The already disappointing 2025 MLB season of the Arizona Diamondbacks may have just gotten even worse. That's after ace Corbin Burnes suffered an apparent elbow injury in last Sunday's 3-1 victory at Chase Field in Phoenix over the Washington Nationals.
Burnes's status remains up in the air, but fearing the worst-case scenario for the pitcher, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal said that there's the possibility that the Diamondbacks would end up being sellers at the 2025 trade deadline.
“In a very difficult position,” Rosenthal said on FOX Sports, when asked what the situation would be like for the Diamondbacks if the team gets bad news on Burnes' injury.
“And as they await this news, really nothing short of the season is at stake. They're already one of the most disappointing teams in the National League, right there with the [Atlanta] Braves. 28 and 31, eight games out, five games back in the wild card race,” added Rosenthal, who also brought up three names that the Diamondbacks could potentially put on the trade block.
Article Continues Below“And if Burnes is out, they're likely looking, I would think, at becoming a seller. And who do they have to sell? Well, Zac Gallen is a potential free agent. Merrill Kelly is the same, Josh Naylor is also eligible to hit the open market. So you can move those guys, save the owner some money in a year in which he committed to a franchise record payroll.”
Let’s check in with @Ken_Rosenthal for some updates around the league:
▫️ Who could the Dbacks trade if they become sellers this season?
▫️ The Royals calling up Jack Caglianone
▫️ When could Mookie Betts return to the Dodgers lineup? pic.twitter.com/5IsNVJLGJ2— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 3, 2025
Naylor is set to become a free agent at the end of the 2025 season after signing a one-year, $10.9 million contract in January to avoid arbitration. It's the same case with Gallen, who avoided arbitration by inking a one-year deal worth $13.5 million last January. Kelly, meanwhile, had his $7 million club option for 2025 picked up by the Diamondbacks, who are just 28-31 through 59 games. Only the historically awful Colorado Rockies (10-50) have a worse record than the Diamondbacks in the National League West.
Burnes left the Nationals game in the fifth inning after feeling tightness in his elbow. While there is no definite update on his status going forward, the fact remains that the Diamondbacks are not winning and are languishing near the bottom of the standings in the NL West. They are only fiven 27.6 percent chance to make the MLB playoffs as things stand through Monday, according to FanGraphs.