ESPN’s Schoenfield: Diamondbacks should target Angels starter Reid Detmers before trade deadline

The 2026 MLB trade deadline is one month away (Aug. 3) and with the Arizona Diamondbacks (43-43) as a fringe National League Wild Card team in need of starting pitching depth, ESPN’s David Schoenfield has the club targeting Los Angeles Angels’ Reid Detmers.

Arizona effectively has only three of its original starters from when the season began in Eduardo Rodriguez, Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen, with Brandon Pfaadt still being stretched out from his recent Triple-A Reno recall and both Michael Soroka and Ryne Nelson on the injured list.

And that is before you even mention the fact of prized acquisition Corbin Burnes being delayed in his return from Tommy John surgery last summer.

The 6-foot-2 lefty Detmers has a 3.88 ERA in 17 starts and will turn 27 on July 8. He is currently signed to a one-year deal worth $2.6 million and is under team control through the 2028 season, meaning he won’t be an unrestricted free agent until 2029.

Detmers has been a career-long Angel since being selected No. 10 overall in the 2020 MLB Draft and debuting in August 2021.

Arguably his third-most effective start of the year came against the D-backs in a 7-0 win on June 16 at Chase Field. He pitched seven innings of scoreless ball while allowing four hits and zero walks.

Schoenfield has the D-backs, St. Louis Cardinals (45-39, 3rd NL Wild Card), Washington Nationals (45-43, two games back of St. Louis) and Athletics as possible trade-deadline suitors for Detmers.

They all need rotation help, and though they don’t necessarily feel like playoff teams, they’re all in the playoff chase, with the Cardinals leading the way. The advantage in trading for Detmers is he comes with those additional years of team control, so even if you miss the playoffs, you’ll have him for additional years.

The D-backs’ 4.32 ERA as a pitching staff is 11th in the NL and 20th in MLB, with Gallen and Kelly both having uncharacteristic seasons, posting a 6.36 and 5.84 ERA, respectively.

Rodriguez is the lone bright spot as far as starters are concerned, with an All-Star-worthy 2.21 ERA and seven wins this season. Soroka had been having a solid campaign behind a 3.07 ERA across 15 starts (eight wins) before suffering a left glute strain on June 19.

Schoenfield mused on how Detmers has evolved after spending all of 2025 as a reliever.

Detmers moved back into the rotation and is having his best season, ranking in the top 10 in the majors in strikeouts while holding batters to a .206 average. … This year, he has improved his command and now has four plus pitches. Here’s the kicker: Even though he first reached the majors in 2021, Detmers is still under team control through 2028 while making just $2.625 million. That will spike interest in him. We’ll see if interim general manager John Mozeliak can convince owner Arte Moreno to tear this thing down to the foundation and start accumulating prospects (don’t count on it).

The bullpen, by contrast, has far more going for it, as five arms have sub-3.00 ERAs — Taylor Clarke (2.17), Brandyn Garcia (2.33), Jonathan Loaisiga (2.56), Ryan Thompson (2.76) and Juan Morillo (2.78).

At .500 through 86 games, Arizona is three games behind St. Louis for the third and final NL Wild Card berth.

2026 NL Wild Card race standings (as of July 2)

1. Chicago Cubs (49-38) +2.5 games ahead
2. Philadelphia Phillies (49-39) +2
3. St. Louis Cardinals (45-39) —
4. Miami Marlins (46-42) 1 game behind
5. Washington Nationals (45-43) 2
6. San Diego Padres (43-43) 3
7. Pittsburgh Pirates (44-44) 3
8. Arizona Diamondbacks (43-43) 3
9. Cincinnati Reds (40-46) 6

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