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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 26: Freddy Peralta #51 of the New York Mets throws a pitch in the fourth inning during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on July 26, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The trade deadline is upon us. Who is your pie in the sky preferred choice for Hazen to acquire?
James Attwood: I’m not sure there is one. I think the best “reasonable” target (which may well be far beyond Arizona’s reach) is Reid Detmers. He’s a quality starter who slots easily into the top half of Arizona’s rotation and stays there even if the good version of Corbin Burnes ever rejoins the rotation in the future. The big thing about a Detmers deal is it also addresses the lack of starting pitching moving forward, as Soroka and Gallen (at the minimum) are both gone come November. He’s also still under control beyond the likely lost 2027 season.
Makakilo: Freddy Peralta.
Ben: I think someone like Hunter Greene would be a really interesting acquisition because of the amount of team control he still has remaining and the profile he strikes. The team definitely needs help in the rotation after Rodriguez and his most improbable run at Cy Young contention. But Greene would help for this season as well as future ones where the rotation is even more questionable. Of course, the asking price from the Reds will be substantially higher than other starting pitchers so Hazen would have to feel pretty comfortable with Greene’s injury history and ability to keep him healthy.
ISH95: Well the pie in the sky acquisition is gone now. Thanks Dodgers. But I wasn’t really thrilled about the idea of picking Skubal up anyway. That being said, I don’t think there are many other crazy acquisitions, at least in the rental market. Players with longer term contracts would fit the bill now, but I’m less aware of those type players who might be available.
Spencer: Jose Soriano. Control, knows how to pitch, what’s not to like?
DBacksEurope: One choice wouldn’t suffice. If I could dream, I’d say Shohei Ohtani but I think it is more probable we land on Mars this year. Yordan Alvarez is another impossible player to get. If you look at players that are pending free agents or to become next year, and with Skubal off the board, and looking at a position of need, I think either Sandy Alcantara or Joe Ryan would be great acquisitions. They will be free agents after 2027.
Justin: I know the Dbacks have been linked to Freddy Peralta, so maybe him. Or Casey Mize. Mason Miller? LMAO….Yeah, right.
1AZFan1: Kyle Tucker. I’m told the Dodgers have so many elite outfield prospects that an underperforming Tucker could be replaced easily. They will probably even pay most of his remaining salary. /s
Who is a more realistic acquisition for the Diamondbacks to pursue?
James Attwood: Maybe Freddy Peralta? Honestly though, I expect his price tag to acquire to also be too high for Arizona to meet. A more realistic option, and coming from the same team, might be Clay Holmes. Sure, he comes with some durability question marks, but so did (and still does) Michael Soroka. As a pure rental who has only made nine starts this year, Holmes should be reasonable to acquire.
Makakilo: Two under-the-radar pitcher acquisitions (via trades with the Angels). Starting pitcher Reid Detmers, 101 ERA+, age 27, under arbitration through the 2028 season. Relief pitcher Sam Bachman, 99 ERA+, age 26, prearb, under arbitration through the 2030 season.
Ben: I think someone in the Reid Detmers or Kevin Gausman tier of starting pitchers is more realistic. Finding an upgrade in the rotation is probably the easiest single change the front office could make because of the cascading series of impacts it would make in the bullpen and the team as a whole. Sadly, the next most realistic scenario is simply standing pat and hoping that players returning from injury will be enough to boost the team back into the playoffs for the first time in three years. It’s not a bad bet because of the roster holes the team has in the rotation and in the lineup, the complicated and uber-competitive nature of the National League, and the number of theoretical buyers around the league increasing the asking prices. But it would be a risk to put your hopes into a series of players who are returning from serious injury to help carry you into the playoffs.
ISH95: I think Casey Mize is a good target for the team, and Gambo linked them to him Saturday morning. Especially if Skubal’s going price is indicative of what the Tigers are asking for their players.
Spencer: Casey Mize. He’s got upside and he’s a rental from a team that doesn’t value good returns for their players.
DBacksEurope: I floated the name of Camilo Doval in a comment the other day. I thought it was a pretty realistic acquisition to do, with quite some upside and under control until the end of 2027. Well, Pittsburgh thought the same. With no other realistic and potentially impactful relievers that fit my definition of “trade line acquisition” (rental or 1 extra year left) and with a lot of “quality” pitching potentially returning in August and September, I think the focus will be on a left-handed bat and a position with need (1B). I think a rental like Arraez makes too much sense, but maybe that is why that trade won’t happen, besides him playing for another NL West team.
