Mike Hazen Discusses D-Backs’ Deadline
The majority of the National League is tightly bunched in the middle of the standings. The defending pennant winners are right among that group, carrying a 41-43 record that has them two and a half games back of the Cardinals for the final Wild Card spot. The Mets are a half-game ahead of Arizona as the NL’s top non-playoff team, while another five clubs sit fewer than three games behind them.
As with most of those borderline contenders, Arizona’s deadline approach is going to be heavily determined by how they play over the next four weeks. General manager Mike Hazen made that clear in a chat with reporters this afternoon, saying he’s hopeful that the team puts itself in a position to add before July 30.
“My desire is for us to be in a position to buy at the deadline and improve this team to push to the playoffs,” Hazen said (link via Steve Gilbert of MLB.com). “It’s obviously been a struggle here for the first half of the season. We haven’t played consistent enough.” The GM qualified that some of that underperformance is attributable to injuries (especially on the pitching staff), but he also noted that the lineup hasn’t been as consistent as he believes it to be capable of.
The offense has been solid but not overwhelming. The D-Backs rank ninth in the majors in scoring. They’re hitting .250/.321/.398 as a team. Arizona is in the back half of the top 10 in both batting average and on-base percentage and sits 14th in slugging. Ketel Marte, Christian Walker and Joc Pederson have driven most of that offense. Jake McCarthy and Randal Grichuk have been solid, while Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has rebounded from a rough May with an excellent performance over the past few weeks.
That said, it’s easy to understand why Hazen feels there’s untapped upside. Corbin Carroll picked things up in June after a terrible first couple months, but he still hasn’t played to the massive potential he showed as a rookie. Arizona was without shortstop Geraldo Perdomo for a few weeks, pressing Kevin Newman into action there. Third baseman Eugenio Suárez hasn’t played up to expectations after coming over from the Mariners in an offseason trade.
A good but not great performance from the lineup hasn’t been enough to overcome a rotation that has the fourth-worst ERA in the majors. That’s largely because the group hasn’t been at full strength. Eduardo Rodriguez still hasn’t made his team debut after sustaining a Spring Training lat strain. Zac Gallen missed a month because of a hamstring strain before returning over the weekend. Merrill Kelly will be out into August thanks to a mid-April shoulder injury.
Any team would have a hard time weathering the loss of arguably its three best starting pitchers. The problems can’t be entirely chalked up to injury though. Signing Jordan Montgomery just before Opening Day hasn’t worked out, as the southpaw has allowed 6.03 earned runs per nine across 13 starts. Arizona’s lack of upper minors rotation depth has again been exposed with Ryne Nelson, Slade Cecconi and Tommy Henry all getting hit hard. Presumptive fourth starter Brandon Pfaadt has been the only consistent presence, working to a 4.28 ERA over a team-leading 103 innings.
The D-Backs invested heavily over the offseason on the heels of their surprising run to the World Series. They brought back Gurriel and added Rodriguez, Montgomery and Pederson. They’d clearly prefer to make another playoff push rather than move veteran pieces. Should they remain within a team or two of the final postseason spot, they’d be positioned to do that. Things would become more questionable if the Snakes stumble this month and are jumped by a few of the teams that are narrowly behind them at the moment.
“It’s going to be where are we down relative to how many teams are above us,” Hazen said of deciding whether to buy or sell. “Like last year, as we slipped down around the deadline, I think we got to like two or three out and we had two or three teams above us. That’s a dynamic you can overcome. If you start getting too far down and buried behind and needing three, four or five teams to lose and you win, that’s not a good spot to be in. I think if we have a glimmer of where it’s at, my gut will be to continue to add to this team.”
If they’re in position to buy, strengthening the pitching staff would probably be the priority for a second straight summer. The D-Backs are hopeful of Rodriguez and Kelly contributing in the second half, though both pitchers will be coming off extended absences. Even if they’re each healthy and join Gallen and Pfaadt in the rotation, the front office could look for an upgrade over Montgomery. The D-Backs came up empty in their search for rotation help at last year’s deadline. Without a reliable fourth starter during their playoff run, Hazen conceded in October that he regretted not landing rotation help.
