News Diamondbacks Team Notes

The Diamondbacks announced that right-hander Trevor Richards has been designated for assignment. Left-hander Brandyn Garcia was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move, and though Garcia was already on the 40-man roster, the DFA may have been necessary since Richards has enough big league service time that he couldn’t be optioned to the minors without his consent.

Arizona signed Richards to a minor league contract in June and selected him to the active roster after the All-Star break, with Richards delivering a 3.38 ERA over two appearances and 2 2/3 innings in a D’Backs uniform. Richards has signed minors deals with the Cubs, Royals, and Diamondbacks since the start of 2025, and those contracts translated into 5 2/3 total innings at the big league level with Arizona and Kansas City.

A veteran of eight Major League seasons, Richards has a 4.53 ERA over 565 2/3 career innings in the Show with seven different teams. Richards has worked in a variety of roles (starter, reliever, opener, swingman, long man) over his career, while frequently battling some inconsistent control. Richards had a 31.3% strikeout rate over 201 innings during the 2021-23 seasons, but that number has dropped sharply to a 21.9 K% in 71 big league frames since the start of the 2024 campaign.

Richards has enough of a track record that an interested team might put in a waiver claim. Given the timing of the DFA, a claim could come after the July 31 trade deadline, if a club needs to fill a hole in the bullpen. Richards has been outrighted before, so if he clears waivers, he has the right to reject an outright assignment from the Diamondbacks and instead opt for free agency.
 
Eugenio Suárez was sent for x-rays on his hand after being hit by a pitch during tonight’s loss to the Tigers, D-Backs manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic). Suárez later told Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free-Press and other reporters that the x-rays came back negative. He remains day to day, but that’s a huge relief for the D-Backs and teams that are targeting the star third baseman as a deadline pickup.

Suárez was hitting in the top of the ninth against Detroit right-hander Will Vest. He took a 96 MPH fastball off his right hand and was in obvious discomfort. The trainer appeared to be looking at Suárez’s right index finger, and he winced in pain when the trainer touched it. Blaze Alexander entered as a pinch-runner.

The D-Backs already dodged a bullet earlier in the month when Suárez was hit by a pitch on his left pinky finger during the All-Star Game. That only resulted in a contusion. Tonight’s HBP was on the opposite hand. Further testing is still to come but it appears that Suarez and the Snakes may have averted disaster for a second time this month. A serious injury would have been awful timing. Suarez is one of the top trade candidates ahead of Thursday’s deadline. In fact, MLBTR just put him in the #1 spot in our recent Top 50 list.

The Diamondbacks have suffered a large number of injuries this year, which have cut into their competitive chances. They are now 51-56 and 6.5 games back of a playoff spot. They have pivoted into sell mode, flipping guys who are nearing free agency. They’ve already traded Josh Naylor to the Mariners and Randal Grichuk to the Royals.

Suárez is the most attractive of the guys they have available this week. He’s been one of the hottest hitters on the planet for over a year now. Dating back to July 7th of last year, he has hit 60 home runs. He has a .274/.331/.598 batting line in that time and 151 wRC+. His defense at third base is subpar but he’s be the best bat available across the league.

His contract is notable but not egregious. The Snakes picked up a $15MM club option for his services this year. That leaves about $5MM left to be paid out. If Arizona wants to maximize the prospect return, they could eat some of that to take the burden off the acquiring club. Suárez has already been connected to clubs like the Phillies, Mariners, Reds, Cubs and Yankees. The Yanks are presumably out after getting Ryan McMahon instead, but the market for Suárez should still be strong.

If further testing does reveal some kind of notable injury, it would obviously be a blow to the Diamondbacks and the clubs who are hoping to acquire him. For the Snakes, they would at least have the chance to make him a qualifying offer at season’s end. If he were to reject that and sign elsewhere, they would get a compensatory draft pick. They are surely hoping to get more value than that by trading him in the coming days, but it would at least be a viable fallback plan.

Ideally though, the crisis has been averted and Suárez can be part of a headline-grabbing deal in the coming days, netting the Diamondbacks some future talent to help them bounce back from this rough season.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images
 
The Red Sox are known to be on the lookout for starting pitching, having already been connected to arms like Mitch Keller and Dylan Cease. Rob Bradford of WEEI reports that they have also shown interested in Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly of the Diamondbacks. Francys Romero of BeisbolFR adds that the Sox have been monitoring Sandy Alcantara of the Marlins.

