With the Arizona Diamondbacks in the thick of the National League Wild Card chase and still in striking distance of the NL West title, a top MLB insider offered up a major update on if the surprise team will be aggressive in improving the roster ahead of the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been one of the best stories in baseball this summer. After a horrid 110-loss season two years ago, the team took a very nice leap forward as they improved by 22 games in the win column last season. Over the first few months of the season, they capitalized on that momentum from 2022 by being a force in the West and actually rising to first place earlier this month.
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However, the team has fallen back to earth in a major way in July. Heading into the middle of this week the Diamondbacks were in the midst of a major slump as they lost 13 of 17 and fell to four games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the division. They are also now in a tie with rivals the San Francisco Giants for the final two spots in the Wild Card and just a half-game away from being outside the playoff picture.
Arizona Diamondbacks not expected to be aggressive at MLB trade deadline
It has led many to wonder how Arizona will approach the next week as a team with legitimate talent but still in need of roster improvements, especially in the rotation and bullpen. On Tuesday, The Athletic’s MLB insider Ken Rosenthal revealed that at the start of the month, the front office had planned to be very aggressive with the belief they might have a real chance of reaching the World Series.
Even suggesting they could have been in on Shohei Ohtani.
However, due to their rough run in July, “according to sources briefed on [the front office’s] thinking, they might not approach the deadline as aggressively, knowing their ceiling might no longer be as high.” Furthermore, with their schedule being pretty difficult the rest of the way, Arizona Diamondback general manager Mike Hazen and the other decision-makers are less inclined to give up some of their many talented prospects for a rental in an uphill chase.
Yet, there is hope. Rosenthal also claims that “A revival in the remaining five games of their homestand against the Cardinals and Mariners could bring renewed clarity, reinforcing the confidence of club officials in the team, justifying a bigger push.”
While it does not seem likely the Arizona Diamondbacks will swing a blockbuster before the MLB trade deadline if they can catch fire soon, it is still a possibility for the upstart squad.