Justin: Probably some mid tier SP and bullpen depth. A 1B would be nice.
1AZFan1: I’m just hoping for an innings-eating, 5ish ERA starter. I’m sorry, I don’t really have a name, but that general type is kinda what I’m thinking. Cheap and necessary addition.
What’s the biggest surprise, MLB-wide, you think we’ll see at the deadline this year?
James Attwood: Whatever the return is for Hunter Greene should the Reds move him at the deadline. The whole world expects the Tigers to get themselves a haul for Skubal. Detmers will likewise return the angels a haul, assuming Mozeliak doesn’t make yet another strange decision like he did with the Silseth trade.
Makakilo: What if three teams in contention for the NL WIld Card (Nats, Cards, and Marlins) sell at the trade deadline? On the morning of 1 August, they were between 1.5 and 3 games back in the standings. They may choose to add value instead of chase the playoffs. If contending teams give up, that will be the surprise, which would nevertheless be reasonable to expect. The Nats would be the biggest surprise because in July they acquired Tom Cosgrove and Connelly Early, each of which should help them compete.
Ben: Tarik Skubal will not be traded, the Tigers fail to make the playoffs, and the only return the Tigers get is a compensation draft pick. Maybe those second two results aren’t that surprising given where Detroit finds itself in the standings, but I’m pretty surprised a deal still hasn’t emerged with the sheer number of potential suitors and the playoff odds for the team where they are. [Ed. note] Answer submited 8/1 at 2:59 Arizona time.
ISH95: No one within 3 games of the NL Wild Card sells. All major acquisitions will come from the bottom three NL teams and other non-contending AL WC teams.
Spencer: I think we’ll see a lot of MLB names change hands in the same deals. Prospects aren’t iffier to take on when you don’t know what the system will look like after the lost 2027 season.
DBacksEurope: Anything that goes to the Dodgers isn’t a surprise no more, so I will say that Gausman and Varsho moving to Atlanta was a big surprise. Rutschmann to the Yankees comes in at a good second place. I hadn’t expected the Padres to go for Robbie Ray either, so that would be my number 3.
1AZFan1: I was going to answer Skubal to a non-Dodgers team but….oh well.
Do you think the Diamondbacks will stay under the luxury tax threshold? Or will new players push them past that for the first time in franchise history?
James Attwood: I don’t see any scenario in which they willingly go over the luxury tax threshold. The resulting penalties would cripple the organization moving forward. Besides, they don’t really have the trade chips to add too many players. A single solid acquisition will cost under $6 million, so they should be fine, especially if they move anyone from the veteran roster.
Makakilo: Yes! They will stay under the threshold becuase they are competing to be in the playoffs, not to win the World Series (although anything is possible in the Playoffs).
Ben: I add to look up the luxury tax threshold (it’s $244 million for anyone else who didn’t know off the top of their head) and given the team’s total payroll of ~$231 million, it would take a pretty hefty contract or set of contracts to bring them over it. It would take a Pete Alonso or Mookie Betts level of contract to singlehandedly take the team above that threshold and even a set of players would make it difficult. I also suspect that Kendrick (and by extension Hazen) are very motivated to stay below that number so I think it’s unlikely they do unless a deal they can’t turn away materializes somehow.
ISH95: Everything I’ve read is that they have about $6-7 million to spend, so I think you may be using outdated payroll numbers there. That being said, I think that it’s far more likely right now, in this moment, than it would have been in any year in team history. There won’t be any long term penalties for going over, as those will more than likely all be erased by the next CBA, and as first time offenders, they’ll only be charged 20% on every dollar over. So if they go $10 million over, you’re only talking $2 million in penalties. Hardly franchise crippling. With that mind set, I think the team could theoretically have a lot more room to work with than perhaps they’re given credit for.
Spencer: I can see it going either way. History tells us they will retreat below it and pronounce poverty. But recent aging ownership decisions would lend a case to briefly surpassing it in order to try for a wild card.
DBacksEurope: Nah, Ken Kendrick isn’t going to go over the luxury threshold for this Diamondbacks team. Even if you think you can beat juggernaut LA, you still need to beat another team after them in the World Series. That is too much risk for a cost savvy owner. I do think that Kendrick would be prepared to do it if he really thinks it would give Arizona a realistic chance to win the World Series during what is left of his lifetime, but that isn’t the case this year.
1AZFan1: Absolutely they stay under.
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