The front office did pull off one major pitching acquisition at the ’23 deadline, landing Paul Sewald to lock down the ninth inning. Sewald is again pitching well. Like virtually every contender, Arizona could try to deepen the middle relief group in front of their veteran closer and the setup trio of Justin Martinez, Kevin Ginkel and Ryan Thompson. Bringing in another left-hander to nudge Joe Mantiply down the leverage hierarchy would be ideal.
Diamondbacks To Designate Tucker Barnhart For Assignment
The Diamondbacks are designating catcher Tucker Barnhart for assignment, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Piecoro indicates that the move will clear space on the club’s roster for Gabriel Moreno to be activated from the injured list prior to the club’s next game against the Dodgers on Tuesday.
Barnhart, 33, made Arizona’s Opening Day roster as the primary backup to Moreno over Jose Herrera. The veteran has struggled mightily this year, however, slashing just .165/.283/.190 in 94 trips to the plate with the Snakes this season. That line includes a surprisingly strong 13.8% walk rate, but those decent on-base skills are outweighed by his massive 33% strikeout rate and complete lack of power (as evidenced by an ISO of just .025). When Moreno went on the IL with a sprained thumb, Herrera was called up to the big leagues to join Barnhart in the catching tandem, and evidently the club has decided that they’d prefer to leave the 27-year-old in the backup role once Moreno returns from the injured list on Tuesday.
The veteran backstop has struggled to be productive at the plate throughout the majority of his career, as evidenced by a career 78 wRC+ and a 68 wRC+ over the past five seasons. Barnhart has generally made up for that lack of offensive production with a strong glove behind the plate, even winning two Gold Glove awards during his tenure with the Reds. That aspect of his game has dried up in recent years, however. After regressing defensively during his time with the Cubs last year, Barnhart was below average by all three of Statcast’s defensive metrics for catchers: Blocks Above Average, CS Above Average, and Framing. Given that reality, it’s easy to see why Arizona would turn to Herrera, who is similarly limited on offense but appears to be a superior defender as compared to Barnhart at this stage of his career.
Taking Barnhart’s place on the roster will be Moreno, who last suited up for the Dbacks on June 21 and has been nursing a thumb sprain since then. The 24-year-old youngster is in his second season with Arizona after coming over alongside Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the Daulton Varsho trade during the 2022-23 offseason. Moreno has performed solidly behind the plate in 172 games with the Diamondbacks, slashing .265/.330/.385 with a roughly league average 97 wRC+ and strong grades for his defense at catcher.
Once Barnhart’s DFA becomes official, the Diamondbacks will have seven days to either work out a trade involving the veteran or attempt to pass him through waivers. If he goes unclaimed on waivers, Arizona could attempt to outright him to the minor leagues as a non-roster depth option, but the 11-year MLB veteran has more than enough service time to reject such an assignment and test free agency.
Diamondbacks Reinstate Zac Gallen From 15-Day Injured List
As expected, the Diamondbacks reinstated Zac Gallen from the 15-day injured list today, as Gallen prepares to start Arizona’s game against the Athletics. Left-hander Brandon Hughes was optioned to Triple-A yesterday to open up a roster spot for Gallen’s return.
Gallen suffered a right hamstring strain just six pitches into a start on May 30, so he’ll now return to action after almost exactly a month off. The rehab process went pretty smoothly for the ace right-hander, as he didn’t even make any minor league rehab starts during his recovery. Gallen instead tossed live batting practice sessions, simulated games, and bullpens to ramp up and get ready, and a 67-pitch sim game last Monday was essentially the final step of the process. Once Gallen came out of a Thursday bullpen session feeling good, the D’Backs finalized their plans to start Gallen today against Oakland.
Needless to say, getting Gallen back after just a month is a sigh of relief for the Diamondbacks, considering how injuries have plagued Arizona’s rotation. Eduardo Rodriguez signed a four-year, $80MM free agent deal over the offseason but has yet to pitch after suffering a lat strain during Spring Training, and Merrill Kelly will be out until at least mid-August due to a teres major strain in his throwing shoulder. Jordan Montgomery‘s late signing and subsequent late start to the season has also led to some inconsistent results for the left-hander, and between some other struggles for the younger starters, Arizona ranks only 27th of 30 teams in rotation ERA this season.
