Mike Hazen

The Diamondbacks have had a fairly busy offseason in the aftermath of their surprising playoff run that saw them reach the Fall Classic for the first time since the club’s lone championship in 2001. The club made a big addition to its rotation via free agency by landing left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez on a four-year pact and just recently brought back outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on a three-year deal. On the trade market, meanwhile, Arizona landed third baseman Eugenio Suarez in a deal with the Mariners, adding a power bat to the club’s infield mix. The additions of Gurriel and Suarez both add some balance to Arizona’s lineup, which is largely dominated by lefty and switch-hitters outside of first baseman Christian Walker.

Even after those major acquisitions, Arizona does not appear ready to call it an offseason just yet. As noted by Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, GM Mike Hazen indicated during Gurriel’s introductory press conference yesterday that the heavy lifting of the club’s offseason is not yet done.

“I feel like we’ve certainly added to our team. I think our team on paper, starting out next season, is going to be in a very similar, if not slightly better, position than we started out 2023 with,” Hazen said, “That’s a decent starting point. I think the competitiveness within our division is going to require us to continue to upgrade the roster any way we can.”

Hazen went on to add that the club is looking to add another position player to the lineup, though he’s “not so sure” that the addition will have to hit from the right-hand side after the club’s acquisitions of Gurriel and Suarez. Hazen went on to suggest that the club is looking at more of an offensively oriented addition— hardly a surprise given the club’s lack of a clear starting option at DH.

The club’s willingness to consider left-handed hitters is a sensible change in tone given the additions of Gurriel and Suarez to the lineup. While Arizona’s 97 wRC+ (18th in the majors) as a team last year was held back by the team’s 92 wRC+ (23rd) against southpaws, the club’s 99 wRC+ against right-handers (17th) was still below league average. Gurriel and Suarez sport career wRC+ marks of 117 and 126 respectively figure to help the club get up to par against lefties, but their lesser marks of 111 and 106 against right-handed pitching will be less impactful. Given that, a left-handed hitter or at least a right-handed hitter who fares well against same-handed pitching could be a wise addition to the club’s hitting corps.

Of course, even if Hazen is open to adding a lefty bat to the club it’s worth noting that the club has largely been attached to right-handed bats to this point. J.D. Martinez, Jorge Soler, and Justin Turner all fit the club’s reported preference for a bat-first hitter. As such, it’s no surprise that each has been connected to Arizona even as they hit from the right side. A reunion with Tommy Pham or a deal with Rhys Hoskins could also make sense for the club in terms of righty bats. In terms of left-handed hitters, Brandon Belt, Joc Pederson, Michael Brantley, and Joey Gallo are among the options available on the open market.

The Diamondbacks have had a mercurial season, which puts them in a thorny spot. They started out hot and jumped to the top of the National League West, holding a four-game lead as recently as the middle of June. But they have been sliding since that time and now find themselves four games back of the Dodgers. They still hold a Wild Card spot, but barely, as the Phillies and Marlins are each just half a game back.

Just over a week ago, general manager Mike Hazen talked about how the club was hoping to be “aggressive, even ultra-aggressive” but might stop short of being “reckless.” Nonetheless, he added that he expected the club “to play Diamondback baseball for the next two weeks so we’ll be standing in the same spot or better” and remain in the aggressive column.

It’s possible that their recent string of mediocre play will cause the front office to lay off the gas pedal a bit at the deadline, with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reporting that they might step back from the aggressive side of things. Another factor might be the market, as many teams are reportedly undecided about whether to buy or sell, putting a damper on trade talks. Hazen discussed that element with Bob Nightengale of USA Today but added that “I think giving this team an opportunity to play in a pennant chase if extremely important… I want to improve this team. I think this team has earned that over the last few months.”

The Diamondbacks are in need of pitching, something that Hazen admitted last month. That’s a sensible place to add given their top-heavy rotation. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly give them an excellent front two but the group behind them is shakier. Brandon Pfaadt was one of the top pitching prospects in the league coming into the year but has an 8.81 ERA through his first seven starts. Tommy Henry has a 4.01 ERA but with uninspiring peripherals and a 5.14 FIP. Ryne Nelson’s ERA is is 4.97. Their relievers, meanwhile, have a collective ERA of 4.45 that places them in the bottom eight in the league.