All three pitchers are seen as likely candidates to be traded before the deadline. The Diamondbacks have already started selling players approaching free agency. They flipped first baseman Josh Naylor to the Mariners and outfielder Randal Grichuk to the Royals. They will likely trade third baseman Eugenio Suárez as well.

Like all of those players, Gallen and Kelly are impending free agents and both should have value. With Gallen, 29, the question will be how much other clubs put stock into this year’s struggles versus his better numbers in the past. He came into this season with 815 1/3 career innings, having allowed 3.29 earned runs per nine. He had a 26.6% strikeout rate, 7.8% walk rate and 43.8% ground ball rate.

This year, however, his strikeout rate has fallen to 22.1%. That has been part of the reason his ERA has climbed to 5.60. There’s also a bit of bad luck in there, as his 64% strand rate is to the unfortunate side, as is his 16.3% home run to fly ball rate. His 4.75 FIP and 4.14 SIERA are a bit more optimistic than his ERA but still point to him not quite being the same pitcher this year.

Still, there’s a lack of clear ace types on the trade market this year. There have been some rumors surrounding pitchers like MacKenzie Gore and Joe Ryan. However, a trade of either of those guys still seems like a long shot. Perhaps there are clubs out there who see a way to get Gallen back on track. He is making $13.5MM this year, which is notable but still below market for a solid starter. He’s already been connected to the Blue Jays and now Red Sox but his market surely extends to plenty of other clubs.

Kelly doesn’t have ace upside but his profile is more steady and he’s having a better year. The 36-year-old has a 3.74 ERA in his career, along with a 22.1% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate and 45% ground ball rate. He had a 3.37 ERA in 2022 and a 3.29 mark the year after. His ERA spiked a bit last year as he battled injuries settling at 4.03. This year, he’s back down to 3.22. His 23.5% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate and 45% ground ball rate this season are all better than average. He’s only making $7MM this year, basically half of Gallen.

Alcantara, like Gallen, would be more of a bet on past performance. Alcantara won a Cy Young award in 2022 but missed 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery and his return from that procedure has not been smooth. In 109 innings this year, he has a 6.36 earned run average. His 45.6% ground ball rate is still above league average but he was regularly above 50% in previous seasons. His 16.8% strikeout rate is a huge drop, as he was in the 22-24% range in his best years.

It’s a tricky spot for the Marlins to be in. They are rebuilding and surely want to cash in Alcantara for young talent. However, given his performance, they might not get their asking price and could decide to hold. Alcantara is under contract for next year with a $17MM salary, then there’s a $21MM club option with a $2MM buyout for 2027. If Miami can’t find a deal to its liking, they could try in the offseason or at next year’s deadline. Though the current market conditions might prompt some club to take a chance on Sandy.

For the Red Sox, they have Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval and Hunter Dobbins all on the injured list. Their healthy rotation has Garrett Crochet at the front but then things get dicey after that. Walker Buehler has a 5.72 ERA. Lucas Giolito has a 3.80 ERA but a 4.19 FIP and 4.16 SIERA. Brayan Bello has a 3.32 ERA but a 4.26 FIP and 4.37 SIERA. There’s room to upgrade.

Payroll wise, Roster Resource has the Sox right up against the competitive balance tax. However, club decision makers expressed a willingness to pay the tax this year. In fact, their CBT number was over the line before they traded Rafael Devers to the Giants. That suggests they could have some ability to take on a bit of money in order to bolster their roster for the stretch run.

Photo courtesy of Jacob Reiner, Imagn Images
 
July 31: Nightengale reports that the talks between the two clubs are “all but dead,” adding that Houston asked Minnesota to pay “about $50MM” of the $102.5MM remaining in Correa’s contract and also asked for an outfielder to be included in the deal. Nightengale adds that the Twins rejected that offer and “aren’t budging” from that position. Rome reports (alongside The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal) that talks between the sides have continued despite both sides downplaying the likelihood of a trade.