Gallen was again a bright light for the rotation, with a 3.12 ERA in his first 11 starts and 57 2/3 innings before his hamstring strain. Missing a month could hurt Gallen’s chances of his third straight top-five finish in NL Cy Young Award voting, yet helping get the Diamondbacks into contention again is surely the chief priority in Gallen’s mind. Despite the starting pitching concerns and a 39-43 record, the D’Backs are 3.5 games back of the last NL wild card spot, so getting even average results from the rotation could put Arizona more firmly in position for a second-half surge.
In other news about Rodriguez, manager Torey Lovullo told MLB.com and other media that the left-hander will undergo an MRI in a week to ensure that everything is progressing as expected with his lat muscle. Rodriguez has been throwing at distances of 105 feet, but if the MRI is clean, he’ll start a more intensive throwing program.
Merrill Kelly Aiming For Mid-August Return
Merrill Kelly had a stellar 2.19 ERA over his first four starts of the season before a teres major strain in his throwing shoulder sent him to the Diamondbacks’ injured list on April 20. Kelly was soon moved from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL, and now that his 60-day window has passed, it will be quite a while before the right-hander is back on the mound.
Speaking at a Q&A event with fans and media (including Jake Oliver of Inside The Diamondbacks), Kelly said that “in my mind, I’m hoping I’m on that Tampa, Miami, Boston trip,” referring to a nine-game Diamondbacks road trip that starts on August 16. “That seems to be around the right time I might be back in there, but obviously, things can change as we go along.”
There is still a lot of fluidity within this rehab plan, and the fact that Kelly’s initial estimated return date has already been significantly pushed back isn’t a great sign. As Kelly noted, he and the team first thought he could be back around the All-Star break — if mid-August now represents perhaps something of a best-case scenario, any kind of setback could quite possibly put his season in jeopardy. There is still a long way to go in Kelly’s ramp-up process, as he only just started a throwing program with games of catch.
The D’Backs have a modest 38-40 record in the defense of their National League pennant, yet the NL’s parity has kept Arizona within two games of the last wild card spot. Considering that the Snakes have been without Kelly for most of the season, Eduardo Rodriguez for the entire season, and Zac Gallen for a little more than three weeks, a 38-40 record isn’t a bad result for a team missing its three top starters.
Gallen could potentially return next week, and Rodriguez has started his own throwing progression after his long layoff, so he might be facing a similar timeline as Kelly. If Arizona can continue to at least tread water in the playoff race until mid-August, getting Kelly and Rodriguez back into the rotation would provide an enormous boost down the stretch.
Kelly also discussed his longer-term career future as part of the Q&A, saying “I’d love to be a Diamondback my whole career and especially being the Arizona native, I would love to stay here as long as I can.” Kelly also revealed that he had spoken with the Diamondbacks about a possible contract extension, saying “I keep trying to sign and keep trying to talk them into signing me some more,” though he didn’t give any details on the status of those talks or if the D’Backs had shown any reciprocal interest.
It would be understandable if the D’Backs first wanted to see how Kelly emerge from this long injury layoff before considering a new contract, plus Kelly is already under team control for the 2025 season via a $7MM club option. Since a $1MM buyout is attached to that option, that the $6MM decision seems like a pretty easy one for the Diamondbacks to make even despite Kelly’s shoulder problems, considering how well he has pitched over his six seasons in Arizona.
Kelly didn’t make his MLB debut until he was 30 years old, as he started his pro career in the Rays’ farm system before pitching in South Korea for four seasons. Impressed by Kelly’s KBO League performance, the D’Backs signed him to a two-year, $5.5MM free agent deal in December 2018, in a decision that will go down as one of GM Mike Hazen’s shrewdest moves. Kelly has already signed one extension with the Diamondbacks, agreeing to his current two-year, $18MM contract in April 2022.
Diamondbacks Place Gabriel Moreno On 10-Day Injured List
The Diamondbacks announced that catcher Gabriel Moreno has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a sprained left thumb. Jose Herrera has been called up from Triple-A, and Herrera with team with Tucker Barnhart as Arizona’s catching combo until Moreno has recovered.
