Diamondbacks plan to be sellers at deadline, but extent is still not known: Sources
The number of deals the DBacks complete before next Thursday's trade deadline will hinge on a variety of factors. The level of interest in their players. Whether the proposals they receive for their qualifying-offer candidates exceeds the potential draft-pick compensation. The assessment of club officials about the team's ability to compete for the third wild-card spot.
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After getting swept at home by the injury-depleted Houston Astros, the Diamondbacks sit 5 1/2 games behind the San Diego Padres, the team currently in the third position. Three clubs – the San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals – are ahead of Arizona. But none is especially imposing, and St. Louis is expected to sell.
The Diamondbacks are reluctant to concede, knowing that in 2023 they secured the sixth and final NL seed with 84 wins, then went on a spectacular run to the World Series. But they already are down three pitchers for the start of next season – right-hander Corbin Burnes and relievers Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk. Their potential free agents, some of the most attractive players on the market, possibly could bring the young pitching the DBacks intend to seek.
Third baseman Eugenio Suárez, fourth in the majors with 36 homers and first with 86 RBIs, might be the best hitter available. Right-hander Zac Gallen, despite his 5.58 ERA, will be one of the best pitchers. Righty Merrill Kelly and first baseman Josh Naylor also are on expiring contracts. It is unlikely the DBacks would trade both Gallen and Kelly.
The team's other potential free agents include outfielder Randal Grichuk and reliever Shelby Miller, who currently is on the injured list. Neither of those players would be under consideration for one-year qualifying offers in the $22 million range. But Suárez, Gallen, Naylor and Kelly all would.
To move any of the four, general manager Mike Hazen would need to clear the value of the draft pick, which would be between the first round and Competitive Balance Round A as long as the player signed for at least $50 million in free agency.
Kelly, who turns 37 in October, might be the only one of the DBacks' big four who commands a deal of less than $50 million. The pick for him then would be after Competitive Balance Round B, at or around No. 75. With each extra choice, the Diamondbacks' bonus pool also would increase.
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The Diamondbacks, according to a source, are scouting the minor-league systems of at least some of the teams interested in Suárez. Those teams, according to sources and published reports, include the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners.
The demand for Suárez makes him the the most likely of the DBacks players to move, with top prospect Jordan Lawlar ready to step in for him at third base. What the Diamondbacks do beyond Suárez will be determined in the week ahead.
(Top photo of Eugenio Suarez:)
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