In short, Piecoro suggests the Diamondbacks offer Webb a restructured 2-year deal where Webb makes $6.5 million guaranteed plus incentives the first year, and $3 million guaranteed the second year with incentives (from innings pitched) that could bump it up much higher.

It sounds like a good plan for the Diamondbacks, but there is no way Webb would take this deal if his main criteria is money. If Webb were to hit the free agent market, the immediate comparison that sprung to my mind (as well as Piecoro’s) is John Smoltz, who signed with the Red Sox for $5.5 million after undergoing surgery, much-like Webb. Therefore, Piecoro reasoned that Webb would figure he could not get more than $6.5 million which would equate to his guaranteed salary (because if he isn’t given the option, he gets $2 million regardless). But there is one key point here that went missing: Brandon Webb is way better than John Smoltz. Brandon Webb is only 30 years old! He could easily have three more years of being a top-10 pitcher left in him, no question about it. And teams like the Red Sox and Yankees are the precisely the reason why he could get big money now, even though he is hurt. They would love to pay him $8-9 million guaranteed over three years at least for his services because the dividends could be so great.

So while keeping Webb in Phoenix may seem ideal, the reality is that he will probably shake his head to any sort of extension unless it’s going to include the big bucks. That doesn’t meant the Diamondbacks won’t pick up his option, they may well do that, though if Webb seems set on money, it might be a very risky move that could see him sail away following next season.

Now consider this, the D’backs have an $8.5 million club option on Webb for next season, though there is no way of knowing if or when he will be back in 2010. They can buy out the contract for $2 million if they so choose.

With the way their team is now, the D’backs should cut its losses, and use this as an opportunity. Because Webb is at the very least going to miss some of 2010 as well, it’s pretty easy to write off next season too, particularly given how strong the Dodgers are even without Manny and the resurgence of the Giants. The wise thing to do here would be to realize that there are some pieces on this team that can be traded away. Jon Garland would probably fetch a higher price than he deserves because pitching is so badly needed right now, and a team like the Rockies or Angels might try and make a play for him. I don’t care what kind of a season Mark Reynolds is having, when you strike out this much you can’t consistently be very effective for your team. Doug Davis will have value too.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about ripping this team apart either. It has a lot of young talent. Justin Upton, Chris Young, Max Scherzer, these guys are great. Dan Haren too, at 29, is pitching great. Obviously the team should hang onto all of these guys.

But if they parted ways with Reynolds, Davis and Garland, or maybe a decent reliever too, say Chad Qualls, they could have some valuable return, and that could put them in a position to win two years from now. Particularly if they go after another pitcher with high upside who can compliment Scherzer (and maybe Haren) they could build a strong team. What they need to be careful not to do, is to push it with the guys they have, and end up falling short next year, and then for years after that.