July 30, 12:37pm: The Astros approached the Twins about the possibility, Chandler Rome and Dan Hayes of The Athletic report. Astros owner Jim Crane has “remained a fan” of Correa since his departure, they note, adding that the Twins believe Houston is perhaps the only destination to which Correa would green-light a trade. Nightengale adds that Correa indeed would be open to returning to Houston and playing third base there. That said, Hayes and Rome echo Passan in writing that the two sides are far apart and a deal is not at all close.

12:07pm: The Twins and Astros have indeed talked about the possibility of a Correa trade but aren’t close to an agreement, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports.

9:52am: As the Astros seek help in the infield following injuries to Isaac Paredes and Jeremy Pena, they’ve looked into the possibility of bringing Carlos Correa back to Houston, as first reported by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune writes that the two parties have had discussions on the possibility. MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart adds that Houston’s interest “is real.” Nightengale adds that Houston remains interested in Eugenio Suárez as well and has at least weighed the possibility of another run at Nolan Arenado.

The Correa scenario presents a fascinating, if unexpected wrinkle to this summer’s deadline market. In the offseason, Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey downplayed the possibility of trading his shortstop, and Correa himself voiced an affinity for Minnesota when asked about his no-trade clause at the time.

It’s fair to wonder whether either party’s stance has changed. The Twins have struggled through a sub-.500 four months of baseball and have minimal hope of reaching the postseason. The Pohlad family is exploring a sale of the team, and while that was true over the winter as well, the former front-runner to purchase the Twins, Justin Ishbia, has since instead reached a long-term agreement to become the majority stakeholder in the White Sox (where he was already a minority owner). On Correa’s end of things, returning to his original organization and jumping back into a playoff race would presumably be appealing.

Correa is still owed significant money. He signed a six-year, $200MM deal with four vesting options prior to the 2023 season. He’ll make a combined $92MM from 2026-28 and also still has about $11.6MM of this year’s salary yet to be paid out. The Twins would almost certainly have to pay down a portion of the contract to make a deal work.

Even if Minnesota did so, however, adding Correa back to the roster in Houston would send the Astros soaring past the luxury tax threshold. They’re currently about $4.5MM shy of that barrier, per RosterResource. Owner Jim Crane was steadfastly against exceeding the tax threshold in the offseason — at least in most scenarios. His lone exception, it seemed, would have been for a reunion with Alex Bregman. Whether Crane is feeling more urgency due to Houston’s litany of injuries or simply harbors some sentimentality for another former Astros star, one has to imagine he’s grown more comfortable crossing the tax threshold.

That Correa is in the midst of a sub-par season only further muddies the water. The 30-year-old hit brilliantly for the Twins last year in an injury-shortened campaign, batting .310/.388/.517 with his typical brand of strong defense at shortstop. He’s rebounded from a poor start in 2025 to an extent, but Correa’s .267/.319/.386 slash is slightly under league average (97 wRC+). Over his past 274 plate appearances, Correa is hitting .300 with a .350 on-base percentage but just a .423 slugging percentage. His power is down substantially this season, in part because his ground-ball rate has spiked to a 48.5% — its highest level in five years.

A renewed run at Arenado would register as something of a surprise. Arenado invoked his no-trade clause to nix a trade to Houston over the winter. Now that the Astros are in first place, he’d likely be more open to a move there. However, he’s in the midst of a third straight down year at the plate and is still owed substantial money.

Arenado, 34, is hitting a career-worst .235/.295/.367 in 390 plate appearances. By measure of wRC+, he’s been 16% worse than average at the plate. He remains a strong defensive third baseman but no longer draws top-of-the-scale grades from defensive metrics. He’s earning $32MM this year, $27MM next year and $15MM in 2027. It’s a steep price to pay for a former All-Star whose bat is has been on the downswing for several years now. The Cardinals would need to eat a major portion of the contract, but there’s still enough left on the deal that Arenado, too, would surely put Houston over the luxury threshold.

Suárez, owed $4.8MM for the remainder of the season, might not quite put the Astros over that edge, though the Diamondbacks could always include some cash to coax a more favorable return. The bidding on the 34-year-old slugger will be fierce, however, and Houston’s farm system is not as well regarded as some of the other teams who’ll be vying for Suárez and his 36 home runs. The Mariners, Cubs, Tigers, Phillies and Reds are among the teams also pursuing him.

