With the Diamondbacks a little over halfway through the 162-game regular season, the August 1st trade deadline is steadily approaching.
In recent years, the Diamondbacks have played the role of sellers at the trade deadline. But now with the Dbacks holding onto a slim NL West Division lead, they have the opportunity to become buyers as they solidify their playoff spot, a spot they haven’t been in since 2017.
Now the question is: what is holding this team back from being potential World Series contenders?
The root of the problem is pitching.
The Diamondbacks Starting Rotation
In all honesty, should the bullpen be addressed first and foremost before the rotation? Probably.
However, do I want to see another flashy starting pitcher come to Arizona. Absolutely!
Before the season there was buzz around the organization that the team’s young pitchers were going to be reliable and sound pieces to the roster.
However, what no one saw coming was Drey Jameson pitching out of the bullpen and being sent to Reno, Brandon Pfaadt struggling as much as he has, and Ryne Nelson having a four-plus ERA.
It’s safe to say that all of Arizona’s young pitchers have struggled at times this season.
Veterans Zac Gallen and Merril Kelly have been the only two reliable pitchers in the rotation for the Dbacks this season. Kelly and Gallen have posted almost sub-three ERA’s and have 90 plus strikeouts so far this season.
The Dbacks could be in the market to add another established arm to their rotation. Perhaps they will nab a star pitcher on a struggling team. Names like Dylan Cease, Corbin Burnes, or Marcus Stroman could all be potential trade candidates for the Dbacks.
While the team will almost certainly need to clean up their rotation, the bullpen absolutely needs to be addressed.
The Bullpen
Now the bullpen has been the achilles heel of the Dbacks for many years, but it must be now that Arizona finds an answer if they want to continue their promising season.
With the trade of Aroldis Chapman to Texas, this has knocked off the top bullpen arm off many people’s trade wish lists but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any premier relief pitchers left to acquire.
Will the Dbacks have to give up a lot to obtain a solid relief pitcher? Probably.
Should they do it? 100%
The Dbacks have shown to have some decent bullpen arms already. Miguel Castro, Scott McGough and Andrew Chafin have all had their moments under the sun. But they have also all had their moments letting the game slip away.
What Arizona needs is a reliable arm to come in and close out the game when the team is in high-pressure situations.
Here are some names that the Dbacks could trade for: Ryan Helsley, Liam Hendricks, and Edwin Diaz.
These are all elite relief pitchers for their respective teams. But what do they all have in common? Their teams are all on brink of a rebuild or have been plagued by injury. Diaz is coming off a pre-season injury, Hendricks is still trying to find his footing after battling cancer, and Helsley is on an aging Cardinals roster.
Regarding price, Hendricks and Diaz could be given up for a cheap bargain due to their injury history but Helsley might be a little pricier because he has posted solid numbers so far this year. These guys have all proven that they can clutch up when their team needs it the most, which has been something the Diamondbacks have struggled with in years past.
Now trading for another righty might not make the most sense for the Diamondbacks bullpen, but it allows them to move Chafin out of the “closer” role and use him as a setup pitcher or a middle relief guy. Kyle Nelson the only other lefty in the bullpen and he is already used as a middle relief guy but when you put Chafin in the mix, you have a veteran option.
The Bottom Line
Baseball is truly an unpredictable sport. Things can change quickly, and maybe the young Dbacks pitchers and aging vets can stabilize the team’s most important position. But if the team wants to make it into October, they must come up with answers for their pitching staff.
I wouldn’t put it past general manager Mike Hazen to make a blockbuster move at this year’s deadline.
Who knows? It may surprise all of us.
Read the Latest from Andrew Heidemann
