The Diamondbacks came out of the Trade Deadline with far less to show for it than many around the game expected, and GM Mike Hazen made clear it wasn’t for one simple reason.
Arizona was active, but a deal for a pitcher reportedly unraveled over medical concerns, and the club also ran into another hard limit: it was too close to the first luxury tax threshold to push past it. Hazen said that combination, along with plenty of rejected offers on his end, left the market thinner than it might have looked from the outside.
“We could have gotten some deals done,” Hazen said. “I said no to a lot of stuff, but that wasn't the only reason things didn't get done. It was all those things in combination with each other.”
One point Hazen wanted to clean up was the idea that Arizona’s quiet deadline meant other clubs weren’t interested in its prospects. That wasn’t the case. The Diamondbacks were willing to discuss players near the top of the system, but not in every type of deal.
“We offered some of the players at the top of our farm system, but I didn't offer those guys for rentals,” Hazen said. “There's a sliding scale for that.
Nobody [in the system] was untouchable. Some of the guys on the Major League team were untouchable because I didn't want to take them off the Major League team.
Brandyn Garcia was untouchable. I got asked about him in almost every deal.”
Arizona drew plenty of interest in Ashton Izzi, Daniel Eagen, Jack Hurley, JD Dix and David Hagaman as well. Izzi is the club’s No. 11 prospect, Dix is No. 4, and Hagaman is No.
- Eagen was eventually moved.
There was also a report that the Diamondbacks had a deal in place for Mets starter Clay Holmes before it collapsed because of a player’s medical reports. While that was being sorted out, a fallback option disappeared from the board as well.
Hazen’s frustration at this year’s deadline comes with a bit of perspective. The trades Arizona made last summer are already helping now.
Left-handers Mitch Bratt and Kohl Drake, both acquired with Hagaman in the Merrill Kelly deal with Texas, have stepped into the rotation and covered key innings. Garcia has become the team’s de facto closer, and Tyler Locklear has helped at first base.
“I think last year's Deadline went about as well as it probably could have gone, honestly,” Hazen said. “And now, looking at the prices that got paid for players this year versus the prices that got paid for last year, and knowing, being on that side of the table, what teams were willing to give us, the cost was far higher this year.”
Arizona did make one addition after the deadline dust settled, signing right-hander Dennis Santana to a Minor League contract after Pittsburgh designated him for assignment and then released him. Santana struggled this season with the Pirates, but the track record was strong: a 2.18 ERA and a 201 ERA+ for Pittsburgh in 2025, plus a 2.44 ERA in 39 games after being traded there in 2024.
The Diamondbacks had competition for Santana, but two factors helped them stand out. He lives in the Phoenix area, and he already has a relationship with assistant GM Jeremy Bleich, who was the Pirates’ director of pitching development before joining Arizona this year as assistant GM of pitching strategy and development.
“In Dennis' case last year, you had no access to him [via trade] and this year didn't seem like it went as well for him,” Hazen said. “He obviously has a relationship with Jeremy, so there's some familiarity with what he was doing in Pittsburgh, which I think, hopefully, will help.
And we're looking to make a few tweaks and see if we can't get him back righted. He was a leverage reliever last year, and he's still young, and his stuff didn't decline.
So we felt like it was a worthwhile shot.”
Santana’s deal includes an opt-out if he is not in the Major Leagues by a certain point, a standard provision for a player at his level so he is not left without roster security when Aug. 31 arrives and postseason eligibility becomes a factor.
Looking ahead, left-hander Blake Walston could become a bullpen option for Arizona in September if he is healthy while continuing his recovery from Tommy John surgery.
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