In early January, Arizona signed the arbitration-eligible Elmer Dessens to a two-year, $7.3M contract that includes a 300,000 buyout on a $4.5M option for 2005. Dessens will reportedly receive $3M in 2003 and $4M in 2004, though his 2004 salary could increase by $250,000 if he reaches certain incentives.

While his 2003 salary seems in range of acceptable, I think that they will be overpaying him in 2004 unless he experiences significant skill growth. Dessens strikeout rate dropped significantly between 2001 and 2002. Fortunately, he seems to have overcome some of his homer difficulties, though his new park will likely negate any further progress in that area, and a return to his former habits could be disastrous. Provided he can continue walking less than three batters every nine innings, he should be a decent innings eater, but Arizona could have acquired that service for $2M less. Hopefully, they'll be able to work out a trade in the next year.

Meanwhile, Byung-Hyun Kim signed a one-year, $3.25M contract, which seems quite inexpensive for a closer, though Arizona seems likely to remove him from that role in 2003. With Matt Mantei healthy again, the Diamondbacks are free to experiment with Kim in alternative roles. They're very intrigued by the possibility of moving him into the rotation, and Kim has also expressed a desire to attempt starting. Although he made his debut with the Diamondbacks in 1999, Kim is only 24. His complete dominance in relief supports the theory that he could be capable of starting, so the main question is whether he has that kind of endurance. He's somewhat accustomed to multi-inning appearances, but I think Arizona would be smart to stretch his arm out in a consistent long relief role in 2003. Considering the uncertainty surrounding his role, I approve of not jumping to sign him to a multi-year deal at this time.

The Diamondbacks signed Quinton McCracken to a two-year, $3.5M contract, buying out his final year of arbitration eligibility and first year of free agency. I fail to understand this decision when the market is flooded with players who are signing for significantly less and have skills superior to McCracken's. His .309 BA was not supported by his skills last season and should drop without an improvement in either his walk or contact rates. Additionally, the 32-year-old offers only negligible speed and power skills.

David Dellucci signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with Arizona. While the price is still a bit high here, Dellucci offers significantly more power than McCracken and also has a solid walk rate, though he needs to reduce his strikeouts to deserve more regular playing time. All of the Diamondbacks' arbitration-eligible players have now settled on contracts for the 2003 season.

Arizona has signed several more players to minor league deals, including RHP Manny Aybar, RHP Ricky Bottalico, RHP Mike Jackson, LHP Eddie Oropesa, LHP Ron Villone, OF-R Luis Garcia, and OF-R Mark Little.

Aybar demonstrated both at AAA and in his limited major league appearances last season that he's ready for a steady job in a major league pen. The 28-year-old will compete for a roster spot in Spring Training and has a good chance of breaking camp with the team. If he fails to make the team, he'll still almost certainly receive a call-up during the season.

Bottalico's season was cut short in 2002 by surgery in June to repair a torn labrum. The 33-year-old's skills declined slightly before he went out but likely in part due to the injury. Provided he's healthy and pitching at his former level, he's basically a lock to make the team out of Spring Training.

Mike Jackson was certainly the worst reliever the Twins employed for any length of time last season. Nevertheless, the 38-year-old remains an acceptable relief option. I think Bottalico and Aybar are better option, but if he fails to break camp with the team, his contract provides him with the option of becoming a free agent, so he'll likely be chosen over at least Aybar.

Oropesa will not be able to pitch in the majors until May 15th, as the Diamondbacks failed to sign him earlier in the off-season. However, the team shouldn't mind too much as he's shown the least promise of this group of pitchers. Even if he were allowed on the roster sooner, I doubt Arizona would have him on the team. He's acceptable if the Diamondbacks run out of other left-handed options, but the 31-year-old shouldn't be used for an extended length of time.

Ron Villone missed time with elbow tendinitis last season and his skills noticeably declined, so I'm concerned about his health. Nonetheless, the 33-year-old appears to be a better option than Oropesa even on his bad days. He's not someone the Diamondbacks want starting, but he gives them valuable depth as a left-handed reliever.

Luis Garcia needs to improve his plate discipline to earn a regular reserve role in the majors, but he offers considerable power upside. I don't see an opening for him on the roster immediately, but he could be called up if an outfielder is injured.

Little re-signed with the team in late December, shortly after the Diamondbacks non-tendered him. He doesn't offer them any particularly notable offensive skills, but considering his past service to the team, I expect he'll spend a little time on the roster during the season.