Why does the outfield shuffle so much? David Peralta has been excellent, and I see more of Chris Owings in the outfield than him. And Ketel Marte over Jeremy Hazelbaker?
-- Jeremiah G.
Peralta has really picked up the pace after a slow first couple of weeks, but D-backs manager Torey Lovullo is being extra cautious when it comes to Peralta and A.J. Pollock. Given that they both missed large portions of last year due to injury, the manager has been giving them plenty of rest. Lovullo told us over the weekend that he expects Pollock to play 130-140 games this year, and I would expect about the same for Peralta.
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Would the D-backs consider trading Yasmany Tomas? He's a much better fit in the American League, where he won't have to play defense.
-- Bret S.
Would they? I believe they would. The issue is finding a taker, given the way Tomas' contract is structured. He is making $6 million this year and will make $10 million next year. After 2018, he has a player option, so he can choose to be a free agent or instead be under contract for $15.5 million in 2019 and $17 million in 2020. A team might be hesitant to trade for him because if he performs extremely well, he can opt out and test the market, and if he doesn't perform well, he would still be owed $32.5 million those final two years.
How long will the D-backs use Fernando Rodney in the closer's role? And if he's replaced, will Archie Bradley move up to closer? J.J. Hoover?
-- Chris P.
I think he was teetering pretty close to the edge after blowing back-to-back save opportunities, but I believe Lovullo is going to give him every chance to hang on to the role. If they made a change right now, I think it would be Bradley that would get the first look. He has been absolutely dominant coming out of the bullpen. In fact, one of the reasons the D-backs seemed hesitant to put him back in a starting role recently may have been because they saw him as an alternative to Rodney.
If Zack Godley does well Wednesday, will he likely stay up?
-- Alex M.
I would think so. They would like to settle on a starter to take Shelby Miller's place in the rotation, and a solid outing by Godley would seem to give him a leg up for now.
Favorite road ballpark to visit?
-- Noah B.
I really like the ballparks that have a lot of history, and we're down to two: Wrigley Field and Fenway Park. The new Yankee Stadium has a lot of nice amenities, but you could almost feel the history in the old one. I'm sorry it's gone.