Now, as the team embarks on its 16th season, a sixth playoff appearance is the goal.

"We focused on putting a team together that we thought was principally built to win," managing general partner Ken Kendrick said. "We have a lot of guys that have had a tradition of winning, not only here but in other places. We have high expectations for them."

Gone are Stephen Drew, Justin Upton and Chris Young.

On board are Eric Chavez, Cliff Pennington, Martin Prado and Cody Ross.

"I think the type of team it is, and I told them this," Kendrick said after addressing the players prior to the first full squad workout of spring training. "I used a phrase that's certainly been used before: There's no limit to what you can accomplish so long as you're not concerned about who gets the credit. I think we have the kind of players that can buy into that and go out and perform at a level that makes us very competitive."

The Diamondbacks, who last year finished 81-81, are less than two years removed from winning the NL West in 2011. Reaching the top spot again won't be easy.

"We play now in a division where we have one team with the most expensive payroll (Dodgers)," Kendrick said. "We have a team defending a world championship (Giants). We have another team that had a very strong second half last year (Padres). We have some real strong competitors but we think we're good. Beating those guys is the mission and we believe we can do it."