Paredes could miss the remainder of the season — Nightengale notes that surgery is a consideration — but he’s controlled for an additional two years. Pena is on the mend from fractured ribs but is also controlled through 2027. Given the Astros’ multiple years of control over the left side of their infield, Suárez represents a cleaner fit than either Correa or Arenado. Paredes could slide over to second base in subsequent seasons if the Astros wind up with a new infielder who’s signed beyond the current season, but he’s played the vast majority of his career at third base.

Correa’s name hasn’t come up until this point, but the Twins are expected to be active sellers over the next two days. Righty Chris Paddack was already moved to the Tigers, and rental players like Willi Castro, Harrison Bader and Danny Coulombe are all expected to change hands as well. The more interesting element is whether the Twins will cave and trade anyone controlled longer-term. Relievers Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax have been two of the most sought-after names on the bullpen market, and any contending team would love to add righty Joe Ryan to its rotation. All three are controlled through 2027, however. Add in the new possibility of a Correa deal, and there’s plenty for the Minnesota front office to do over the next day and a half.
 
The Rangers announced the acquisition of starting pitcher Merrill Kelly from the Diamondbacks for pitching prospects Mitch Bratt, Kohl Drake and David Hagaman. Texas designated first baseman Blaine Crim for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

Kelly is the most significant of three deadline pickups for the Rangers. They also deepened their bullpen by adding Phil Maton and Danny Coulombe. The Rangers leaned even harder into their identity as a pitching and defense team after evidently being dissatisfied with the asking prices on top hitters.

The 36-year-old Kelly was arguably the best rental starter who changed hands. He has turned in a 3.22 earned run average through 128 2/3 innings. That comes with a solid 23.5% strikeout percentage and a league average 7.4% walk rate. Kelly doesn’t have massive swing-and-miss stuff, but he’s a plus command artist with a long track record of mid-rotation performance. This will his third sub-4.00 ERA season within the past four years. Last year’s 4.03 earned runs per nine is his worst mark since 2021.

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That’s rock solid production that’ll make Kelly a high-end #3 starter in Texas. He’d slot behind Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi as the expected playoff rotation if the Rangers qualify. They have plenty of work to do in that regard — they’re currently tied with Seattle for the final AL Wild Card position — but opponents would have a very tough time scoring against them in October. Patrick Corbin and Jack Leiter figure to round out the starting five for the time being. That could push Kumar Rocker back to Triple-A.

Kelly is playing on a $7MM salary. It’s the final year of what turned out to be a very team-friendly extension that he signed with the Snakes early in the ’22 season. Texas is taking on roughly $2.22MM for the stretch run. They also added around $950K on Coulombe’s deal and picked up roughly $634K on Maton. The Rangers have wanted to stay underneath the $241MM base luxury tax threshold. RosterResource unofficially estimates them around $236M. The actual number is likely to be above that by season’s end as players trigger incentives, but it seems the Rangers at least stayed on the border of the threshold while making a trio of acquisitions on the pitching staff.

Arizona had already dealt Eugenio Suárez and Josh Naylor as they sold off most of their impending free agents. The biggest question on deadline day was whether they’d trade both Kelly and Zac Gallen. Ultimately, they only found what they considered a satisfactory offer on Kelly. Gallen will finish the season in the desert and quite likely receive and reject a qualifying offer. The D-Backs valued the compensatory draft pick they’d receive in that scenario more than whatever teams were willing to trade for Gallen, who has underperformed this season.

Kelly’s superior year allowed the Snakes to get a trio of minor league arms. They focused their trade returns on upper level young pitching. Drake, a 6’5″ left-hander, is the highest regarded of their new prospects. He placed fifth in the Texas system at MLB Pipeline and ninth at Baseball America. BA feels the former 11th-round pick projects as a multi-inning reliever, while Pipeline projects him as a back-end starter.

Drake has struggled over four Triple-A starts but turned in a 2.44 ERA through 12 appearances in Double-A. He sits around 93 MPH and has a four-pitch mix with advanced command. He’s 24 years old and will need to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He should debut at some point next year at the latest.