Moreno’s injury took place in last night’s game, as the backstop’s glove hand was hit by a Cristian Pache foul ball in the third inning. Moreno tried to stay in the game but the discomfort eventually forced him to make an early exit in the sixth frame. D’Backs manager Torey Lovullo told media (including Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports) after the game that x-rays were negative on Moreno’s thumb, so the catcher at least avoided a more serious structural injury that would’ve cost him more time or even possibly threatened his season.
Heralded as one of baseball’s top prospects during his time in the Blue Jays’ farm system, Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. were acquired by the D’Backs in exchange for Daulton Varsho during the 2022-23 offseason. Moreno’s first full season saw him win a Gold Glove, hit .284/.339/.408 in 380 plate appearances, and then excel in Arizona’s playoff run to the NL pennant, seemingly cementing his place as one of the sport’s up and coming stars.
However, the sophomore slump seems to have bitten Moreno in his follow-up campaign, as he has hit only .230/.313/.346 with three homers over 217 PA. A .261 BABIP hasn’t helped his efforts, though Moreno isn’t making much hard contact. On the plus side, his strikeout and walk rates are both well above average, and Moreno’s defense remains remains elite.
Diamondbacks Claim Gavin Hollowell From Rockies
The Diamondbacks have claimed right-hander Gavin Hollowell off waivers from the Rockies, per announcements from both clubs. Arizona already had a 40-man vacancy after designating Logan Allen for assignment last week and have optioned Hollowell to Triple-A. There was no previous indication that Hollowell had lost his spot with the Rockies, so their 40-man count drops to 39.
Hollowell, 26, is a 2019 sixth-rounder who made his big league debut with the Rox in 2023. He’s pitched 40 2/3 innings in the majors across the past two seasons but been hit hard, yielding a 6.20 ERA with a below-average 21.5% strikeout rate and a hefty 11.8% walk rate. He’s also been quite homer-prone, serving up an average of 1.99 round-trippers for every nine innings pitched.
It’s not a strong big league track record, but Hollowell has punched out 32.8% of his opponents in the minors, including a 34% strikeout rate in 48 2/3 Double-A frames and a 26% strikeout rate in 27 1/3 Triple-A innings. Hollowell has averaged a fairly unremarkable 94 mph on his sinker and 93.4 mph on his four-seamer, but the velocity of both pitches plays up because of his enormous 6’7″ frame. He’s also shown solid command throughout his time in professional ball, walking only 8.2% of his opponents in the minors.
Hollowell is in the second of three option years, so Arizona will be able to freely shuttle him between Triple-A Reno and the majors both this season and next. Scouting reports at FanGraphs, Baseball America and MLB.com have tabbed Hollowell as a future reliever with solid command and the potential for an above-average four-seamer (with plus spin) and slider. The Snakes will hope that the change in scenery can not only bolster their own relief corps but also take a potential future contributor away from a division rival.
Diamondbacks Re-Sign Logan Allen To Minors Contract
TODAY: Allen did elect to become a free agent, but has now re-signed with the Diamondbacks on a new minor league deal. The southpaw is getting the start today for Triple-A Reno.
JUNE 13: Diamondbacks left-hander Logan Allen went unclaimed on outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Reno, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. He was designated for assignment over the weekend. Allen has been outrighted in the past and will thus have the right to reject the assignment in favor of free agency.
The 27-year-old Allen, not to be confused with the Cleveland southpaw of the same name, appeared in a dozen games for the Diamondbacks and pitched 28 innings. He was tagged for an ugly 5.46 ERA in that time, though the bulk of the damage came in his final outing, when he surrendered six runs in a single inning of work against the Padres. Prior to that collapse, he’d tossed 27 frames of 3.67 ERA ball with a 16.9% strikeout rate, 7.6% walk rate and 44.8% ground-ball rate.
That marked Allen’s first MLB action since 2022. The former eighth-round pick at one point ranked among the sport’s 100 best prospects on several publications and has been in multiple trades of note but has yet to solidify himself as a steady big league contributor. Originally drafted by Boston, he’s since suited up for San Diego, Cleveland and Baltimore in addition to his current run in Arizona, but he’s been hit hard, yielding a 5.79 ERA in 124 1/3 MLB innings.
