With less than one month to the opening of spring training, has general manager Mike Hazen of the Arizona Diamondbacks finalized his roster.
Coming into the current off-season, Hazen said he wanted to improve the pitching staff and search for a productive, left-handed hitter. While transactions addressed these needs, the upgrades appeared to be marginal.
When Hazen signed Jeremy Hazelbaker, who will 30-years-old this mid-August, did Hazen envision this to be the left-handed bat making a difference. Coming to the desert, Hazelbaker sports a .235 batting average with St. Louis (12 homers, 28 RBIs) for one year of major league service.