Bratt, 22, is a 6’1″ lefty who was selected out of high school in the 2021 draft. The Canadian southpaw has spent the whole season at Double-A Frisco. He has pitched to a 3.18 ERA with a plus 28.5% strikeout percentage and minuscule 4.3% walk rate in 18 appearances. Bratt placed ninth in the system at Pipeline and 14th at Baseball America. He’s a good athlete with above-average to plus command but fringe stuff that could make him a fifth starter. He’ll also need to go on the 40-man roster this offseason.

The 22-year-old Hagaman is a little further off. He was a fourth-round pick out of West Virginia last summer. He underwent Tommy John surgery last year and has been limited to eight professional appearances. Both BA and Pipeline ranked him in the middle third of the Rangers’ top 30 prospects. The 6’4″ righty has an impressive three-pitch arsenal but struggled with command in college. He could be a long-term reliever but will get a chance to develop as a starter.

Arizona’s player development staff now has a lot of young pitching talent with which to work. Most of those players could be on the MLB radar by next season. In the meantime, veteran righty Anthony DeSclafani will stretch out from long relief to take Kelly’s rotation spot (relayed by Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports). He has a 3.86 ERA in 23 1/3 frames and should be a serviceable innings source so the D-Backs don’t need to press their younger arms into early action.

As for Crim, he’ll be placed on waivers in the next few days. The 28-year-old first baseman got a brief look earlier in the season when the Rangers optioned Jake Burger to Triple-A. He went 1-11 with a walk. Crim has a career .283/.374/.487 batting line in more than 1600 plate appearances at the top minor league level.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.5 first reported the Rangers were nearing a Kelly deal. ESPN’s Jeff Passan confirmed there was an agreement in place. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that Arizona was acquiring three prospects, including Drake and Hagaman. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic was first on Bratt’s inclusion. Image courtesy of Charles Leclaire, Imagn Images.
 
First baseman/outfielder Seth Brown triggered an upward mobility clause in his minor league contract with the D-backs yesterday, MLBTR has learned. That clause requires the Diamondbacks to notify all 29 other teams that Brown is available for anyone who wants to add him to their 40-man roster. Teams have 48 hours to decide, so a decision on Brown will come by tomorrow afternoon.

If another club is interested in adding Brown to the roster, Arizona would then be given its own 48-hour period to decide whether to let him go or add him to its own 40-man roster. If no other team is willing to put Brown on the 40-man, he’ll continue on with the D-backs’ Triple-A affiliate.

Brown, a longtime member of the A’s, hit just .185/.303/.262 with the Athletics in 76 plate appearances this year. It was the worst production of his big league career, though it obviously came in a small sample. Even so, it marked a third straight year of declining performance at the dish. From 2019-22, Brown tallied 950 plate appearances with the A’s and slashed .229/.298/.454. He had platoon issues and a lofty strikeout rate but was generally a productive, power-over-hit option against right-handers.

Brown’s production dipped in 2023 (.222/.286/.405) and again the following season. Overall, he’s posted a tepid .223/.286/.381 slash in his last 854 big league plate appearances. The A’s released Brown in late June, and he latched on with the D-backs a few days later.

He’s only taken 87 plate appearances in Triple-A Reno so far, but Brown has delivered strong results. Coupled with his production for the Athletics’ Triple-A club earlier this season, he’s hitting .362/.431/.724 with 11 homers in just 130 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. Brown is a limited player but has a solid .234/.301/.441 batting line (108 wRC+) in 1567 plate appearances versus righties — including a pair of 20-homer seasons in 2021-22.

Brown is several years removed from that type of production, but with the deadline in the rearview mirror, there are limited opportunities for teams to add depth. Brown narrowly crossed the threshold to reach five years of service earlier this summer, meaning he’d have to consent to be optioned with a new club. A team looking to add a left-handed bat to its bench could still have interest. If he does get added to a big league roster and shows well through the season’s final two months, he can be controlled through 2026 via arbitration. If he’s not added to a 40-man roster, he’ll be able to become a minor league free agent at season’s end.
 
The Diamondbacks announced Friday that they’ve selected the contracts of lefty Kyle Nelson and shortstop Connor Kaiser from Triple-A Reno. Arizona also reinstated veteran reliever Jalen Beeks from the injured list. First baseman Tyler Locklear, acquired in the Eugenio Suárez trade, was added to the major league roster. Lefty Brandyn Garcia (acquired in the Josh Naylor deal) and infielder Tristin English were optioned to Reno.

