The Arizona Diamondbacks made a significant deal just a few hours after the 2011 Winter Meetings concluded, acquiring starting pitcher Trevor Cahill from the Oakland Athletics. Cahill, 23, is under team control through 2014 and figures to be a big part of the team's rotation going forward. Just how will the righty fit in with the D-backs? Here's a look at the projected rotation.
Ian Kennedy will be the anchor of the staff and will look to repeat his phenomenal 2011 season. It is likely that Kennedy will regress somewhat in 2012 -- a BABIP of .270 and ERA/xFIP differential of -0.62 are not sustainable -- although he will still remain one of the better young pitchers in the league.
Daniel Hudson had a breakout year and will look to continue his dominance next season in Arizona. Expect the 1-2 punch of Hudson and Kennedy to give teams nightmares more times than not.
Cahill will likely serve as the No. 3 starter and will likely benefit from a move to the National League. A ground ball pitcher, expect the 23-year old to thrive in the hitter-friendly Chase Field.
Josh Collmenter came out of nowhere and was a huge part of the 2011 NL West championship team. It will be interesting to see if the southpaw can continue his success after a big undertaking a big workload this past season. Expect manager Kirk Gibson to use Collmenter as his No. 4 starter.
The fifth and final spot in the rotation is up for grabs and GM Kevin Towers has multiple options. Joe Saunders could be kept through arbitration, although he will likely cost more than what the team is wanting to pay. Despite the deal that sent Jarrod Parker to Oakland, there is still plenty of pitching depth within the organization. And of course Arizona could make another trade to acquire a starter.
"Hopefully, we can keep this rotation together for a long time," Towers said, "We've got, four young starters that are as good as anybody in the NL West."
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