Big move for D-backs..big questions remain

Well...gotta be honest, not sure I saw this one coming. Sure, there was talk about bringing Adam Dunn from the Reds to AZ prior to the July 31 deadline, but after the bats started to turn around some and the deadline passed, so did any talk of Dunn. But, GM Josh Byrnes and the front office did in fact pull that off today, as they picked up Dunn off of waivers for Class-A right-hander Dallas Buck and two other players to be named later.

"Obviously, we've been looking for more offense," D-backs GM Josh Byrnes said. "Adam is one of the premier hitters against right-handed pitching in all of baseball. Just from the offensive side of things he will give us a lift."

The offensive side should help...the defense....will not. It's been curious trying to figure out exactly who those two are...but AZ Republic writer Nick Piecoro is indicating that both are on the 40-man roster, so that cuts it down.

As for Adam Dunn...what exactly are the D-backs getting here? Seems to be a Mark Reynolds type of player, albeit with a better on-base percentage and slugging percentage. But he will give Reynolds and Chris Young a run for their money trying to rack up the most K's. Dunn is a career .247 hitter in eight seasons. But the obvious bonus is his power: 32 dingers (tied for major league lead with.....uhh....err.....Carlos Quentin) and 74 RBIs.

The big question will be where in the field Dunn will play. Bob Melvin quickly answered that one today:

"Tomorrow he will be playing right field and hitting fourth," Melvin said of Dunn, who played left in Cincinnati this year and is not known as a great defender.

So, the obvious question is where he will play once Justin Upton returns in the next couple of weeks. Dunn could play left (where he has played this year with the Reds), or first base as well.

"We're not going to get too far ahead of ourselves," Melvin said. "When [Upton] gets back we'll look at our options. Obviously, we have some moving pieces around here, whether it's Chad Tracy or Conor Jackson or whoever, and we'll continue to try and run the best lineup out there on a day-to-day basis."

There's discussion about possibly moving Mark Reynolds to second, Chad Tracy to third, et al....it's dizzying thinking about all of the options here.

So, it's apparent that Dunn will play right until Upton is back. After he returns, and knowing Bo Mel the way we all do, he'll probably use all 100 combinations and permutations that are possible. But if it were up to me, this is the predominant infield/outfield I think they should have out there:

1B Adam Dunn
2B Augie Ojeda
SS Stephen Drew
3B Mark Reynolds
LF Conor Jackson
CF Chris Young
RF Justin Upton

Where does that leave Chad Tracy? Platooning...but that's ok...it's a nice luxury to have. So, is it a good move? I'd say so. He is supposed to be a great clubhouse guy and a good character - so that shouldn't be an issue. But, any time you are taking playing time away from other guys, things can happen. Does he provide an answer to the Manny Ramirez trade? Absolutely not. But, he does give the D-backs the power hitting offense they have sought after for so long....wait....since Richie Sexson came to town...argh....But, I'll still give it the thumbs up.