Arizona Diamondbacks president: Team will spend money in the offseason
The Arizona Diamondbacks had a very quiet trade deadline a couple weeks ago.
Though they were rumored to be after a handful of players — some big names, even — they stood pat and did not make any deals.
Since then, the team has parted with reliever Oliver Perez and infielder Cliff Pennington in separate, small trades. Perez went to Houston for minor league pitcher Junior Garcia, while Pennington landed in Toronto for minor league shortstop Dawel Lugo and cash.
Even before that, the D-backs swung deals with the Seattle Mariners and Atlanta Braves, respectively.
So while they did not make any noise at the deadline, they have made moves. According to team president Derrick Hall, you can prepare for more in the offseason.
After all, some of the deals they made freed up some money, and it’s kind of burning a hole in the team’s pocket.
“It’s definitely going to be spent in the offseason, for sure,” Hall told Doug and Wolf on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Thursday. “Naturally we’ve put (waiver) claims in and if we’re able to make deals with teams we’re going to and that money will be spent there.
“But we had to make decisions recently with really good guys that just made sense for us not only for this year, but for the future as well.”
Unlike the deal with the Mariners, which saw Mark Trumbo head to Seattle in exchange for Welington Castillo and others, or even the one with the Braves, where the D-backs sent Bronson Arroyo and Touki Toussaint away for infielder Phil Gosselin in what essentially amounted to a salary dump, the post-deadline parting with Pennington and Perez really didn’t move the meter.
Both players are set to become free agents in the offseason, and the team decided it was best to get something of value in return for them now rather than risk losing them for nothing.
“Somebody scratches their head and says, ‘Wow, you moved Pennington,’ well it’s tough to do,” Hall said. “However, if he’s not going to be a part of your plans next year, and you made a trade that included Gosselin, who is just about ready to come off the DL and be placed on the active 25-man roster, it’s a move you can make because you’re also bettering yourself.
“The deal with Pennington and Perez, we did save a little money, but more importantly we were able to move two guys that likely won’t be here next year for prospects again, and we brought in talent, too.”
