The 2026 Trade Deadline Discussion Thread.

[Cardinal88]

John Gambadoro
@Gambo987
·
29m
I know everyone wants deals I get it I do but Diamondbacks are in a much different situation than other contenders. At some point -some sooner rather then later - the Diamondbacks will get Lawlar. Gurriel ,Troy, Soroka, Burnes, Martinez and Nelson all back from IL - none of them will cost the team any prospects or MLB players.

Lawler - lifetime 207 BA
Gurriel - lifetime 285 BA but only 257 with the Dbacks
Troy - Rookie with a 223 BA

These guys are not going to help our offense that goes MIA at times.

Soroka, Burnes, Martinez and Nelson will help with the pitching duties but to what extent? Soroka - glute injuries can take funny paths. Burnes - after TJ surgery, he had a major one set back and best case is September. Martinez - TJ surgery just 12 or 13 months ago and who knows what can happen (see Burnes). Nelson - best case for his return is mid to late August.

My guess is we will see where we are after the next two series. The WC race is so tight, we can go from 2nd to 6th in nothing flat. The DBacks either strike with what they got or we are missing the playoffs.

 

[82CardsGrad]

But all we hear each year is that someone coming off the IL is better than a trade. Sound familiar? And no one gets fired.

2017 — J.D. Martinez ​

Arizona acquired:

• J.D. Martinez

Detroit received:

• Dawel Lugo
• Sergio Alcantara
• Jose King

Martinez was unbelievable:

.302 batting average

• 29 home runs in only 62 games
• Carried Arizona into the playoffs

Many analysts still consider this Hazen's greatest trade as GM.

---

2018 — Eduardo Escobar ​

Arizona acquired:

• Eduardo Escobar

Minnesota received:

• Three minor leaguers

Escobar became a:

• 35-HR All-Star
• Team leader
• Fan favorite
• One of baseball's better value acquisitions

---

2019 — Zack Greinke Trade ​

Houston received:

• Zack Greinke

Arizona received:

• Seth Beer
• Corbin Martin
• J.B. Bukauskas
• Josh Rojas

Although Greinke was still elite, Hazen recognized Arizona wasn't positioned for a championship and capitalized on Houston's willingness to absorb Greinke's contract.

Josh Rojas became a productive major leaguer, and the financial flexibility helped reshape the organization.

---

2023 — Paul Sewald ​

Seattle received:

• Josh Rojas
• Dominic Canzone
• Ryan Bliss

Arizona received:

• Paul Sewald

This trade transformed the Diamondbacks' biggest weakness.

Before Sewald:

• Bullpen was among MLB's least reliable.

After Sewald:

• Stable closer
• Critical postseason contributor
• Helped Arizona reach the World Series.

---

2024 — A.J. Puk ☆​

Arizona acquired:

• A.J. Puk

Miami received:

• Deyvison De Los Santos
• Andrew Pintar

Puk immediately became one of Arizona's best relievers and remained under team control beyond the season, fitting Hazen's preference for acquiring players with multiple years of control.

Common themes in Hazen's approach​

Over nearly a decade, Hazen has shown several consistent tendencies:

• He avoids overpaying for rentals unless the club is a legitimate contender.
• He values bullpen upgrades highly, often targeting relievers at the deadline.
• He prefers acquiring players with additional years of team control.
• He's willing to sell a year earlier than many GMs if he believes the roster isn't championship caliber (Greinke in 2019, veterans in 2025).
• He is patient and generally avoids "winning the press conference" with flashy but risky deals.

