ESPN: Possible shopping cart for D-backs in the trade market
Jun 22, 2017, 12:02 PM
Arizona Diamondbacks' Daniel Descalso with the RBI single scoring Reymond Fuentes during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, June 17, 2017, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
At 45-27, the Arizona Diamondbacks are third in the NL West, one game back of the Colorado Rockies and 1.5 behind the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
If the D-backs remain in contention but behind in the standings, they could be prompted to make a move.
Given their record, finding an area of weakness for Arizona is not as easy as it sounds, but Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com put together a shopping list for every team in baseball, including the D-backs.
Needs: rotation depth, bullpen, outfield depth
Fits: Derek Holland, R.A. Dickey, Mike Minor, Juan Nicasio, Rajai Davis
The rotation has been terrific, but a second-tier rental would make sense for a club unlikely to invest much financially for an all-in push this season. Arizona could use more offense from its catchers, but given the way the starters have performed, it’s unwise to mess with the Jeff Mathis-led backstop mix. The D-backs have done a solid job of cycling through bullpen arms, but help is needed. Finally, it’s not a must, but you’d like to see one more outfield option with a little pop.
The rotation, which has seen eight starters, has the second-best ERA in the MLB at 3.54, and their .242 batting average against ranks fifth in the majors.
With those numbers, its hard to imagine that Dickey, with his 4.91 ERA, or Holland and his 4.48 ERA, would be an upgrade. And even in the situation that an injury arose, Randall Delgado has shown he’s able to fill the void as good as anyone.
That bullpen has excelled as well, as their 3.36 ERA ranks sixth in the majors.
Behind Archie Bradley, who boasts a 1.10 ERA, and closer Fernando Rodney, who last allowed a run on May 1, the bullpen has been pretty solid. However, while an acquisition may not be a glaring need, teams could always use more productive arms, and someone like Minor with his 1.93 ERA could help.
The outfield seems to be in the same position as the bullpen, so it’s not exactly clear how a player like Davis would help. Thus far, Arizona has done fine in the outfield because of what Rey Fuentes and Gregor Blanco have done.
Fuentes, whose contract was purchased from Triple A in May, is bating .364 in June, while Blanco is hitting .275 this season. The two have helped mitigate the losses of A.J. Pollock and Yasmany Tomas, both of whom are on the disabled list.
