Mike Hazen’s past July trades since becoming D-backs GM
Jul 14, 2019, 5:01 PM | Updated: Jul 15, 2019, 7:49 am
Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Eduardo Escobar throws St. Louis Cardinals' Matt Wieters out at first to end the fifth inning of a baseball game Saturday, July 13, 2019, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
As the MLB trade deadline rapidly approaches, the question of whether the Arizona Diamondbacks will be buyers or sellers will soon be answered.
Historically, when the Diamondbacks have been buying in July under general manager Mike Hazen, the returns have been fairly decent. Hazen’s July trade history has brought in some key assets for the Arizona roster.
Hazen’s first trade deadline with the D-backs brought in J.D. Martinez and John Ryan Murphy in 2017.
When Martinez joined the squad, he was batting .305 with 16 home runs and 39 RBIs with the Detroit Tigers prior to the trade deadline. During his 62 games with Arizona in the second half of the season, he went .302, 65 RBIs and 31 home runs, including 16 in September alone.
RELATED STORIES
The offensive pickup in Martinez helped fuel the D-backs to their first postseason appearance since 2011 when they advanced to the Wild Card.
Murphy only appeared in five games during the 2017 season for Arizona. In 2018, the catcher saw more time in the majors with 87 games where he batted .202 with 9 home runs and 24 RBIs.
Arguably, the biggest acquisition last summer was for third baseman Eduardo Escobar. This season, Escobar, who signed an extension this offseason, has become one of the key bats in the D-backs lineup by hitting .291 with 19 home runs and 68 RBIs.
Last season, Hazen also dealt minor leaguers for pitcher Matt Andriese, who was touted as a long-term acquisition for Arizona. He struggled mightily in 14 appearances, allowing 19 earned runs in 19 innings pitched down the stretch.
He’s since made 35 more appearances for Arizona this year. In 44.1 innings, he’s struck out 48 but allowed 27 runs for a 5.48 ERA.
Hazen also brought back pitcher Brad Ziegler and Jake Diekman at the end of July 2018 — Ziegler played in 29 games to finish with a 3.74 ERA, then announced his retirement this offseason, while Diekman posted a 7.53 ERA before leaving via free agency.
For Hazen’s third trade deadline with the Diamondbacks, it’s estimated the team could be leaning toward acting as sellers instead of trying to bring in key components to make a push for the NL Wild Card.
In June, Hazen told 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s Doug & Wolf that the stretch seven or eight series would determine what the team decided to do at the trade deadline. In the six series since that conversation ahead of the Midsummer Classic, the D-backs have gone 2-3-1.
