With Monday’s Trade Deadline closing in, the Diamondbacks are zeroing in on two spots: starting pitching first, and a left-handed bat at first base right behind it.
General manager Mike Hazen said Arizona has been working a wide range of possibilities, but the club’s focus has sharpened around those needs. A bullpen addition is still on the table, though it doesn’t sit near the top of the list.
"There's been a lot of conversation around a bunch of different stuff," Hazen said. "So we're mostly in the starting pitching/bat market. Some in the reliever market, just to stay involved in that."
The need for rotation help has only grown more urgent with injuries piling up. Ryne Nelson, Zac Gallen and Michael Soroka have all been sidelined, and Corbin Burnes’ return, once expected around the All-Star break, has now been pushed to September.
Soroka is expected back in the next couple of weeks, with Gallen likely following after that. Burnes and Nelson are also projected to return in September. But Hazen made it clear he is not interested in waiting that long while Arizona fights through a tight NL Wild Card race.
“I’m more worried about getting through August than what happens at the end of August and September,” Hazen said. “August is going to be particularly challenging for us with no off-days and probably the toughest run of games we're going to have all year.”
That stretch starts immediately. The Diamondbacks finish their series in Cleveland, and August also brings four home games against the Padres, three at home against the Dodgers, three road games against the Braves and Red Sox, and a three-game home set with the Cubs.
There’s also the money side of the equation. Arizona is nearing the first luxury tax threshold, and the team does not plan to cross it. That leaves Hazen with less than $10 million he can take on in a deal.
And he can’t just look at the roster as it stands today. Reinforcements are coming, and that has to be built into any deadline move. Jordan Lawlar is expected back soon, while Tommy Troy and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. are also projected to return at some point.
"We do have guys coming back that I need to plan for them being on the team as well," Hazen said.
The bullpen, which would usually be a more obvious deadline target for a contender, is a lower priority this time around. Arizona’s relief corps has performed well enough already, and the looming return of hard-throwing closer Justin Martinez in August only adds to that comfort level.
If the Diamondbacks do add a right-handed reliever, Hazen said it would need to be a definite upgrade. The threshold for bringing in a lefty is lower, especially with only one southpaw currently in the bullpen: Brandyn Garcia.
Deadline deals can come together at any moment, and Hazen knows the buyer’s seat means he doesn’t control the timing. He pointed back to last season, when Arizona had veterans such as Merrill Kelly, Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez available and he moved Naylor a few days before the Deadline rather than waiting for the final scramble.
"When you have the players and you're making the trades, you get to determine the time," Hazen said. "When they have the players, you don't get to determine the time."
In Other News...
Diamondbacks Trade Deadline Focus At First Base Is Getting Interesting
The trade market is starting to tilt toward a familiar summer bargain hunt, and first base has become one of the spots Arizona could try to shore up before the deadline. With St. Louis slipping in the NL Wild Card race, the Cardinals look more likely to listen than to add, and Alec Burleson has emerged as one of the more appealing names on their roster thanks to a strong season and a contract that runs for two more years at a reasonable price.
For a Diamondbacks club still trying to keep pace in a crowded race, the appeal is obvious. Burleson brings offense, team control and the kind of cost certainty that can matter when clubs are weighing how aggressive to be in late July, but a move like this usually comes down to how much competition builds and how far Arizona is willing to go to solve a position that has been anything but settled. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Deadline Push May Come Down To One Costly Rotation Call
The Diamondbacks are still working the phones as the trade deadline nears, and one of the more intriguing possibilities has them looking at the left side of the pitching market. Arizona wants to add another arm to the rotation mix, and the Angels, already deep into sell mode after a busy season of dealing players away, look like a logical partner for a club trying to sharpen its October path.
What makes this one especially interesting is the price. Arizona has been weighing a package built around two left-handed pitching prospects, Kyle Drake and Cooper Hjerpe, which speaks to how seriously it is considering the move and how much it values another controllable starter. The question now is whether the Diamondbacks are willing to pay that kind of prospect cost for a rotation upgrade before the deadline clock runs out. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Just Made A Rotation Move Arizona Fans Cant Ignore
The Padres have added another familiar name to a National League West rivalry by landing veteran left-hander Robbie Ray in a trade with the Giants. For Arizona, it is the kind of move that gets attention quickly, because any rotation change in San Diego can ripple through a division where the margins are already thin and every series tends to carry extra weight.
San Francisco will get minor-league prospects Miguel Mendez and Joniel Hernandez back in the deal, and the clubs will split the rest of Rays salary this season. Even without the full details of how San Diego plans to deploy him, the trade matters for the Diamondbacks simply because it strengthens a division opponent while reminding everyone how quickly the landscape can shift this time of year. [Read more 🡒]