Diamondbacks Projected 2019 Win Total Drops from 77.5 to 74.5

• Can the Diamondbacks contend without Paul Goldschmidt in their lineup?
• Does the loss of Patrick Corbin and AJ Pollock affect their depth?
• Do the Diamondbacks still offer good value?

The Arizona Diamondbacks are at an interesting place entering the 2019 season. Gone is Paul Goldschmidt, the face of the franchise. The St. Louis Cardinals pulled off a major trade to get him from the D-backs.

That move, along with other recent developments, has had a major impact on the team’s 2019 MLB win total projections. Arizona’s total dropped from 77.5 wins on February 11th to 74.5 wins on March 7th.

Arizona Diamondbacks 2019 Projected Win Total

D-backs Will Miss Goldschmidt

Goldschmidt, who has posted some big numbers over the last few seasons, wasn’t the only player to leave, as Patrick Corbin and AJ Pollock also left via free agency.

At a recent Cardinals spring training game, Mr. October, Reggie Jackson, gave a lengthy endorsement on Goldschmidt and his skills. Pretty high praise coming from one of the best to ever play the game.

I asked Reggie Jackson about a Yankee. He wanted to talk about a Cardinal. “This (bleeping) guy,” Mr. October said about Paul Goldschmidt while reaching for my cell phone. “Go to Baseball Reference.” And off we went. https://t.co/m89e3MaqB3 #STLCards

— Ben Frederickson (@Ben_Fred) March 7, 2019

The loss of Goldschmidt weakens one of the top NL defense’s too. Goldschmidt was a rock a first, and led this team on the diamond and at the plate.

#LosDbacks cuentan con la alegría y el ritmo de @escobarmaracay, David Peralta, @SouzaJr , @JakeLamb18 y Ketel Marte ? pic.twitter.com/D647zoCbIM

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@LosDbacks) March 7, 2019

Lamb Must Deal with Move to First

Jake Lamb shifts from third to first where he has played his entire career. Lamb was injured last season and the D-backs hope his return to form can help them offset the loss of Goldschmidt. A change in position as well as recovering from a serious injury is a lot to ask. Eduardo Escobar comes in at third having signed a three-year deal in the offseason.

Happy Friday, people. It’s a beautiful day to play some baseball.

Victor Robles CF
Kurt Suzuki C
Matt Adams 1B
Jake Noll 3B
Andrew Stevenson LF
Wilmer Difo 2B
Adrian Sanchez SS
Brandon Snyder RF
Matt Reynolds DH

Patrick Corbin SP#SpringTraining // #OnePursuit pic.twitter.com/8A7aB0y3Cg

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) March 8, 2019

Arizona Enters 2019 Without Corbin

Corbin went to the Washington Nationals on a six-year $140 million dollar deal. That hurts the D-backs’ rotation significantly. He pitched for six seasons in Arizona and was a big part of their staff. Zack Greinke will hopefully carry some of the load that Corbin had, but Arizona was a far better team with both of them on their roster.

Take the Under on Arizona

Given these moves and losing Goldschmidt, the D-backs’ declining win projection makes a lot of sense. Best to stick with the under as Arizona could be in for a very long season in 2019.