Blaze Alexander Getting More Reps At Third Base For D-Backs
Blaze Alexander is starting at third base for the Diamondbacks tonight against Angels righty José Soriano, pushing Eugenio Suárez to the bench. It’s only Alexander’s third start at the hot corner, but that’ll be a more frequent occurrence.
Manager Torey Lovullo told the Arizona beat that Alexander was going to pick up increased playing time at third base (link via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic). Lovullo stopped short of calling it a benching for Suárez but he acknowledged tonight is “day number one of a little bit of a change” in how playing time is split.
“I’m very curious about Blaze,” Lovullo said. “Offensively, he’s been playing at a very high level. The defense has been improving rapidly. I just felt like it was time to give him a few more opportunities, a few more reps.” Alexander has been in the lineup for 38 of Arizona’s 67 games. He picked up 16 starts at shortstop, eight games at second base and got 12 nods as the designated hitter along with his pair of third base starts.
The D-Backs reinstated Geraldo Perdomo from the injured list last night. He resumes his role as the everyday shortstop, while Ketel Marte is locked in at second base. Joc Pederson serves as the designated hitter against right-handed pitching. That leaves third base as the only spot for Alexander to get reps, unless the D-Backs wanted to use him on the short side of a platoon with Pederson at DH.
Alexander, 25, has managed decent numbers in his debut campaign. He carries a .279/.345/.403 line over 142 plate appearances. Alexander’s batted ball metrics aren’t aligned with his bottom line output. He’s putting the ball on the ground half the time he puts it in play, and a .371 average on balls in play has masked a 26.1% strikeout rate. Alexander has had a stark platoon divide. He’s hitting .217/.280/.290 over 75 plate appearances against right-handed pitching; he has mashed southpaws to the tune of a .350/.418/.533 slash in 67 trips.
While Alexander has played fairly well, the D-Backs wouldn’t have gotten him more third base reps if not for Suárez’s disappointing year. He’s hitting .197/.263/.312 across 262 plate appearances. Bob Nightengale of USA Today wrote over the weekend that the D-Backs were open to trade possibilities on Suárez, though it’d be difficult to offload much of his $12MM salary. Nightengale suggested that Arizona would curtail Suárez’s playing time if he sticks on the roster, and it indeed seems that’ll come to pass.
The D-Backs sent backup catcher Seby Zavala and hard-throwing reliever Carlos Vargas, who has spent the season in Triple-A, to Seattle for Suárez last November. The biggest appeal for the M’s was offloading the final year of Suárez’s contract. Arizona also owes him a $2MM buyout on a $15MM club option that’ll very likely be declined next offseason.
Diamondbacks Sign Erich Uelmen To Minor League Deal
The Diamondbacks have signed right-hander Erich Uelmen to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He’s been assigned to the Complex League for now but will presumably report to a higher affiliate after getting some work in.
Uelmen, now 28, was drafted by the Cubs and was a starter on his way up the minor league ladder. He didn’t have much success in that role as he reached the higher levels, so the Cubs moved him to the bullpen at Triple-A. The initial results were encouraging, as Uelmen finished 2022 with an earned run average of 2.79 in 42 innings at the top minor league level. His 12.8% walk rate was on the high side but he punched out 29.1% of batters faced and also got grounders on 55.3% of balls in play.
The Cubs also gave Uelmen his major league debut that year, as he pitched 27 innings for them that year. He had a passable 4.67 ERA in that time with a subpar 17.2% strikeout rate, average-ish 9.8% walk rate and decent 47.6% ground ball rate.
Late in 2022, the Cubs re-signed Drew Smyly and bumped Uelmen off the roster. He was then traded to the Phillies for cash but had a challenging season with his new club. He only tossed one inning in the majors and just 17 2/3 in the minors, spending a significant amount of time on the IL. He had a 4.08 ERA in that limited minor league action before getting recalled in late September and placed on the major league 60-day IL with a right flexor strain when the Phils needed to open a roster spot.
Uelmen was outrighted by the Phils at the end of the season and remained unsigned until signing with the Snakes. He’ll presumably undergo something of a delayed Spring Training for a little while before moving into a depth position for the Diamondbacks. The relief corps in Arizona hasn’t been strong this year, with a collective 4.38 ERA that comes in 23rd out of the 30 clubs. If Uelmen can earn a roster spot, he has two option years remaining and has less than a year of service time.
