Diamondbacks trade deadline: 10 left-handed relievers to keep an eye on

Major League Baseball’s trade deadline is less than two weeks away on July 30 at 3 p.m. MST, and the Arizona Diamondbacks remain in “striking distance” from a National League wild card spot.

Third baseman Eugenio Suarez has picked up the offensive slack over the pat three weeks, while the returns of shortstop Geraldo Perdomo and outfielder Alek Thomas have lengthened the lineup from the start of June.

On the pitching side, the starting rotation remains banged up with Jordan Montgomery, Eduardo Rodriguez and Merrill Kelly on the injured list, although Montgomery is expected back next week while young arms Ryne Nelson and Yilber Diaz have filled in admirably.

In the bullpen, the D-backs have a stable back four of right-handers with Paul Sewald, Ryan Thompson, Kevin Ginkel and Justin Martinez with Bryce Jarvis able to go multiple innings. Joe Mantiply, however is the only left-hander in the bullpen, and he cannot pitch every single day down the stretch.

That leaves left-handed reliever as a need for Arizona, especially considering Andrew Saalfrank is banned for the rest of the season for gambling.

An expanded playoff field limits the number of teams out of contention entirely, creating a seller’s market as it stands. However, there is a group of left-handed relievers on non-contenders to keep an eye on, including a few former D-backs.

Tanner Scott is the most prominent name as the All-Star closer for the NL-worst Miami Marlins.

10 left-handed relievers on non-contending MLB teams

Note: These 10 relievers are from clubs 7.0 games back or further out of the All-Star break, well behind postseason races and clear sellers. 

Tanner Scott – Miami Marlins

Scott is one of the most popular players in trade rumors ahead of the deadline with links to the Yankees, Orioles and Dodgers among contenders in need of bullpen help — every team in contention can use bullpen help.

That is because he is a soon-to-be free agent whom the Marlins need to trade coming off a stellar fist half. Scott has a 1.34 ERA and 14 saves thus far, striking out 45 batters in 40.1 innings.

He entered the second half with the eighth-lowest ERA among qualified relievers and is a ground ball machine.

A.J. Puk – Miami Marlins

A former top 30 prospect as a starter, Puk has settled into the Marlins’ bullpen effectively over the past two seasons.

Puk is on a heater entering the post-draft trade season with an 11-game scoreless games streak (12.2 innings) with 18 strikeouts out of the break.

Since a miserable April and IL stint from April 20 to May 13 (left shoulder fatigue), Puk has been one of the best relievers in baseball with a 2.39 ERA and 2.75 FIP.

He is 29 years old and under team control for two seasons after 2024.

Andrew Nardi – Miami Marlins

The Marlins have a lot of lefties.

Nardi may be a tougher sell for the Marlins to deal considering he is 25 years old and under team control until 2029.

His stats this season don’t jump off the page, but there is a bet to make with the peripherals. He has a 5.30 ERA but a 3.11 FIP with an above average walk rate and very high 30% strikeout rate. There is a lot of chase and plenty of swing-and-miss with Nardi, who is fastball-slider heavy.

Like Puk, Nardi also had a difficult April, particularly the first couple weeks of the season, and has been very effective since.

Puk and Nardi with years of control left are much less guaranteed to be traded than Scott but enticing options to help a bullpen beyond one season for the right price.

Tyler Holton – Detroit Tigers

The Tigers have won eight of their last 10 games but remain seven game back of a wild card spot.

Holton was a ninth-round draft pick by the D-backs who made his debut for Arizona in 2022. The Diamondbacks designated Holton for assignment ahead of the 2023 season after they signed Andrew Chafin (please hold).

Holton has become an very sturdy member of the Detroit bullpen with a 2.57 ERA in 96 games since the start of 2023. This year, he boasts a 98th percentile chase rate at 35.8% and he has been untouchable against lefties (.427 OPS). The 28-year-old is under team control until 2029, which begs the question how willing a young Tigers team would be to letting go someone who could be useful for much of the rest of the decade.

Andrew Chafin – Detroit Tigers

Speaking of Chafin, is there a Round 3 possibility? He is having a solid season for the Tigers with a 3.66 ERA and 2.82 FIP in 32 innings and has a team option for next year at $6.5 million.

Chafin did not have a great 2023 (4.73 ERA), and the D-backs traded him at the deadline to the Brewers where he was left off the postseason roster. Chafin called it a “wake-up call” and has bounced back in Detroit, especially against lefties (.531 OPS).

T.J. McFarland – Oakland Athletics

Another familiar face, McFarland was with the D-backs from 2017-19 and has been a workhorse for the A’s this season. He leads the AL with 48 appearances and has a 4.38 ERA (3.81 FIP).

Oakland has thrust him into a sizable role, but notable about McFarland’s season are his splits that stay consistent with his career. Righties have a .782 OPS against him. Lefties are at .634.

He also allowed four earned runs in a game on May 5 and since then has a 3.38 ERA.

Scott Alexander – Oakland Athletics

Like McFarland, Alexander is a veteran lefty-specialist to give a contending team short on southpaws more optionality.

A 10-year veteran, Alexander’s career splits are dramatic, and this year they are even more so. Lefties have produced a mere .315 OPS against him in 29 plate appearances while righties are up to .827 in 43 plate appearances.

A left rib contusion put him on the IL for nearly the first two months of the season. He has yet to give up a run in July (6.0 innings).

Genesis Cabrera – Toronto Blue Jays

At 27 years old, Cabrera has another year under contract until he becomes a free agent in 2026.

There has been some fluctuation in his results the past couple seasons, as the Cardinals DFA’d him last year with a 5.06 ERA and he found success with Toronto (2.66 ERA) in the back half. This year, he owns a 3.72 ERA but the peripherals are less kind with a 3.90 xERA and 5.12 FIP. His strikeouts are way down to 15.1%, although a high ground ball rate bodes well with Arizona’s elite defense.

The D-backs just got a look at Cabrera at Chase Field last weekend.

Tanner Banks – White Sox

Banks has been a quietly strong lefty specialist this season in Chicago, as lefties are hitting .191 against him with a .505 OPS. Banks did not make his MLB debut until he was 30 years old in 2022, putting starting games behind him to find a path as a reliever.

He has been consistent in that role, getting lefties out with a 3.94 ERA and 3.94 FIP in his career. He has a career-high 26% strikeout rate and career-best 5.5% walk rate this year.

Banks is under team control through 2028.

Matt Moore – Los Angeles Angels

Moore has been a sturdy left-handed reliever since honing in on that role in 2022 after a decade of starting. He has a 2.81 ERA since.

The 35-year-old and upcoming free agent has not enjoyed the same success this year for an Angels team that quickly fell out of the race, but the results have largely improved.

He has a 4.91 ERA this season but a 3.52 ERA since the start of June with an opposing .182 batting average. He induces a lot of weak contact, but an 11.4% walk rate is high while a 5.92 FIP is a career-high mark at this point and not an optimistic indicator for the rest of the year.

Who could join the list?

The next 10 days will be critical for teams in their decision process to buy, sell or perhaps do both at the deadline, which would create more opportunities for buyers to check in.

The Reds, Giants, Cubs and Nationals entered the “second half” 3.0 games back or further, so a bad stretch could put their seasons in jeopardy as they fight to stay alive.

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