Diamondbacks trade grades: Arizona gets thumbs up for bolstering roster

The Arizona Diamondbacks sensed the MLB trade deadline would be a busy one for the reliever market, so they jumped the gun and landed A.J. Puk well before things got busy.

That feeling turned out to be correct. But they had more work to do.

In the hours leading into the deadline Tuesday, the D-backs added insurance for injured first baseman Christian Walker by landing veteran Josh Bell, who had been designated for assignment by the Miami Marlins. Arizona then added another arm to the bullpen with a trade for reliever Dylan Floro, which sent prospect Andrés Chaparro to the Washington Nationals.

While Puk has a strong reputation and multiple years left on his contract, Bell and Floro are rentals that align with general manager Mike Hazen’s aggressive intentions and high expectations for this year’s team even as it battles for a Wild Card spot.

Here’s how a few outlets graded out the Diamondbacks’ trade deadline.

MLB trade deadline grades for the Arizona Diamondbacks

ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle

Grade: “Other winners”

Arizona deepened its bullpen with the high-impact addition of lefty A.J. Puk and the unsung acquisition of veteran Dylan Floro, who is having a good season. That addressed what had been the Diamondbacks’ biggest need … until Christian Walker hit the IL with a strained oblique … Wasting no time, Mike Hazen pivoted to land Josh Bell from Miami for cash considerations. Bell has had a bad season, but he has come out of the break as one of baseball’s hottest hitters. There’s no guarantee that will continue, but Bell has been a streaky player in his career, and Arizona’s timing with him might be perfect.

The Athletic’s Jim Bowden

Grade: B-

I liked the acquisition of A.J. Puk, who gives the Diamondbacks another power left-hander out of the bullpen, but didn’t like the price they had to pay in prospects to get him. However, that was the cost of doing business in a seller’s market and adding another lefty reliever was a glaring need. After learning about Christian Walker’s oblique injury, the Diamondbacks quickly responded, landing first baseman Josh Bell, who belted five homers in his last 10 games for Miami. But the biggest thing for this team remains the anticipated returns of Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez from the injured list.

The Athletic’s Tyler Kepner

Grade: A

The defending NL champs added a bullpen lefty last week in A.J. Puk, and Tuesday they grabbed a righty in the well-traveled Floro, who joins his eighth team in a nine-season career. Floro is probably having his best season, with a career-low ERA (2.06) and WHIP (1.051). A reliable ground-ball specialist, Floro has allowed just one home run this season, and it came on his final pitch as a National: a walk-off shot to Paul Goldschmidt in St. Louis on Sunday.

Sporting News’ Dan Treacy

Grade: A- 

If you take out 2023, Floro has been an above-average relief arm since 2020. The former Marlins closer is a nice pickup for an Arizona team that rode a surprisingly strong bullpen to the World Series last season … Chaparro’s upside is limited but he’s raked at Triple-A this season and could have an easier path to MLB time with the Nationals.

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