Nelson, 29, was a key member of Arizona’s bullpen in 2022, tossing 37 innings with a 2.19 ERA in his first year after coming over from Cleveland. His numbers dipped in 2023-24, however, and Nelson was removed from the 40-man roster in early July by way of a DFA. He passed through waivers unclaimed. In 22 2/3 innings for Reno this year, he’s been roughed up for a 6.35 ERA thanks to a whopping seven home runs allowed. Most of those struggles came earlier in the year, however. He’s rattled off 6 1/3 shutout innings over his past eight appearances.

Kaiser, 28, provides a glove-first infielder off the bench. He’ll work in a utility capacity as Blaze Alexander, who had been the depth infielder, will get everyday third base run with Suárez out the door. A Vanderbilt product, Kaiser is hitless in four career major league plate appearances. Those came over three games with the Rockies two seasons ago. He’s batting .236/.346/.423 in a hitter-friendly Triple-A setting this year.
 
The Brewers acquired injured pitchers Shelby Miller and Jordan Montgomery from the Diamondbacks for a player to be named later or cash. Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports that Milwaukee is absorbing $2MM of the approximate $7.1MM remaining on Montgomery’s $22.5MM salary. The D-Backs are seemingly kicking in a little over $5MM.

It’s a pure salary dump for Arizona. Montgomery underwent Tommy John surgery in Spring Training. He’ll be a free agent at season’s end. He’s on the 60-day injured list and won’t have any impact on the Brewers’ season. They’re letting the D-Backs off the hook for a small portion of the remaining salary to effectively purchase Miller without needing to give up any young talent.

Miller is on the injured list himself after sustaining a forearm strain a few weeks ago. He avoided surgery and is expected back this season. GM Matt Arnold told reporters (including Todd Rosiak of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) that he’d spoken to Miller about his recovery. Arnold said the righty has had sharp stuff in bullpen sessions and might not be far away from a rehab assignment.

Before the injury, the 34-year-old Miller looked like one of the best rental relievers available. He’d taken over Arizona’s closer role and had fired 36 1/3 innings of 1.98 ERA ball. There’s obviously no guarantee that he’ll maintain that form after an arm injury, but Milwaukee is only spending a few million dollars to find out. Miller himself is playing on a $1MM salary after signing an offseason minor league deal; the only somewhat significant money that the Brewers are taking is the cash they’re eating on Montgomery.

The Brewers already have one of the game’s deepest bullpens. Miller could add another weapon for the stretch run and into the postseason. Milwaukee can feel pretty well assured that they’re going to make the playoffs in some capacity. Miller has a shot to play a big role in October if he comes back strong.

Robert Murray of FanSided reported the Brewers were acquiring Miller. Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic had Montgomery’s inclusion.
 
The Mariners and Diamondbacks are reportedly in agreement on a trade that’ll send Eugenio Suárez back to Seattle. The D-Backs are getting rookie first baseman Tyler Locklear, reliever Juan Burgos and minor league pitcher Hunter Cranton in return. The deal is expected to be officially announced on Thursday.

Seattle has made a Suárez reunion their top deadline priority. They’ll get their man, bringing back a two-time All-Star who combined for 53 home runs in a Mariners uniform between 2022-23. The M’s made the regrettable decision to trade Suárez away after the ’23 season. That netted hard-throwing middle reliever Carlos Vargas but was primarily motivated by a desire to shed the $13MM that remained on the third baseman’s contract at the time.

While Suárez started his Arizona tenure slow, he’s been one of the best hitters on the planet dating back to the middle of last summer. Over the past calendar year, Suárez has hit 53 home runs with a .273/.332/.589 slash line. He’s tied with Kyle Schwarber and teammate Cal Raleigh for third in MLB in homers during that stretch. Only Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge have hit more. Suárez went on such a tear in the second half last year that the D-Backs had an easy call to bring him back on a $15MM club option that once looked likelier to be bought out.

Suárez has shown no signs of slowing down at age 34. He has mashed at a .248/.321/.577 clip across 433 plate appearances. He and Raleigh are tied for the MLB lead with 87 runs batted in. Only Raleigh, Ohtani, Judge and Schwarber have more home runs. He’d led the American League in strikeouts during both seasons in his first run with Seattle. The 12-year big league veteran has trimmed his strikeout rate by a few percentage points in Arizona. There’s still a decent amount of swing-and-miss, but it’s not at the same rate that surely alarmed the M’s front office a couple years ago.