Rosenthal reiterates that target in his report, though how the club proceeds could still be determined in the days to come. The D’Backs aren’t the only club still trying to decide how to approach the deadline, with the Cubs and Yankees both among the clubs still trying to pick a lane with less than a week to go until the deadline.

Hazen will have the next few days to navigate that situation and weigh it against his desire to help the club compete. Arizona hasn’t finished above .500 since 2019 and hasn’t made the postseason since 2017. There’s surely plenty of appetite to put those droughts in the rear-view mirror, but he also doesn’t want to be “reckless” and do anything that significantly harms the club in future seasons. As he looks for pitching deals, he’ll have to balance his desire for upgrades against his concern about going too far. The deadline is on August 1.

The Diamondbacks are having their best season in quite a while, setting them up to be deadline buyers for the first time in years. They haven’t finished above .500 since 2019 and haven’t cracked the postseason since 2017, but are currently 52-42 and in possession of a National League Wild Card spot. General manager Mike Hazen spoke with Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic about the upcoming August 1 trade deadline and how the club hopes to make bold moves to help out this year without significantly harming the future.

“There’s a difference between being aggressive and reckless,” Hazen said. “We’re not going to be reckless. We’ll be aggressive, even ultra-aggressive, but I feel like being reckless does not serve anyone’s interests, this year’s team or in the future.”

This year’s trade deadline is seemingly defined by general uncertainty, with various clubs hovering near the middle and having to make difficult decisions about buying or selling. With the expanded playoffs and weak Central divisions, very few clubs are clearly in contention or out of contention and many are in the middle. Not too long ago, the Diamondbacks were one of the few clear buyers, as they had been leading the National League West for much of the year. However, they’ve gone 2-8 over their last 10 games and are now behind both the Dodgers and Giants in the division, pushing them closer to that mushy middle area.

That doesn’t seem like it’s going to dissuade Hazen from making moves to bolster the club in the weeks to come. “I think based on the way this team is standing right now we should be looking at being aggressive at the deadline,” he said. “I’m expecting us to play Diamondback baseball for the next two weeks so we’ll be standing in the same spot or better, so, yeah, we’re going to behave that way.”

About six weeks ago, Hazen candidly admitted that pitching would likely be the club’s focus at the deadline. That’s not surprising given that the rotation has been fairly mediocre outside of Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, the latter of whom is on the injured list. The question for the D’Backs seems to be how much they are willing to give up in order to get that pitching. Given Hazen’s comments about being “aggressive” but not “reckless,” it seems fair to expect the club won’t be looking to deal its top prospects, such as Jordan Lawlar or Brandon Pfaadt.

That’s a defensible lane for the club to pick, given their current trajectory. They are built around a young core of players like Corbin Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo, Gabriel Moreno and others, perhaps setting them up to be in contention for many years to come. Hazen and the rest of his staff will surely want to increase the club’s chances here in 2023 but also don’t want to hamper the rest of their competitive window.

That being said, it seems that Hazen will have some willingness to trade players from their farm system, with their track record of player acquisition and development hopefully allowing them to replenish whatever is moved. “We have to be confident that we can do a lot of the things that we did to put this team together, which wasn’t just through signing big free agents and things like that,” he said. “We need to be confident that we’re going to be able to do that again. That allows you to take on the mindset of being a little more aggressive, that things aren’t irreplaceable. Part of not being one player away is also not (thinking) one minor league player is going to determine our fate as a team moving forward.”

Arizona has a challenging schedule between now and the deadline, playing strong clubs like Atlanta, Cincinnati, Seattle and San Francisco, with a three-game set against St. Louis their only matchup against a club that’s currently below .500. Another losing streak could perhaps downgrade the club from “ultra-aggressive” to merely “aggressive,” but it seems as though fans of the club should expect some kind of additions regardless.

Wherever their comfort level lands in terms of what they are willing to part with will then have an impact on what they can acquire. Lucas Giolito and Jordan Montgomery are some of the more obvious trade candidates, though both of those are rentals. Pitchers with extra control like Aaron Civale or Paul Blackburn could also be available, though the extra control will also lead their current clubs to seek larger returns in trade talks.