D-backs sign speedy Dyson to 2-year deal

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Not long after word began coming out that J.D. Martinez had signed a five-year deal with the Red Sox on Monday, so too did the news that the D-backs had agreed to terms with Jarrod Dyson on a two-year contract.
A baseball source has confirmed the deal is worth $7.5 million, and a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand that Dyson's deal includes performance bonuses each year: $50,000 at 100 and 125 games played; and $50,000 each at 350, 400 and 450 plate appearances.
In a corresponding move, the D-backs placed pitcher Shelby Miller (Tommy John surgery rehab) on the 60-day disabled list.
The timing of the news was somewhat coincidental, but another source indicated that the club had planned on signing Dyson regardless of whether Martinez returned. The source also said the D-backs are continuing to pursue additional outfield help.
Dyson, 33, spent the 2017 season with Seattle, batting .251/.324/.350 with five homers, 30 RBIs and 28 stolen bases in 111 games. Dyson spent the first seven years of his career in Kansas City before being dealt to the Mariners in January 2017.

A Martinez return to Arizona had been viewed as a long shot given the type of contract the slugger was looking for, combined with the fact that the D-backs already projected to open the season with a record payroll of nearly $130 million.
However, with Martinez unsigned as camps opened along with news that Martinez's agent and D-backs managing general partner Ken Kendrick had met multiple times during the offseason, there remained a sliver of hope for D-backs fans.
The D-backs were believed to have explored shorter-term contracts with Martinez, who eventually accepted a five-year deal with the Red Sox, according to MLB.com's Jon Morosi.

Outfield help has been the one area of need the D-backs had not yet addressed during the offseason.
The prospect of losing Martinez and outfielder Grégor Blanco to free agency left Arizona with A.J. Pollock, David Peralta and Yasmany Tomás as likely starters, with Jeremy Hazelbaker and Socrates Brito being the only other two outfielders on its 40-man roster.
While D-backs GM Mike Hazen was asked throughout the offseason about the possibility of bringing back Martinez, he continued to say that the team was "engaged in the entire outfield market" in search for help.
"They have so many different possibilities that they're looking at, be it trade or free agency," D-backs team president and CEO Derrick Hall said of Hazen while meeting with reporters on Monday morning before any of the news broke. "He wants to improve this team even more. He's looking at areas where we could improve, and he's focused on outfield at this time, so we'll see what happens."