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The Diamondbacks were on the fringe of the NL Wild Card race as recently as two weeks ago. A sweep at the hands of the Astros sealed their fate as deadline sellers. Houston’s division rivals have ironically been the big beneficiary. The D-Backs began their sell-off by dealing Josh Naylor to Seattle last week. He displaced Luke Raley as the starting first baseman. Suárez rejoins him as an impact corner infield tandem. It’ll likely push light-hitting rookie infielder Ben Williamson back to Triple-A.

Seattle now runs out a lineup including Raleigh, Suárez, Naylor, Julio Rodríguez, Randy Arozarena, Jorge Polanco and J.P. Crawford. Right fielder Dominic Canzone has mashed since being called up from Triple-A in early June. It’s the imposing lineup that Seattle has tried for years to build alongside their elite rotation.

The M’s are nevertheless far from guaranteed to make the playoffs. They’re currently tied with the Rangers for the AL’s last Wild Card spot and sit five games back of Houston in the division race. They’ve poked around the market for another late-inning reliever. Seattle added left-hander Caleb Ferguson to the bullpen on Wednesday evening, but he’s more of a complementary piece. If the Mariners have another big move in them, it’d probably be in the late innings.

The Mariners are taking on nearly $5MM in salary still owed to Suárez for the stretch run. They assumed almost $4MM on Naylor and close to $1MM for Ferguson. It’s a significant change from an offseason in which ownership left the front office without much budgetary flexibility. They’re all-in as they try to capitalize on Raleigh turning in one of the greatest seasons ever by a catcher. Suárez and Naylor might be the two best impending free agent hitters to move. The acquisition should be very well received in the clubhouse, as Suárez is a highly-regarded teammate with whom much of the roster is familiar.

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Seattle gave up a trio of players to make that happen. Locklear, 24, is the most intriguing. He’s a righty-hitting first baseman who could replace Naylor as Arizona’s long-term answer at that position. Seattle took the Virginia Commonwealth product in the second round in 2022. The 24-year-old doesn’t have much big league experience. He appeared in 16 games last season, hitting .156 while striking out 20 times in 49 plate appearances.

Plenty of hitters struggle in their first look at MLB pitching. Locklear has posted excellent minor league numbers. He’s a career .291/.392/.502 hitter against minor league arms. That includes a huge .316/.401/.542 showing in Triple-A this season. Locklear has connected on 19 home runs in 434 plate appearances. Seattle just recalled him this afternoon to replace Raley, who went down with back spasms. Instead, he’s off to Arizona, where he’ll probably jump directly onto the MLB roster.

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Burgos, 25, could also get an MLB look in the near future. Seattle called up the 6’0″ righty in late June. Burgos didn’t get much of a look over a three-week stint in the big league bullpen. He made four appearances, working 6 2/3 frames of three-run ball with eight strikeouts. Burgos showed a five-pitch mix built around a low-90s cutter and a mid-90s sinker.

He doesn’t have elite velocity for a bullpen prospect, but he has punched out an above-average 26.1% of batters faced over 31 innings between the top two minor league levels. Burgos has an absurd 0.87 earned run average in that stretch. Baseball America ranked him 25th among Seattle prospects, while he placed 17th at MLB Pipeline. Both outlets feel he’s a low-variance middle relief type.

Cranton is further off. Seattle drafted him in the third round last summer out of the University of Kansas. He was an underslot signee as a senior draft pick. MLB Pipeline ranked the 6’3″ righty as the #16 prospect in the Seattle system. He placed 23rd on Eric Longenhagen’s writeup at FanGraphs last month. He did not rank among BA’s top 30. Cranton has an upper-90s fastball and a slider. He was on the minor league injured through the end of June after being struck in the head by a comebacker during Spring Training, Longenhagen notes.

None of the three players are top-end prospects. The lack of a true headliner might come as a disappointment to Arizona fans, but it reflects teams’ general reluctance to give up elite young talent for rentals. The D-Backs added a pair of controllable players who could play meaningful roles as they try to return to competitiveness in 2026. In the meantime, they’ll eventually get their first real look at third base prospect Jordan Lawlar. Lawlar isn’t quite ready to return from a June hamstring injury that sent him to the Triple-A injured list, but he should get 4-6 weeks of everyday playing time to close the season.

