D-backs GM Mike Hazen explains how next 2 weeks will impact MLB trade deadline

With 11 games left before the 2023 trade deadline, Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen emphasized the importance of the results to come.

The D-backs entered Thursday in the thick of the division and wild card races, trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by 1.5 games after a pair of wins over the Atlanta Braves.

The Aug. 1 deadline is quickly approaching, but the next slate of games will determine the league’s trade activity.

“It’s going to have some effect, it always does. We need to keep playing well. We need to go out and win games that we have the ability to win and create more separation for us,” Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Wolf and Luke on Wednesday. “We have good players in our minor league system, I believe, that there is going to be players that teams will be interested in that are playing well right now. That’s a good sign for us.”

Hazen once again expressed a need to address the pitching while noting some in-house help coming for the offense.

“I’m hoping (third baseman) Josh Rojas will be back at some point in the second half. Getting him back to where he was in April will be a boost to our team. Getting our position players back to our approach that they have had while we had one of the best offenses in baseball in the first half of the season should hopefully put us in a decent spot,” Hazen said.

The GM also pointed to the youth of the club and that monitoring players who have not been active for a 162-game season before.

Somewhat relatedly, phenom Corbin Carroll’s shoulder injury that popped up just before the All-Star break does not worry Hazen, but Carroll too has not played more than even 100 games in a pro season.

“This is going to be some of the most baseball guys like Corbin have played. The major league season is longer than the minor league season,” Hazen said. “He obviously never got an All-Star break. Those are things we are going to have to monitor in the second half here.”