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It has been a rough season for the Arizona Diamondbacks because they have struggled to find much consistency. The biggest issue has been their pitching. Injuries have decimated them, but on top of that, it has been a bad year for the staff. They have talent and could make a run in the second half, but they must decide how active they will be at the trade deadline.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have a chance to completely change the outlook of the MLB trade deadline. MLB Insider for Fansided, Robert Murray, said on “Foul Territory” that the Diamondbacks are the one team to watch at the deadline. They have pieces for pitching and hitting that they could get back in return.
Murray said, “If they do sell, they have some of the most intriguing pieces on the market.”
The Diamondbacks sit at 47-50 but have talent across the roster. The issue has been that they have been unable to find much consistency, combined with injuries that have plagued the roster.
General manager Mike Hazen did not acknowledge that the Diamondbacks would be sellers. Still, he came the closest he had been on Monday when talking to the press, “That's a tough question to answer today,” Hazen said on Monday, July 14. “Once we get through the draft, I'll have to think about that a little more. I still don't think there are a lot of trades happening (two weeks before the deadline) where people feel satisfied with what they would get, anyway. We're going to continue to have a conversation.”
Hazen has many options in making a deal across the league, mainly pitchers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly and sluggers Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor, as they are all on expiring contracts.
If they were to depart as free agents, the Diamondbacks could potentially get draft picks in return for each, but they might receive more from clubs seeking upgrades in the middle of a race for the postseason.
Suarez and Kelly would be the players with the most significant value on the open market. Suarez had a monster year, with 31 homers, 78 RBIs, and an .889 OPS. Kelly has a solid season on the mound, with a 3.34 ERA in 116 innings.
The Diamondbacks could shake things up at the deadline, and the biggest wildcard would be Zac Gallen because he started the year struggling, but his stock could get jump-started before the deadline after some more recent solid starts. Merrill Kelly and Eugenio Suarez would be the two locks if they decided to move on to get pieces back.
