--RHP Tom Gordon signed a one-year, $500,000 deal with the Diamondbacks, and he will serve as a setup man. He missed the second half of last season with the Phillies due to elbow surgery. Gordon is 138-125 with 158 career saves and a 3.94 ERA in a 20-year major league career, the first half of which was spent as a starter. He played with Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin in Kansas City in 1992. He could earn an extra $2.5 million in incentives this year.
--1B Chad Tracy is pushing his right knee in offseason workouts to regain the strength and balance he had in 2005-06, when he among the most productive Arizona hitters, before two years of injuries. He had 75 doubles, 47 home runs and 152 RBIs in those two seasons, playing at least 145 games in each year. He has played only 164 games in the last two because of injuries to both knees. --C Miguel Montero was targeted by Boston in the offseason, but the D-backs turned down trade offers. The Red Sox were not interested in moving RHP Justin Masterson in the package and eventually re-signed free agent C Jason Varitek.
--RHP Jon Rauch will hope for a fresh start in 2009. Rauch had a 1.93 ERA and five holds in his first 10 appearances with the D-backs after being acquired from Washington on July 22. After that, he gave up runs in 11 of his final 16 appearances for a 9.64 ERA. He also failed two convert two save chances.
--RHP Brandon Webb has finished first, second and second in the last three NL Cy Young Award ballots. The last major-leaguer to do that well in the voting? Former teammate LHP Randy Johnson, who won four straight Cy Young Awards in his first four seasons with the D-backs, from 1999-2002.
--INF Augie Ojeda enters spring training as the only true backup infielder on the roster, although it appears hardly a gamble on the D-backs' part. Ojeda was the only NL infielder to play at least 20 games at second base, shortstop and third base last season. He did not commit an error in 286 innings at second base and in 110 1/3 innings at third base.
BY THE NUMBERS: 13 -- New players on the D-backs' 40-man roster this year.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We realize that championship teams have good starting pitching, and Jon will fit right in." -- D-backs general manager Josh Byrnes, on RHP Jon Garland.
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