Jordan Montgomery Reaches 10 Starts, Unlocks 2025 Player Option
Jordan Montgomery took the ball for the Diamondbacks tonight in their series opener against the Angels. It’s the tenth start of the season for the left-hander, an expected but notable threshold. It officially unlocks a 2025 player option in his contract with a base value of $20MM.
Montgomery had a disappointing first trip through free agency last winter. While he reportedly set out in search of a deal approaching or exceeding the seven years and $172MM which Aaron Nola received from the Phillies, that didn’t materialize. Montgomery lingered on the market longer than any other top free agent before agreeing to terms with the Diamondbacks just before Opening Day. He signed a one-year guarantee with a $25MM salary and the conditional player option.
That triggers at $20MM with his tenth start. Its value would escalate to $22.5MM at 18 starts and max out at $25MM if he starts 23 games. Montgomery wasn’t equipped to make his team debut until April 19. He needed a couple Triple-A appearances to build his workload after sitting out during Spring Training. He’ll still have plenty of time to get to 23 starts and maximize the option value if he stays healthy.
At signing, the conditional player option looked more like injury protection than anything else. Montgomery certainly anticipated declining it and heading back to free agency in search of the long-term deal that eluded him last offseason. Yet his early-season performance hasn’t positioned him well for a return trip to the market.
After tossing 5 2/3 innings of three-run ball tonight, Montomgery carries a 6.58 earned run average across 52 innings. He has punched out just 13.7% of batters faced — easily the lowest rate of his career and nearly eight percentage points below last season’s 21.4% mark. His 8.2% walk rate is a couple points above its typical level. Montgomery entered tonight’s outing averaging roughly 92 MPH on both his sinker and four-seam fastball. Each pitch sat north of 93 MPH last year.
It’s difficult to say how much of that drop-off is attributable to Montgomery’s late signing and atypical preparation for the season. Perhaps he’ll find the extra tick of velocity and more closely resemble his old self as the year progresses. Before his stint in the desert, Montgomery had been the picture of consistency. He reached the 30-start threshold in each season between 2021-23. The southpaw allowed between three and four earned runs per nine with solid strikeout and walk rates in all three years.
Signing Montgomery punctuated an aggressive offseason for an Arizona team looking to build off its Cinderella pennant run. The Snakes had already brought back Lourdes Gurriel Jr., acquired Eugenio Suárez and landed Eduardo Rodriguez on a four-year deal to stabilize the rotation. None of those transactions is off to an auspicious start. Gurriel is hitting at a league average level. Montgomery has struggled. Suárez has hit poorly enough that the Snakes are reportedly considering alternatives at third base and could try to offload some of his $12MM salary. Rodriguez suffered a lat strain during Spring Training and has been on the injured list all season.
That has contributed to a disappointing 31-35 start that has Arizona sitting in fourth place in the NL West. The prevailing mediocrity beyond the top four teams in the National League nevertheless provides hope for everyone other than the Rockies and Marlins. The final two Wild Card spots are currently held by teams at or below .500. Despite being four games under, the Snakes are one game out of the postseason picture.
Along with Rodriguez’s absence, the D-Backs have been without Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly for the past few weeks. Montgomery is the most established member of a rotation that also includes Brandon Pfaadt, Ryne Nelson and Slade Cecconi at the moment. Gallen and Kelly have begun throwing programs.
Since Montgomery opened the season on an assignment to Triple-A, he will not be eligible for a qualifying offer if he hits free agency next winter. His slow start and the player option would complicate any efforts to trade him if Arizona falls out of the playoff race. The D-Backs have roughly $64MM in guaranteed commitments for next season, as calculated by RosterResource.
Montgomery’s option could push that into the $84-89MM range depending on how many starts he makes. The D-Backs will almost certainly exercise a $7MM option to retain Kelly and would owe Gallen a raise on this year’s $10.011MM salary for his final year of arbitration. Christian Walker, Joc Pederson and Paul Sewald are their top impending free agents. Montgomery could still join them, but it’d take a better second half than he has managed thus far. If he does retest the market, he’ll be doing so with new representation. Montgomery switched from the Boras Corporation to Wasserman in April.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.