ANALYSIS
that seemed to fit somewhere outside of the traditional buyer and seller categories.
Thatcher fills a clear need as a specialist out of the Diamondbacks bullpen. He’s holding left-handed hitters to a measly .215 average, including just one extra-base hit off him in 70 plate appearances.
The Padres are also sending over two other pieces: First, there’s Double-A right-hander Matt Stites, a reliever whom Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers said reminded one of his scouts of Braves closer Craig Kimbrel, he of the high-90s fastball and the miniscule ERA. Then there’s a competitive balance pick, a selection that will fall between the second and third rounds of next Left-hander Wade Miley has another strong outing, and the Diamondbacks score four runs in the first three innings. Rewind, C5 Sources: A-Rod could get lifetime ban: Commissioner Bud Selig is prepared to levy a lifetime suspension on Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, two people with knowledge of the negotiations told USA Today Sports. C6
year’s amateur draft.
But beyond what the Diamondbacks are receiving, it feels like a deal motivated by what they are shedding. Kennedy, their Opening Day starter each of the past three seasons, has struggled badly this season, his command suffering along with his consistency. His 5.23 ERA in 21 starts ranks 45th among 46 qualifying pitchers in the National League.
It might feel like a tepid return for a pitcher who was a Cy Young candidate two years ago, but it also felt like the Diamondbacks, who have visions of chasing down the resurgent Dodgers in the National League West, couldn’t afford to keep giving him the ball every fifth day.
“We’re in a pennant race right now,” Towers said. “Sometimes you have to do some drastic things. We’re trying to get this thing right. We want to get to the position where we can catch the Dodgers.”
Towers seems to believe that dealing Kennedy and freeing up room for Brandon McCarthy and Trevor Cahill could make his starting rotation better. He believes Thatcher will help the bullpen now, that Stites will do the same as soon as next year and that the draft pick is in good hands with scouting director Ray Montgomery.
McCarthy is expected to return from the disabled list this weekend against the Red Sox. Towers said Cahill, who gave up four runs in 51⁄ innings for Triple-A Reno on Tuesday, likely will need at least one and probably two more rehab starts before he can return.
How much help those two provide remains to be seen. Neither were consistent performers before landing on the disabled list, McCarthy with shoulder problems, Cahill with a bruised hip. In 28 starts, they posted a cumulative ERA of 4.79.
Towers also noted that he needed to create room in his 2014 rotation that figures to at some point include top prospect Archie Bradley, who has spent most of the season mowing down hitters in Double-A.
Money was likely another motivation. The deal saves the Diamondbacks $1.5 million this season, plus Kennedy is in line to earn north of $6 million next season in arbitration, money the club probably felt it could spend more wisely, given its rotation alternatives, elsewhere on the roster.
Towers and manager Kirk Gibson both went to great lengths to praise everything Kennedy did for the organization since he was acquired before the 2010 season. They also went out of their way to note that Kennedy’s struggles aren’t the only reason the club finds itself looking up at the Dodgers, not with an offense that’s been inconsistent and a bullpen that has sprung leaks at the worst of times.
“We’re going to have to start playing good baseball,” Towers said. “We still feel that we have as good a chance as we did a couple weeks ago to still end up on top of the division.”
Acouple of weeks ago, the Diamondbacks were leading the NL West by 21⁄ games. They entered Wednesday 31⁄ games back. Time will tell if Towers feels the same in another two weeks.