Ahead of the 2024 MLB trade deadline, the Arizona Diamondbacks have to make upgrades to their roster.

To assume the Diamondbacks are sleeping giants that will just flip the switch once the playoffs arrive is a massively risky assumption. There's a strong chance that they won’t even clinch a berth right now. Christian Walker, one of the team’s best players and leaders, sees the upside his team can reach but also knows that nothing will be given.

Walker said that the goal for the Diamondbacks is always to win. He trusts the front office to make the right moves (and avoid unnecessary ones) on top of already having faith in his team, according to Patrick Mooney, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic.

“That’s the standard,” Walker said, via The Athletic. “That’s good, but that’s a little unfair, right? Because now we’re identifying with a result, and now we’re back chasing our tails in a circle again. It’s back to the preparation and having fun in the dugout. All that s— is stuff that we can control. To come out and be like, ‘Nothing short of a World Series this year.’ Yeah, no doubt, that’s the f—ing goal, right? But a lot can happen out of your control. You can come up and execute your plan perfectly and still lose a game. It’s the beauty of what we do. There were expectations early and it was easy to forget how hard it was to get in.”

Walker added that the Diamondbacks just making it into last year’s playoffs provides a reminder of how urgently the team has to pursue wins. In a crowded playoff race in the National League Wild Card, the Snakes will have to fight to stay alive.

Diamondbacks looking to buy ahead of 2024 trade deadline

The Diamondbacks have plenty of options up and down the roster but may have to make some tough decisions on whether those options can be trusted down the home stretch of the season. On top of adding some more relief pitchers, how much more room do they have for additions? Not much.

Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez are essentially having lost seasons as Jordan Montgomery joins them on the injured list. Zac Gallen, who previously dealt with an injury himself, has had very little support behind him in the rotation. But how many outside options, if any, can Arizona bring in after making two big moves in free agency to support its three starters that got them to the World Series?

On the position-player side of things, the left side of the infield has been pretty rough. Kevin Newman is expendable but is Geraldo Perdomo? Eugenio Suarez, one of the big additions from this past offseason, probably isn’t but also should be. Corbin Carroll isn’t going anywhere, which is why his turning his season around in the second half is so important.

The Diamondbacks can still make the playoffs and maybe even make another impressive run. But it will be even harder than last season.