Time is on D-Backs’ side
Players get healthy as trade deadline nears
ANAHEIM, Calif. – With the focus of the baseball world beginning to shift toward the July 31 non-waiver deadline, the Diamondbacks find themselves in an interesting spot. Sitting narrowly atop the National League West – they entered Monday night with a 1 1/2game lead in the division – they look like clear buyers. What’s less clear is what they should be buying.
The current roster has plenty of needs or areas to upgrade. The Diamondbacks could use more depth in the lineup. The bench could stand to be strengthened. And, like every team, they could add a frontline starter or a back-end reliever.
But those could all be filled on their own in the coming weeks, thanks to returns to health by several players on the disabled list.
They could find power in the lineup courtesy of center fielder A.J. Pollock or right fielder Steven Souza Jr., both of whom could be back within the next few weeks, if not sooner. Their returns will push current
starters, including recently acquired outfielder Jon Jay, into reserve roles.
Left-hander Robbie Ray and righthander Shelby Miller are capable of providing a significant lift to the rotation. Both possess frontline stuff. And both have demonstrated that they’re capable of posting top-of-the-rotation results. Ray did it as recently as last year.
The bullpen also has help on the way, first in the form of Randall Delgado, a versatile right-hander who last year filled a variety of roles. And, in the same way the bench could be strengthened by the lineup’s return to health, the bullpen could get a boost from the rotation.
With Ray and Miller coming back, the Diamondbacks could send righthander Matt Koch to Triple-A Reno and bump right-hander Zack Godley to the bullpen. Godley, freed from the constraints of having to throw 100 pitches, could let it fly for an inning or two at a time; he might have a power fastball/ curveball combo similar to reliever Archie Bradley.
With six weeks to go before the deadline, the Diamondbacks have plenty of time to evaluate their roster. When it comes to performance, there are no assurances with players returning from injuries. Pollock is a perfect example; he struggled mightily last season after coming back from a lengthy DL stay.
This can be especially true with pitchers returning from Tommy John surgery, like Miller is trying to do. For every Stephen Strasburg and Adam Wainwright, who returned rather seamlessly, there are pitchers like Homer Bailey and Zack Wheeler, who suffered setbacks on their way back.
Of course, the Diamondbacks could always go after the no-brainer upgrades, like Orioles infielder Manny Machado or Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto. Both are stars and won’t come cheap, but the Diamondbacks are so committed to their current window of contention that a case could be made for further emptying the cupboard.
They also could approach the deadline with an eye toward next year. They did that in one sense last July: While they made win-now moves to land slugger J.D. Martinez and reliever David Hernandez, they also traded for catcher John Ryan Murphy, a player who didn’t fit their roster at the time but who has made an impact this year.
More than likely, the Diamondbacks will get to late July and find themselves in need of something. The club will be watching closely over the next six weeks to find out what that need is.