Are the Diamondbacks still planning to buy at the trade deadline?

LOS ANGELES — On June 17, Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke that it was his intention to be a buy at the trade deadline on Aug. 3.

Since then, the Diamondbacks have gone 12-11, taking on several key injuries — particularly in the starting rotation.

So, has the outlook changed?

“No, we’re gonna see how we come out of the break, we’re obviously still behind a number of teams,” Hazen told Arizona Sports on Sunday. “I’d like to see us cover some ground in the next few weeks coming out of the break. But I think we have a good team. We’re gonna hopefully be getting back quite a few guys coming into August, which should add considerably to what what we’re doing. We’ll see where this will look where it goes from there.”

The Diamondbacks played some of their best complimentary baseball of the season entering the All-Star break. They swept the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine for the first time since 2017.

After Sunday’s win, the D-backs trail the third National League Wild Card spot — occupied by the Miami Marlins — by 2.5 games. The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates are in Arizona’s way. The San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals are right behind.

Hazen said there is no target number of games the Diamondbacks have to be behind in order to buy or sell, but the number of teams in their way will play a key factor.

“If we’re chasing down one team and we have them in our sights and we feel like we have the ability to catch them, then of course,” Hazen said. “If we’re behind five teams and it’s gonna require us to catch five teams, most of whom probably won’t be in our division so we don’t play them very much directly, the math gets a lot more complicated. That’s just stuff you’re gonna have to weigh.

“My attention is this team’s gonna get going and be in it, and we’re gonna be competing for a playoff spot in second half.”

The other larger piece of the puzzle will be injury returns.

The Diamondbacks entered this season hoping to get better and better as the months wore on, with several keys pieces coming off the injured list.

Those plans have not played out, as pitchers A.J. Puk and Corbin Burnes suffered setbacks, while fellow arms Ryne Nelson, Michael Soroka and Zac Gallen have joined them on the IL. Outfielder Jordan Lawlar has dealt with an injury-riddled season, as well.

It is a cliche to say that trade deadline acquisitions are the players coming off the injured list, but when these pieces return could determine needs in a few weeks. Soroka is ahead of Nelson and Burnes, and the starting rotation without them is in a tough spot with three experienced arms and two question marks.

Nelson and Puk will have an MRI on Friday to give the team a better idea of their returns, while Soroka is throwing bullpens and Burnes has restarted his throwing program.

“You will have to figure out when the starters are coming back and if I’m gonna need starting pitching going into the second half,” Hazen said. “And then from an offensive standpoint, look where guys are having opportunity now to show us what they can do at some of those positions. (Tim) Tawa has played great the last few days, so I hope that continues, but obviously we know on the whole, finding a way to add to the offense somehow is probably something we need to do.

“We have a number of guys I think if they start solidifying their positions with what they’ve done offensively throughout their career, then it should lessen the need.”

The Diamondbacks already designated Pavin Smith for assignment due to lack of performance. First base remains a question, although Tawa staked a claim at Dodger Stadium to keep playing.

Left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has experienced an injury-impacted, down season offensively. Infielder Ildemaro Vargas is no longer an everyday player due to his struggles after April, while outfielder Max Kepler is getting acclimated after missing the first 80 games with a suspension. The Diamondbacks have a group of young prospects who have dipped their toes in the big leagues who have the potential to provide a spark, like Ryan Waldschmidt and Jose Fernandez have done at points.

The offense as a whole has not been consistently good enough to carry the weight needed given the injuries and unevenness of the starting rotation. Getting Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte right after they struggled into the break will make a difference.

The bullpen and defense have been the obvious strengths of the team.

There is a chance the Diamondbacks have a much more formidable roster in September by virtue of players getting healthy, but that has been teased all season.

That is a reason, however, to buy and go for it, or at least stand pat and give the roster a chance to get over the hump it failed to climb in the past two seasons.

Is this roster — especially considering the reinforcements — better equipped to compete if the team adds a starting pitcher and a hitter who can drive in runs? Unquestionably.

These next few weeks are going to be difficult, though, and could outline the trajectory of the rest of the year, but there is no guarantee of that. The Diamondbacks bought at the 2024 deadline and were great in August. The Diamondbacks sold last summer and yet looked much better in August.

It’s not the most satisfying place to be, but the reality is that this .500 baseball club has a lot to figure out over the next few weeks and beyond. The hope is they can carry their momentum from sweeping the Dodgers into a key stretch out of the break.

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