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The Arizona Diamondbacks were just swept by the Houston Astros. They are 5.5 games out of the postseason, and are expected to sell at the trade deadline. But the management team may not want to sell, something rival executives think could happen. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that rivals think the Diamondbacks may not sell pieces like Eugenio Suarez and Merrill Kelly at the MLB trade deadline.
“But some rival executives are still not convinced they will be aggressive sellers. General manager Mike Hazen long has resisted any form of teardown, and owner Ken Kendrick likely is no more enthusiastic about breaking up his team. Kendrick, 81, said at Corbin Burnes’ introductory news conference in January, ‘I’m kind of aging out on this. I’d kind of like to have some additional success before I go off into the sunset,'” Rosenthal wrote.
The Diamondbacks have three pending free agents who could be among the best players dealt at the MLB trade deadline. Suarez, Kelly, and Zac Gallen are all hitting free agency in the winter and could all help playoff teams. Arizona likely won't be a playoff team, especially with Corbin Burnes out for the year.
If the Diamondbacks do not sell, the MLB trade deadline will be much quieter. There are not many teams with playoff performers that are near-guarantees to miss the dance. With the expanded postseason, there will be a lot of teams holding onto players. Snakes management should take advantage of the seller's market and sell while they can.
Despite coming into the season with postseason expectations, the Diamondbacks need to sell. Suarez can bring in a top prospect who changes the 2026 team for them. So many teams need third basemen, and every team could use another arm for the stretch run. With free agency coming, this should be a no-brainer.
