Trades abound: D-backs add bullpen help, Dodgers double-down on bats

The MLB trade deadline came and went on Tuesday afternoon as the clock struck 4 p.m. EST, and as always, the day wasn’t without a flurry of activity — including for the D-backs.

The Arizona Diamondbacks made a couple of moves even before the day of the deadline, as did other teams, but as the final hour approached, GM Mike Hazen didn’t put down the phone.

Here’s a look at what the Diamondbacks — and some other teams — did ahead of the non-waiver trade deadline.

D-backs add bullpen help

After acquiring reliever Matt Andriese from the Tampa Bay Rays last Wednesday, Arizona added two more relief arms, one of whom is a familiar name. Brad Ziegler, the D-backs’ all-time franchise leader in games played by a pitcher, will come back to the desert from the Miami Marlins in exchange for Double-A pitcher Tommy Eveld. Ziegler has a 3.98 ERA this year, but has given up just three earned runs since the start of June and has a 0.93 ERA in that span.

Just before the 1 p.m. MST deadline, the D-backs weren’t done: Jake Diekman, who is in Phoenix with the Texas Rangers as they play Arizona in interleague play, joined the D-backs as well. The southpaw has a 3.69 ERA this year for Texas and has 48 strikeouts in 39.0 innings pitched.

…and a bat, too

Arizona seemed to put an emphasis on its bullpen, but they also made a move to bolster the offense. Eduardo Escobar came over in a trade Friday from the Minnesota Twins and joins a D-backs infield that recently lost Jake Lamb to injury.

Escobar, 29, is a switch-hitter hitting .279 on the season and was 4-for-8 with a double and two RBI with the D-backs entering play on Tuesday.

Dodgers emphasize offense

The NL West rival Los Angeles Dodgers sent a minor-league right-hander to the Blue Jays on Tuesday for veteran relief pitcher John Axford, but the real splash they made in the trade market was by picking up a pair of bats.

After acquiring Manny Machado in a blockbuster deal with the Orioles on July 18, LA wasn’t done. The Dodgers sent infielder Logan Forsythe and two minor-leaguers to Minnesota for infielder Brian Dozier. The 31-year-old is hitting just .224 this year, but is a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner for the Twins who has 16 home runs and 52 RBI this season.

Tampa Bay Rays starting rotation: Non-existent

The Tampa Bay Rays have been experimenting with an incomplete rotation this season, using relievers as an “opener” to their games and having the bullpen carry the load of an entire game. This wasn’t the case on days that starting pitchers Chris Archer, Blake Snell and Nathan Eovaldi would pitch, but after Eovaldi was dealt to the Red Sox and Snell hit the disabled list, Archer was the last starting pitcher left…

…until Tuesday.

Tampa Bay sent Archer, a two-time All-Star who once placed fifth in Cy Young voting, to the Pirates in exchange for Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows and a player to be named later.

Let’s check in on that Rays rotation:

Rays' updated rotation

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— Devan Fink (@DevanFink) July 31, 2018

Follow @mattjlayman