Rumor: D-backs in search of ‘dominant reliever’ via trade
Jun 2, 2011, 7:23 PM | Updated: 8:32 pm
It sounds like the Arizona Diamondbacks are looking to make a trade before the deadline . It just may not be for the type of player most people expect them to acquire.
Everyone’s favorite bow tie wearing baseball sideline reporter, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, is reporting that Kevin Towers and the D-backs are looking for a pitcher. Just not one for the top of their rotation.
Towers wants a dominant reliever to pitch in the seventh inning and complement setup man David Hernandez and closer J.J. Putz, sources say.
Towers’ idea: To build a late-inning trio similar to the one that he constructed with the Padres – Luke Gregerson, Mike Adams and Heath Bell.
Speculation, even from inside the D-backs own front office, suggests that acquiring a bat at third base could make a lot of sense for the D-backs. If Rosenthal’s sources are correct — and they usually are — it sounds like Towers has different plans.
As was Towers plan entering the offseason, the team rebuilt the bullpen and the results have been extremely positive. Since last season they’ve lowered their combine ERA by almost 2.50 runs from 5.74 to 3.26.
From his days in San Diego, Towers has been known for his ability to build bullpens that can lock down leads in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. With J.J. Putz closing things out at the end of games and David Hernandez shutting the door in the eighth, it looks like he’s in search of the final piece to the puzzle he started putting together last winter.
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