The Diamondbacks are still in the postseason picture, and that has them positioned as buyers with the trade deadline closing in. Arizona’s bullpen remains the biggest hole, but the club could also use help in the rotation and at first base.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Diamondbacks would “love” to land either Detroit Tigers starter Casey Mize or Washington Nationals first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. by the end of Monday.
Arizona has surged into the No. 2 wild-card spot after winning 13 of 18 games since July 9, and the first-base situation has become one of the more obvious weak spots on the roster. Garcia, 26, would fit that need and then some. He is under club control through 2027 and is hitting .283 with 23 home runs, 2.3 bWAR and an .873 OPS this season.
That kind of production would give the Diamondbacks a real boost, but it would also take a hefty return to pull him out of Washington this summer.
Mize offers a different kind of upgrade. He is a rental, but he has been excellent this season, posting a 2.70 ERA and 2.9 bWAR even with a 4-6 record. For a Diamondbacks rotation dealing with multiple injuries, that would be a major addition.
Arizona’s starting staff may not be the club’s most urgent problem, but adding a pitcher of Mize’s caliber would still make plenty of sense. Landing both Garcia and Mize would be expensive, but Nightengale reported the Diamondbacks would “love” to add one of them before the August 3 MLB trade deadline.
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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
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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 🡒]