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The National League West has already been a fascinating division with plenty of intriguing storylines, and it seems as though two teams in the group will remain in the postseason race despite mixed results. A recent report from Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic suggests that the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks will not be pure sellers at this summer’s MLB trade deadline.
“For all their mediocrity the past two months, the Padres currently hold the third NL wild-card spot, and the Diamondbacks are only three games back,” the report says. “Imagine where the Padres might be if ace right-hander Dylan Cease’s ERA wasn’t 4.69. Imagine where the D-Backs might be if ace right-hander Zac Gallen’s ERA wasn’t 5.19. Both of their expected ERAs are lower. But neither has resembled the top-five NL Cy Young finisher each was in two of the past three years.”
Beyond performance, both teams have dealt with injuries that have limited their ability to keep up with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. This latest report comes less than a week after the Giants traded for former Red Sox star Rafael Devers.
On Arizona’s end, starter Corbin Burnes and reliever Justin Martinez recently underwent season-ending surgeries. In San Diego, ace Yu Darvish has not pitched this season due to elbow inflammation, and starter Joe Musgrove is out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last October.
The report suggests that each club could look to add more pitching, but also indicates that each could simultaneously buy and sell.
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“Both clubs feature two quality starting pitchers who are eligible for free agency, one of whom is an underperforming ace,” the report says. “And both are run by general managers who are more inclined to buy than sell, and ultimately could end up doing both.”
Padres general manager A.J. Preller has not publicly stated that the club will look to add talent prior to the deadline, but he has been known for his aggressive stances. Meanwhile, Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen has openly shown his cards.
“Look, as long as we’re playing well, and I believe that this team has the gas in the tank to go get it, we’re going to try to add to this team,” Hazen said.
It appears that the NL West could look much different by the end of the season.
