Over the last several years the Diamondbacks have been an organization that has found advantages around the margins, making up in some cases for talent gaps.
GM’s for this team are never blessed with the highest payrolls to be able to sign, trade for, or retain the highest paid stars, (or when they do spend big they ended up with disproportionate amount of payroll invested in one player, hamstringing themselves in other areas). Their farm system sat decimated heading into the 2017 season, and they had to embark on a system wide rebuilding plan which at times has been two steps forward, one step back.