NL Wild Card trade deadline roundup: D-backs’ postseason competitors make deals
Aug 1, 2024, 7:46 AM | Updated: 7:46 am
Ketel Marte #4 of the Arizona Diamondbacks is tagged out by Francisco Lindor #12 of the New York Mets during the seventh inning at Citi Field on June 1, 2024 in New York City. The Diamondbacks won 10-5. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
(Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
PHOENIX — The competition level for the National League Wild Card race took a step up. Each team jostling for a spot made improvements at the trade deadline.
The Arizona Diamondbacks, sitting a half-game back after Tuesday’s 17-0 win over the Washington Nationals, honed in on the bullpen. They added left-hander A.J. Puk from the Miami Marlins and right-hander Dylan Floro from the Nationals.
Arizona reacted quickly to the news of Christian Walker landing on the 10-day injured list (oblique strain) by bringing on first baseman Josh Bell from Miami, a switch-hitting power bat. It was a productive deadline to fill out some needs without changing the complexion of the squad with starters Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez due back shortly.
As of Thursday morning, Arizona finds itself at 58-51 and alone — for the moment — in the last NL Wild Card spot.
The race has become fierce over the past month especially. The D-backs, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates have the four best records in the NL when looking at the past 30 games. Here’s how every team fighting with the Diamondbacks for a playoff spot came out of the deadline.
Diamondbacks’ NL Wild Card opposition after the trade deadline
Atlanta Braves: 58-49 (+1.0 games from last Wild Card spot)
Key additions: OF Jorge Soler, RHP Luke Jackson
San Francisco Giants’ Jorge Soler (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The Braves have had to manage injury after injury. They lost ace Spencer Strider and 2023 NL MVP outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. to season-ending injuries in the first half, while center fielder Michael Harris II, second baseman Ozzie Albies and left-handed starter Max Fried are all also on the IL.
They filled one of those outfield spots at the deadline but will count on internal solutions — health and youth — to make up the difference.
Soler was a World Series hero as a trade deadline acquisition for the Braves in 2021, winning MVP of the Fall Classic. Soler for the Giants this year has picked it up with an .860 OPS since the start of June. Not known as a defender, Soler will have to play defense with Marcell Ozuna occupying the designated hitter spot.
Arizona will not face the Braves again this season.
San Diego Padres: 59-51 (+0.5 games from last Wild Card spot)
Tanner Scott f the Miami Marlins in the MLB All-Star Game (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Key additions: LHP Tanner Scott, RHP Bryan Hoeing, RHP Jason Adam, LHP Martin Perez
The Padres added arguably the most notable relief pitcher on the market with Scott, Miami’s All-Star closer with a 1.89 ERA since the start of 2023. Adam has been one of baseball’s most consistent relief arms with 2.30 ERA over the past three years with the Rays. Hoeing is less established but was having a solid year in Miami.
They join a bullpen spearheaded by All-Star closer Robert Suarez, setting up what could be one of baseball’s best relief corps down the stretch.
San Diego made its move for a hitter in May by trading for Marlins infielder Luis Arraez.
At the very end of spring training, the Padres traded for White Sox ace pitcher Dylan Cease, so San Diego is having a typical season in terms of pushing in its chips (so many prospects) to compete for a postseason run.
Arizona hosts San Diego over the final weekend of the regular season.
New York Mets: 57-51 (-0.5 games from last Wild Card spot)
Cincinnati Reds’ Jesse Winker (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)
Key additions: OF Jesse Winker, RHP Paul Blackburn, RHP Ryne Stanek, RHP Huascar Brazoban, RHP Phil Maton
The Mets rounded out the roster along the edges.
Winker fills a need as a left-handed bat with pop having a turnaround season in Washington with a .792 OPS.
The bullpen was in need of competency and Stanek, Maton and Brazoban have track records of that.
Blackburn is a back-end starter who had a 4.41 ERA with the Athletics, as the Mets did not go out and get a front-liner after ace Kodai Senga suffered what likely is a season-ending calf injury in his return from the 60-day IL over the weekend.
