"The Diamondbacks went into the off-season planning to construct a 2012 roster with a payroll close to last season's $65 million, a number that made it possible to retain most of the key pieces to a playoff team while making incremental upgrades here and there.

But then the chance to acquire right-hander Trevor Cahill and reliever Craig Breslow presented itself. And then reliever Takashi Saito agreed to terms. And free-agent outfielder Jason Kubel became available at a price the team liked.

And once left-hander Joe Saunders' price dropped and he officially came back on board this week, the Diamondbacks found themselves with a payroll they say will be north of $79 million, putting them in position to potentially lose money if things don't go according to plan.

"That's a credit to (Managing General Partner) Ken (Kendrick) and ownership," CEO Derrick Hall said this week. "We now have some pressure to increase revenues, but we think we can."

The Diamondbacks were the surprise of baseball last season, winning 94 games and the National League West. They will bring back all of their key players, and their off-season additions make them look even better on paper."