The Diamondbacks have designated 24-year old righty reliever Roque Mercedes for assignment. Mercedes pitched in 38 games (0 starts) in AA-ball last season and he was 3-4 with 1 save, a 4.36 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP. Mercedes has now pitched in 168 games (53 starts) in his first six years in the minors and he is 24-26 with 11 saves, a 4.43 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. The D-Backs’ needed Mercedes’ spot on the 40-man roster for Xavier Nady.

UPDATE: (12/22/2010) - The Brewers have claimed Mercedes off waivers.

The Diamondbacks have signed 32-year old OF/1B Xavier Nady to a 1-year, $1.75 million dollar deal. Nady played in 119 games for the Cubs last season and he was 81 of 317 (.256 avg, .660 OPS) with 33 runs scored, 6 homers and 33 RBIs. He has now played in 798 games in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 713 of 2,574 (.277 avg, .776 OPS) with 323 runs scored, 93 homers, 358 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. This was a good signing for the D-Backs as Nady can help the D-Backs out at both 1B and LF in 2011.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed 36-year old lefty swinging 1B/3B Andy Tracy to a minor league deal. Tracy played in 125 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 117 of 425 (.275 avg, .865 OPS) with 64 runs scored, 21 homers and 80 RBIs. He last played in the majors in 2009 with the Phillies. Tracy has played in 149 games in parts of five years in the majors and he is 64 of 277 (.231 avg, .728 OPS) with 35 runs scored, 13 homers and 43 RBIs. Tracy will get a shot to win a job on the Diamondbacks’ bench next spring.

The Diamondbacks have signed 39-year old righty swinging catcher Henry Blanco to a 1-year, $1 million dollar deal. Blanco played in 50 games for the Mets last season and he was 28 of 130 (.215 avg, .571 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 2 homers and 8 RBIs. He has now played in 863 games in his first 13 years in the majors and he is 559 of 2,463 (.227 avg, .654 OPS) with 245 runs scored, 60 homers and 265 RBIs. Blanco is a outstanding backup catcher as he is a good defensive player. With this signing the D-Backs are handing over the reigns full time to Miguel Montero behind the plate and that’s a smart move.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have selected 24-year old lefty reliever Joe Paterson from the enemy San Francisco Giants in the Rule 5 Draft. Paterson pitched in 53 games (0 starts) in A+AAA-ball last season and he was 5-3 with 3 saves, a 3.03 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Paterson has now pitched in 175 games (0 starts) in his four years in the minors and he is 20-12 with 21 saves, a 2.64 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Paterson has whiffed 232 batters in 218 innings in the minors so he has pretty good stuff. The D-Backs will give Paterson a legit shot to win a job in the bullpen next spring.