Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen: ‘I’m planning on buying’

PHOENIX — The Major League Baseball trade deadline is a little more than six weeks away, but this is a time of year when clubs have a good idea what their identities and shortcomings are.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are a National League Wild Card contender despite an uneven season to this point. They entered Wednesday’s action 1.5 games back of a playoff spot.

General manager Mike Hazen joined Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke to break the down the challenges of looking ahead not only in 30 days but six months, and he left making a clear point:

“I’m planning on buying. I’ll answer that question for you,” Hazen said.

 

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The Diamondbacks obviously have to play to a certain level to carry out that plan, and if they do, they could go in a few directions.

Their most pressing need is a middle-of-the-order bat who can drive in runs, preferably someone left-handed. Arizona took a flier on Max Kepler, and he has just over a week left on his suspension.

Arizona entered Wednesday last in MLB in OPS from first basemen, 29th from center fielders and designated hitters. They were 17th in OPS from left-handed hitters, but Corbin Carroll has done a lot of the heaving lifting there.

As a whole, the D-backs are 20th in runs and 26th in OPS, a far cry from their offensive production over the past couple years.

“We haven’t hit our stride yet this year,” Hazen said of the offense. “It’s been a struggle to this point. In 2024, when we were grinding through the first half of the season, (Eugenio Suarez) had a five-something OPS, I think Corbin was struggling, and then we were lights out offensively for the rest of the season with the same group of players.

“I believe that maybe with a little less power, we have good hitters in our lineup that are capable of putting up five to six runs a night. We start getting that, we’re going to go on a winning streak.”

ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel released a list of top trade deadline candidates and potential fits, and the Diamondbacks came up as a landing spot frequently.

Three names ESPN included were Boston first baseman Willson Contreras, Minnesota center fielder Byron Buxton and Houston first baseman Christian Walker, all of whom are right-handed hitters.

There were several starting pitcher fits for the Diamondbacks on the list, as well, and The Athletic published a trade deadline index on Wednesday that named Arizona among teams that need both offense and starting pitching help.

The D-backs’ rotation is five deep, with Brandon Pfaadt stretching out in Triple-A Reno. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly have not put together typically consistent seasons but will continue to get the ball every fifth day. Corbin Burnes’ setback increases the importance of Arizona’s five performing, but another injury or extended struggles could accentuate this potential need.

“We need to get that group as a whole more consistently on a roll, night in and night out,” Hazen said. “We’ve middled around .500 here, a little over at times, a little under at times, and we’ve been settling around into this. We need to move past this and get on a run.”

The bullpen has been a bright spot in Arizona, although additional depth is always welcome, especially given the recent setback in A.J. Puk’s rehab progression.

Does Christian Walker make sense on the Diamondbacks?

Walker stood out on ESPN’s list due to his history with the Diamondbacks, spending 2017-24 in the Valley.

Walker had a rough 2025 season with Houston, but he has been much better this year with an .808 OPS and 18 home runs entering Wednesday. He would be an instant upgrade at first base, where rookie LuJames Groover is getting his feet wet, Ildemaro Vargas has not hit since early May and Pavin Smith struggled since coming off the injured list on June 1.

In terms of Walker’s right-handedness, he owns reverse splits this season and pretty even splits for his career.

Per ESPN:

Walker has plus bat speed/raw power and a solid feel to get to it in games, along with a solid glove at first base. … Walker is a reliable, above-average every-day first baseman, but he is 35 years old and won’t give you much more than that.

The catch beyond Walker’s age is that he has one more year left on his deal for $20 million, which would be quite the commitment for an older hitter unless the D-backs can work out a trade that alleviates some of the salary.

A trade for Walker would continue Arizona’s quest to bring the band back together after offseason moves for Kelly, Gallen and Paul Sewald.

The only left-handed bats on ESPN’s list whom the Diamondbacks were named a landing spot were San Francisco infielder Luis Arraez and Boston outfielder Jarren Duran. Arraez can play first base or second base, and while he does not supply much power, he has been a standout contact hitter throughout his career. Duran got off to a horrible start in April but bounced back in May.

Giants first baseman Rafael Devers is on the trade block and provides power from the left side, but his contract is an albatross.

Astros superstar Yordan Alvarez is also a lefty and would be a perfect fit with two-plus years left under contract. The only issue is, why would Houston trade the AL MVP frontrunner with controllable years? MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reported that the Astros have had no discussions about moving him.

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