000 in 2006, and the amount his option is worth in 2007 depends on his health this year. More specifically, it's based on how many "active days" he has. Active days do not include time spent on the disabled list for an injury related to a pre-existing right shoulder injury. If he's active for 90 days this year, the option is worth $700,000; 120 days, it's worth $900,000; 150 active days, it's worth $1.1 million; and 180 active days, $1.25 million. Both sides are covered in an agreement like this.

This is a good signing for Arizona. In combination with Eric Byrnes, DaVanon gives the Dbacks a solid centerfield. It's not all that great defensively, but it's a major improvement over the fiasco last year when about half of CF innings were played by Cruz and Green. And the offense should be solid. CF is not a strength for Arizona, but it's not the gaping hole that it was last year.

As much as I hated pretty much every acquisition that they made last season (Glaus, Ortiz, Green, Clayton, trading away Navarro), there's very little that Byrnes has done this winter that I don't like. He successfully got rid of Glaus not only without taking a bad contract back, but getting an above-average 2B in return. I'm not completely sold on the idea that a 35 year-old Counsell is a good interim solution at short, but the Dbacks could conceivably bring up Drew a little earlier than planned if they absolutely had to.

Of course, one biggest problems with Arizona's lineup is having to play (and pay) Shawn Green, and the related problem of not having Dioner Navarro around. Estrada isn't the worst backstop to have (especially given his salary), but wouldn't you rather have one of the game's best young catchers for even cheaper than an expensive, aging corner outfielder that's blocking a prospect? And that was my biggest problem with the trade for Green: this logjam at the corners was easily predictable, and they gave away an extremely talented young catcher for that predicament.

FWIW, here are the 2006 PECOTA EQAs (weighted means) for Navarro/Estrada and Quentin/Green:

Navarro: .250
Estrada: .246

Quentin: .271
Green: .274

Factor in defense, Navarro and Quentin look even better against the veterans. And they would have cost the Dbacks somewhere around $8-10M less for that superior production--money that they could have spent toward getting one of the better starters or relievers on the FA market, which is remains their greatest weakness.

But oh well. At least they were able to jetison Glaus before he broke down too badly to trade--and I really like the addition of Hudson to the mix. Assuming Chad Tracy doesn't go Chris Sabo, Arizona has a very solid lineup for 2006 and it looks even brighter for beyond.

excellent analysis, 6-4-3. one remark on the catching situation: early word is that melvin will platoon snyder vs. lhp and estrada vs. rhp. that should hopefully increase the production that the team gets from the position. i also hope that the presence of davanon, byrnes and terrero will lead to more days off for green and gonzo vs. lhp. those two just can't hit lefties anymore.