The NL West could be one of baseball's most interesting divisions as the trade deadline approaches, as all five teams within its ranks could position themselves as buyers. In the past 48 hours, the Padres, Rockies, Dodgers and Giants have all been said to be looking for starting pitching. Here's the latest out of the division that's currently being led by the suprising Diamondbacks…
- Roy Oswalt spent his spring throwing to junior college players as he waited for the right Major League opportunity, and that experience, as well as his experience at Double-A Tulsa, has helped him re-discover his love for the game, writes MLB.com's Thomas Harding. Said Oswalt: "You get around 22-, 23-year-old kids, you rejuvenate yourself because they've never experienced this up here. That's the baseball they know. I wanted to be part of the team, get on the bus, ride around, play cards." Oswalt added that he's considering a career in coaching after his playing days are done.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post tweets that the Rockies like Ricky Nolasco, but he has a hard time envisioning them spending $6MM on a rental before giving Oswalt and Drew Pomeranz ample opportunity to prove their worth. The Rox were one of several teams connected to Nolasco earlier today.
- In a separate tweet, Renck notes that the Rockies' interest in Yovani Gallardo is trending downward, but they do prefer to target players who are controlled beyond the 2013 season in trades.
- Jon Paul Morosi profiles D-Backs CEO Derrick Hall in his latest piece for FOXSports.com, noting that Hall's name has come up as a potential commissioner candidate down the road. Hall has prioritized growing the D-Backs' brand and baseball as a whole on an international level, having taken trips to the Dominican Republic, Japan and Mexico in recent years. He hopes that a Korean or Japanese team will hold its Spring Training at the D-Backs' facility in Scottsdale next year. Hall's Diamondbacks will also open the 2014 season in Australia against the Dodgers. Morosi adds that Hall's thinking was: "If an Aussie baseball fan knows the name of only two MLB franchises, one of them might as well be the Arizona Diamondbacks."
