azcentral sports' Dan Bickley and former Diamondbacks outfielder Luis Gonzalez catch up in a special edition of our Shot Clock video.
The Diamondbacks’ signing this week of catcher Alex Avila to a two-year, $8.25 million contract gives them 20 players under contract for $117 million in guaranteed payroll for 2017. Factor in salaries for pre-arbitration players – the major-league minimum is $555,000 – along with possible non-roster players and performance bonuses, and the number shoots past $120 million.
At a time when most clubs across baseball aren’t spending, the Diamondbacks have extended themselves above where they were expected to be when the offseason began.