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Beefing up the rotation
Despite the subtraction of Johnson the Diamondbacks have an impressive and deep starting rotation.
Shoring up the starting pitching was a top priority and it appears like that goal has been achieved.
Vazquez was one of the premier pitchers in the National League before going to the Yankees.
He had six good seasons with Montreal, but experienced a very tough second half of the season in the Bronx and that led to his changing addresses for this season.
For Vazquez escaping the Bronx may be all he needs to recapture the top form he displayed with the Expos.
Joining Vazquez in the rotation are Ortiz, Halsey, Brandon Webb, and Shawn Estes.
Ortiz is a workhorse who wins ugly.
Webb pitched in some hard luck last season and is seeking to return to his form of 2003 when he went 10-9 with a 2.84 ERA for Arizona.
Estes drew the interest of the Diamondbacks after winning 15 games with Colorado last season to resurrect his career.
Not to be sold short
Arizona can compete in its division.
The offseason overhaul added some talent but also some questions.
The answers to those questions -- at least in the early going this season -- have for the most part been positive.
If they remain that way Arizona can hang around and make things interesting in the NL West -- and that would be a far cry from last year when the Diamondbacks stumbled into oblivion.
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