The Arizona Diamondbacks won't be making a postseason appearance this fall, but they've made great strides toward being future contenders thanks to the leadership of chief baseball officer Tony La Russa, senior VP/GM Dave Stewart and manager Chip Hale. Offensively, the Diamondbacks are second in the National League in runs scored and third in team OPS. On the pitching side, they're fourth in the league in bullpen ERA.

It's the starting rotation that has been the team's downfall; Diamondbacks starters rank 10th in the league in both ERA and WHIP. Thus, the Diamondbacks will focus on improving their rotation this offseason.

Another relevant note is that the Diamondbacks had many positive developments within their farm system this year. That not only bodes well for the major league team in the short- and long-term future, but it also provides Stewart with trade options to dangle. The Diamondbacks do have the resources to compete for the top starting pitchers on the free-agent market, but they're expected to focus more on international free agents and the trade market to improve their starting pitching.

Objective No. 1: Find an ace

As noted above, the Diamondbacks' offseason plan is simple: Improve the starting rotation, ideally by acquiring an ace to anchor the rotation. It's unlikely they'll be in play for the most expensive free-agent pitchers; a trade is the best possibility.

Here are the players they've told me they prefer not to move: Patrick Corbin, Robbie Ray, Rubby De La Rosa, A.J. Pollock, David Peralta and, of course, team MVP Paul Goldschmidt. There are still plenty of good young players and a strong farm system to trade from.