The Diamondbacks have signed 27-year old lefty swinging 2B Kelly Johnson to a 1-year deal. Johnson played in 106 games for the Braves last season and he was 68 for 303 (.224 avg, .692 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 8 homers, 29 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. He has now played in 490 games in his four years in the majors and he is 439 for 1,661 (.264 avg, .777 OPS) with 270 runs scored, 45 homers, 206 RBIs and 29 stolen bases. Johnson will come to spring training as the likely starting 2B for the D-Backs in 2010. I really like this signing as the price was right for a player who has something to prove.

The D-Backs have signed 31-year old righty swinging 1B Jeff Bailey to a minor league deal. Bailey played in 26 games for the Red Sox last season and he was 16 for 77 (.208 avg, .745 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 3 homers and 9 RBIs. Bailey has now played in 56 games in his major league career and he is 31 for 136 (.228 avg, .773 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 6 homers and 16 RBIs. Bailey might have a decent shot of making the Diamondbacks bench in 2010 if he has a strong spring.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed 36-year old righty reliever Bobby Howry to a 1-year contract with a club option for the 2011 season. Howry pitched in 63 games (0 starts) for the Giants last season and he was 2-6 with a 3.39 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He has now pitched in 731 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 44-49 with 66 saves, a 3.66 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. This was a smart move for the Diamondbacks who are building a good, deep bullpen for the 2010 season.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed 34-year old righty starting pitcher Rodrigo Lopez to a minor league deal. Lopez pitched in 7 games (5 starts) for the Phillies last season and he was 3-1 with a 5.70 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP. He has now pitched in 194 games (166 starts) in his 8 years in the majors and he is 68-66 with a 4.82 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. This was a good risk for the D-Backs as Lopez could win a spot at the back end of the rotation in 2010 with a solid spring.

The D-Backs decided against tendering a contract for the 2010 season to 27-year old lefty swinging 1B Josh Whitesell. Whitesell played in 46 games for the Diamondbacks last season and he was 21 for 108 (.194 avg, .633 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 1 homer and 14 RBIs. He played in parts of 2 years for the D-Backs and he appeared in 53 games in which he was 23 for 115 (.200 avg, .665 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 2 homers and 15 RBIs. The Diamondbacks just like other 1B a lot more than Whitesell so this won’t hurt them at all.