What is Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen looking for a month out from MLB trade deadline?
Getting more out of the Diamondbacks' starting rotation could help when it comes to stacking wins more consistently ahead of the trade deadline.
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Sitting at .500, the Arizona Diamondbacks (42-42) have “left a lot of meat on the bone,” general manager Mike Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Tuesday.
And although Hazen has made it known he is “planning on buying” at the deadline on June 17, the general manager needs to see more out of the ballclub.
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“For the first half of the season, I feel like we’ve left a lot of meat on the bone here,” Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Tuesday. “There’s opportunity for this team to be better than what we have been, play more consistently than we have. For the next month, I’m curious to see what type of baseball team we’re going to have going into the deadline.
“I see this team that has a lot of talent. There’s upside here. There are some young kids who have come up and done some good things, but we need to start stacking wins more consistently. The National League is getting better and better.”
A good way to help achieve that? Getting more out of the starting rotation.
Zac Gallen has not looked like himself in 2026 with a 6.15 ERA and 1.575 WHIP (both career worsts). He’s 3-7 in 17 starts and currently sports the worst ERA among qualified starting pitchers in MLB this season.
Merrill Kelly has also struggled, going 5-8 with a 5.84 ERA and 1.531 WHIP.
Michael Soroka has been a surprise addition to the rotation but is working his way back from a strained left glute and is on the 15-day injured list.
Ryne Nelson, meanwhile, has been transferred to the 60-day IL with a strained right elbow. Corbin Burnes’ return is in serious doubt after suffering a setback in his road to recovery from Tommy John surgery.
Outside of Eduardo Rodriguez’s stellar season, highlighted by a 2.21 ERA, and flashes from some of the younger arms, the rotation is far from where many expected it to be.
“We have a veteran starting pitching group and that starting pitching group I think is more talented than what we’ve seen on the field day in and day out,” Hazen said. “Just because guys are older and maybe their stuff doesn’t match the guys that are going to come in here in Milwaukee this weekend, I don’t care.
“These guys know how to pitch. They have good stuff and they’re not hurt and they are savvier than what the young guys can do. … We need to get them there. I believe in these guys. I think they have the talent to continue to lead this staff, but we need to see that more consistently.”
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Comments
6 Comments
If Kelly and Gallen know how to pitch...and they are not hurt...why the both of them are 'members' of the eight worst starting pitchers with Gallen being the # 1 worst starting pitchers in the MLB? The season is 50% over, what are they waiting on to start pitching as average pitchers? I am not excepting them to be Elite (under 3.00 ERA), Excellent (3.00 to 3.49 ERA) or Very Good (3.50 to 3.99 ERA)...just around league average (ERA of 4.00 to 4.30).
What was disappointing about the interview on the Bickley & Marotta with Hazen is that Bickley or Marotta didn't ask my above question to Hazen.
Hazen can't disclose publicly since it will weaken the Dbacks ability to trade players but it is my guess unless the Dbacks are a) in the top 3 wild card spots and b) are at least 8 games above .500 (8 games above .500 will give the Dbacks 89 wins for the year if they maintain .500 for the rest of the season), Hazen will be a seller OR a non-trader.
If the Dbacks are one game above .500 at the All-Star break, they need to win ~62% of their remaining 65 games to have 89 wins by the end of the season. The reality is that during TL's tenure, NONE of his teams have won 62% of their games in a 65-game period. In other words, they are NOT going to get into the playoffs.
The other way for the Dbacks to get into the playoffs is a complete collapse of the teams outside of the Dodgers, Brewers and Braves. IF the Dodgers, Brewers and Braves finish with 105 to 115 wins and the Dbacks, Cubs, Phillies, Cardinals, Marlins, Padres, Pirates, Nationals and Reds are at 81-81 plus or minus one or two games, then it will come down to the tiebreaker(s). I don't know if it is possible to have 9 teams with 81-81 records.
The reality is the average wins for a NL wild card since the MLB went to three wild card teams format is 89.42. The best Wild Card record in the three-Wild Card era is the 2022 Mets at 101–61, who still finished second in their division. The lowest record to qualify has been 84–78, achieved by both the 2023 Marlins and 2023 Diamondbacks.
Hazen is correct that the teams need to stack wins by the All-Star Breaks or the players will be making tee times on September 28, 2026!
I will be totally surprised if Ryne Nelson pitches again in the 2026 season. It takes a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks for the strain to 'heal' IF everything goes right...probably another 30 days of a throwing program...we are looking at September at the bare minimun.
Here is another question: Unless the Dbacks are 8 to 10 games above .500, why rush Nelson back? Why reinjure the elbow when you don't have a chance for the playoffs.