Rival executives believe the Arizona Diamondbacks have “no choice but to sell” ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, according to a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
“I don’t see a world they don’t sell,” an unnamed GM told Nightengale. “They have so many holes and so many free agents.”
General manager Mike Hazen has maintained he needs to see the Diamondbacks’ trajectory pointing up going into the deadline in order for the team to be buyers.
“It’s not just about the deadline. I can go out there and buy at the deadline,” Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Wednesday. “But if we’re not playing our best baseball in the second half, it’s not really going to matter.
“I’m not going to be able to … nobody can go out there and change the entire composition of their team at one trade deadline. Nobody has the capital to do it in terms of players for trades, and there’s gonna be a lot of competition out there.”
It’s possible the Diamondbacks add to the group “in a tangible way,” but the transformation has to come from the players already in the building, Hazen said.
Which Diamondbacks have interest from other teams?
Impending free agents Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor are among those reportedly being made available. Arizona will be seeking young pitching in return, Nightengale added.
The Seattle Mariners, who dealt Suarez to the Diamondbacks after the 2023 season, have reportedly shown interest in a reunion with the All-Star third baseman. Reliever Carlos Vargas and catcher Seby Zavala made up the return from Arizona.
Suarez has already matched his home run total from his best season in Seattle (2022) with 31 before the All-Star break, and he’s on pace to set a career high in RBIs (77 with a career mark of 104).
Gallen has reported interest from the Toronto Blue Jays despite seeing his performance dip in the contract year. He currently holds career worsts in ERA (5.40) and WHIP (1.374), and he’s less than 10 walks away from setting a new career high there (45 with a career mark of 54).
He finished top five in NL Cy Young voting two of the previous three seasons.
Naylor has been among the Diamondbacks’ most reliable bats this season with 58 RBIs (third on team), 11 home runs (fifth) and a team-high .295 batting average (among players with at least 25 at-bats).
Kelly has pitched like the team’s most consistent starter, with a few appearances marred by cramps being the biggest reason he hasn’t excelled. His 3.41 ERA is fourth out of seven for his career, while his 1.054 WHIP ranks second.
The trade deadline is at 3 p.m. MST on July 31. The Diamondbacks play their final game before the All-Star break on Sunday.