Overall grade​

If you were grading Hazen strictly on trade deadlines since 2017:

• 2017: A+
• 2018: A
• 2019: A
• 2020: B+
• 2021: Incomplete (family leave)
• 2022: B
• 2023: A+
• 2024: A-
• 2025: B+/A- (depending on how the acquired prospects develop)

 

[82CardsGrad]

Some additional perspective:

Team	Estimated scouting staff*
Los Angeles Dodgers	~75–90 scouts
Arizona Diamondbacks	~45–60 scouts

*Includes professional, amateur, international, crosscheckers, special assignment, and area scouts. Exact totals vary by season and how each organization classifies scouting versus player development.
The Dodgers are widely regarded as having one of the largest scouting operations in baseball. Baseball America previously reported they employed 86 professional and amateur scouts, ranking among the largest staffs in MLB at the time.

Why the Dodgers invest so heavily​

The Dodgers' philosophy under Andrew Friedman has been to spend aggressively not just on players, but on infrastructure:

• Extensive domestic amateur scouting
• Large international scouting presence (Latin America, Asia, etc.)
• Deep professional scouting network
• Significant analytics department that works alongside traditional scouts
• Heavy investment in player development

Many baseball executives consider this infrastructure one of the organization's greatest competitive advantages.

How the Diamondbacks compare​

Mike Hazen's Diamondbacks also place a strong emphasis on scouting and player development, but they operate with a significantly smaller budget than the Dodgers. They have continued to add professional and amateur scouts in key areas and have built an excellent reputation for integrating scouting with analytics.

Despite having fewer scouts, Arizona has been remarkably successful at identifying undervalued talent and developing players. Over the past several years they've built a roster featuring players such as Corbin Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo, Brandon Pfaadt, and others through strong drafting, international scouting, and player development.

The bigger difference isn't just the number of scouts​

The Dodgers likely outspend the Diamondbacks by an even larger margin in total baseball operations:

• Scouts
• Analysts
• Software engineers
• Biomechanics specialists
• Player development coaches
• Sports science staff

Many industry observers estimate the Dodgers' baseball operations department is among the two or three largest in MLB.

So while a reasonable estimate is that the Dodgers employ roughly 1.5 to 2 times as many scouts as Arizona, the overall gap in baseball operations personnel is probably even larger. That investment in evaluation and development has been a cornerstone of the Dodgers' sustained success.

Given your earlier interest in Mike Hazen's trade history, it's worth noting that Hazen has often said Arizona's strategy isn't to outspend clubs like the Dodgers—it's to be more selective and efficient with its scouting and player development resources. That philosophy has helped the Diamondbacks remain competitive despite operating with considerably fewer resources.

 

[82CardsGrad]

And finally:

The Arizona Diamondbacks rank in the upper tier of MLB when measured by player payroll as a percentage of revenue, despite being only a middle-of-the-pack payroll team in absolute dollars.

Based on Forbes' analysis of 2024 financials:

• Revenue: approximately $324 million
• Player payroll (including CBT/luxury tax calculations): roughly $180–190 million
• Payroll as a percentage of revenue: approximately 56–59%

That places Arizona among the 11 MLB teams spending at least 50% of their revenue on player payroll, well above the league average.

Approximate ranking by payroll as % of revenue​

Tier	Teams (examples)
1–3	Mets, Dodgers, Blue Jays
4–11	Padres, Rangers, Angels, Royals, Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Cubs, others
Middle	Yankees, Phillies, Braves, Mariners, etc.
Bottom	Guardians, Pirates, Rays, White Sox, Marlins

Why this is significant​

This is one of the reasons many baseball analysts have praised Ken Kendrick and Mike Hazen over the past several years.

Although Arizona is only the 19th-highest revenue club in MLB (about $324 million), it has consistently fielded a payroll that ranks around 13th–14th in the league.

In other words:

• Revenue rank: 19th
• Payroll rank: 13th–14th
• Payroll as % of revenue: Top third of MLB

That's a fairly aggressive spending profile for a mid-market franchise.

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Hazen has therefore had to compete not by having the biggest payroll, but by maximizing the value of every payroll dollar through strong drafting, player development, targeted trades, and selective free-agent signings. That combination has been central to Arizona's ability to contend despite generating hundreds of millions less in annual revenue than the sport's financial heavyweights.