The Mets come to Chase Field on Aug. 27.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 55-53 (-2.5 games from last Wild Card spot)
Miami Marlins’ Bryan De La Cruz (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
Key additions: LHP Jalen Beeks, LHP Josh Walker, OF Bryan De La Cruz, UTL Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Notable subtractions: RHP Quinn Priester, LHP Martin Perez
The Pirates added some needed power with De La Cruz (.707 OPS, 18 home runs) and versatility with Kiner-Falefa (.758 OPS) to one of the lowest-scoring offenses in MLB.
The Pirates have one of baseball’s most exciting young starting rotations with Paul Skenes taking the league by storm and now support a deeper bullpen. Can they score enough to stay in the race remains a key question going down the wire, and while they did not dominate headlines, the lineup looks better.
The D-backs face the Pirates on Friday.
St. Louis Cardinals: 56-52 (-1.5 games from last Wild Card spot)
St. Louis Cardinals’ Tommy Pham (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
Key additions: RHP Erick Fedde, OF Tommy Pham, RHP Shawn Armstrong
Notable subtractions: UTL Tommy Edman, OF Dylan Carlson
The Cardinals addressed two pressing needs with one swoop in a three-team trade with the White Sox and Dodgers, grabbing Fedde (3.11 ERA) to strengthen the rotation for both 2024 and 2025 and Pham to provide some thump from the right side. Pham already hit a grand slam in his debut, and the D-backs benefited greatly from his presence last postseason.
Edman has been out of the picture this season with injuries, while Carlson is only 25 years old but has struggled to find his footing in St. Louis.
The Cardinals are 15-15 over their last 30 games.
San Francisco Giants: 54-56 (-4.5 games from last Wild Card spot)
Oakland Athletics’ Mark Canha (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Key additions: OF Mark Canha, LHP Alex Young
Notable subtractions: OF Jorge Soler, RHP Luke Jackson, RHP Alex Cobb, OF Austin Slater
The Giants got off the Soler contract ($32 million over next two seasons) and replaced him with steady veteran Canha, who is on an expiring deal. Cobb has been working back from injury all year but is expected back soon, and sending him to Cleveland lessens room for error with a group that has dealt with injuries all year.
The Giants did not make strides toward contention, nor did they fully sell, keeping Blake Snell.
What did the Dodgers do at the trade deadline?
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (AP Photo/Nick Cammett)
Key additions: RHP Jack Flaherty, UTL Tommy Edman, RHP Michael Kopech, INF Amed Rosario, OF Kevin Kiermaier, 2B Cavan Biggio
Notable subtractions: INF Miguel Vargas, LHP James Paxton
The Diamondbacks entered Wednesday’s slate only six games back of the division, as the Dodgers have struggled to put the Padres and D-backs away in the race with Mookie Betts and Yoshinobu Yamamoto among those on the mend.
The Dodgers did not make any superstar additions that headlined their offseason, but Flaherty will be expected to bring stability to an injured rotation. The L.A. native enjoyed a bounce-back season in Detroit with a 2.95 — and feuded with the D-backs’ dugout at Chase Field.
Jack Flaherty and Torey Lovullo had some words for each other from across their dugouts pic.twitter.com/TRjsIuVIq6
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 19, 2024
Kiermaier has not hit this year but has always been a stalwart center fielder, and Rosario had a .748 OPS with the Rays and provides depth to a top-heavy lineup. Edman is progressing toward a return in the near future.
The Dodgers and Padres gearing up for the final two months is nothing new, and the D-backs will have opportunities to match up against both clubs at Chase Field.
The Dodgers return to Phoenix on Aug. 30.
“I’m very respectful of the additions the Dodgers and the Padres made. They’re really good teams. They’ve got even better. It means we got to be better, too. So it’s a great challenge,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said.
“This division hasn’t changed at all since 2017. Every deadline is the exact same,” general manager Mike Hazen added. “We walk into this deadline knowing that the teams at the top of this division are going to unload on the trade market.”
