[CBMerling]

WILL THE TRADE OF UPTON HAUNT THE DIAMONDBACKS? At the end of January, rumors of Justin Upton being traded from the only team he's ever played for came to fruition when the Diamondbacks sent the slugger to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for utilityman Martin Prado, pitcher Randall Delgado and minor leaguers Nick Ahmed, Brandon Drury and Zeke Spruill. Third baseman Chris Johnson also was included in the deal to the Braves. But Upton was the blue ribbon prize winner in the deal, no offense to Prado's skillset, however. What Arizona will miss in Upton are durability, power, moderate speed and savvy skills in the outfield. Upton, a two-time All-Star, had spent his entire six-year career in Arizona and in 2012 batted .280 with 17 homers and 67 RBI. He had career bests of 31 homers and 88 RBI in 2011. Prado is one of a handful of players who will make their desert debut in 2013 and the makeover gives Gibson added depth and more options. Will Upton's power and tremendous upside be missed? Of course, but you have to make do with what's on the roster. With a lack of star power, the D'backs still have decent bats in the lineup. Left fielder Jason Kubel led the team in home runs (30) and RBI (90) last season and appeared in 141 games. Gerardo Parra and Cody Ross are expected to start at center and right field, respectively. Adam Eaton is a promising young player the D'backs wanted to make room for, which is why Chris Young landed with the Athletics, but Eaton suffered an elbow injury and could be sidelined for two months at the start of the season. Ross has also been bothered by a lower leg issue in spring training and is questionable to be ready for Opening Day. Prado, Aaron Hill, who had a .302 average, 26 homers, 85 RBI and 93 runs in 2012, Paul Goldschmidt and Miguel Montero are expected to carry the offensive load this season. Goldschmidt posted 20 homers and 82 RBI last season. Kubel, Hill and Goldschmidt are the heart of the lineup and, if all goes well, will help D'backs fans forget about Upton. HOW REALISTIC ARE ARIZONA'S CHANCES IN THE AL WEST? The chances of winning the division are slim for the D'backs, who have to deal with the high payroll of the Dodgers and the momentum the Giants will ride off their second World Series title in three seasons. Arizona's rotation is just a tier lower than L.A.'s and San Francisco's, but is certainly more formidable than both the Rockies and Padres. A lot is riding on the bats of Kubel, Hill, Goldschmidt, Prado and Montero. Even the bullpen has some question marks. Can closer J.J. Putz put together another solid season? Putz had 45 saves in 2011 and posted 32 more last season. Reliever Heath Bell was added in hopes of him resurrecting his career, while David Hernandez has the firepower to one day take over as the closer. Josh Collmenter is another trustworthy arm Gibson can go to. Gibson has a lot of decisions to make as to who bats/plays where and how will playing time be distributed among the newcomers and those who have started to etch their name in franchise lore. Some players are untouchable at their respective positions, including Goldschmidt at first, Montero behind the plate, Hill at second, Kubel in left and Prado at third base. A few wild cards will be Cody Ross, Gerardo Parra, Willie Bloomquist and Eric Chavez. X-FACTOR: ADAM EATON: Known for a tremendous work ethic and ability to get on base, Eaton has big shoes to fill in center field and expectations to meet once he finally gets into the lineup. A speedy and gritty player from his days in the minors, Eaton hopes to get the ball rolling early on in order to get some runs. Eaton made his debut last September and started his big league career with a five-game hit streak. Eaton homered twice, drove in five runs, scored 19 times and registered a .259 batting average to go along with a .382 on-base percentage. Eaton wasn't afraid to sacrifice his body and was hit by a pitch 62 times in the minors. He did suffer a broken hand in late September. Eaton is excited to join some new teammates and build stronger bonds. "The additions during the offseason have been great additions. I'm excited to play alongside those guys," Eaton said. "Diamondback Nation should be very excited and happy. I've been boasting here in the Midwest with everyone that we're going to be an exciting team that's going to be fun to watch, and I'm excited for the year."