Arizona has traded three impending free agents: Naylor, Suárez and Randal Grichuk. They’ll move at least one and possibly both of Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly tomorrow. They could also try to move an outfielder or short-term relievers like the currently injured Shelby Miller or Kevin Ginkel. There’s plenty more to come from the Snakes over the next 18 hours.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the Mariners were reacquiring Suárez. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com had the return going to Arizona. Images courtesy of Imagn Images.
 
TODAY: Cease is the Astros’ “main target,” a source tells MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.

JULY 29: The Astros have Padres right-hander Dylan Cease atop their deadline wish list, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal and Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Houston is also known to be looking for a bat and the report lists Willi Castro of the Twins, Jesús Sánchez of the Marlins and Jake McCarthy of the Diamondbacks as names the Astros are considering. MLBTR covered Houston’s interested in Castro earlier this week.

The Houston rotation has had a rough go in terms of health this year. They started the season with Luis Garcia, J.P. France and Cristian Javier on the injured list due to surgeries in previous years. They’re all still on the shelf. Since the start of the season, Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski have required Tommy John surgery, putting them out for the rest of the year. Spencer Arrighetti suffered a fractured thumb in a freak accident, getting hit during batting practice, and has been out for almost three months now. In the past two weeks, Lance McCullers Jr. hit the IL with a blister and Brandon Walter was sidelined by elbow inflammation.

They still have a strong one-two punch atop the rotation with Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown but things get dicey after that. Currently, Colton Gordon, Ryan Gusto and Jason Alexander are filling in. The Astros will naturally want to add some arms and push those guys down the depth chart. It’s possible they could get some guys off the IL in the coming months, but it’s understandable that they don’t want to rely on that.

Cease has been one of the most reliable pitchers in the game. Since getting promoted in 2019, he hasn’t gone on the injured list, apart from a two-day stint on the COVID list in 2021. He made 12 starts in the shortened 2020 season. He has made at least 32 starts in each full season since. He’s already up to 22 this year.

That reliability would certainly be attractive to the Astros amid all the injuries, though the quality has often been quite strong as well, as Cease has regularly struck out roughly 30% of batters faced. His earned run average has oscillated over the years thanks to some wobbles in his batting average on balls in play, strand rate and home run rate. His advanced metrics have held more steady. For his career, he has a 3.69 FIP and 3.82. In a full season, he’s never had a SIERA higher than 4.10 or a FIP higher than 3.72.

This year’s 4.79 ERA in on the high side, though at least part of that seems to be beyond Cease’s control. His .323 BABIP, 68.5% strand rate and 13.3% homer to fly ball rate are all to the unfortunate side. His 3.64 FIP and 3.37 SIERA suggest he’s largely been the same guy as in previous seasons. His ERA is also inflated a bit by a nine-run shellacking in his third start of the year.

Though Cease makes plenty of sense for the Astros on the field, there are other matters to consider. He is making $13.75MM this year, which leaves about $4.5MM left to be paid out. The Astros have clearly tried to avoid the competitive balance tax this year, dumping money in the offseason by trading Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly. RosterResource currently pegs the club’s CBT number at $236MM, just $5MM from the base threshold of the tax. That’s just an estimate and it might be off by a few million in either direction.

Perhaps the Astros can add Cease and stay under the line but they also want to add a bat, which could make it tricky. On the other hand, the report from The Athletic suggests that owner Jim Crane likes star players and might be willing to cross the line in order to get someone like Cease. He was reportedly willing to cross the line in the offseason in order to re-sign Alex Bregman, though Bregman ultimately landed with the Red Sox.

The Astros will also have to offer the Padres something they would like. The Friars aren’t selling in the commonly understood sense. Their plan with dealing Cease is to perhaps save some money, add a left fielder or a catcher, or prospects, or some combination of those goals. They could then use either the prospects or the saved money to acquire another starting pitching to replace Cease.

Houston doesn’t have a strong farm system, so perhaps the prospect part will be hard for them to pull off, though they could help out in some of the other areas. Catcher Victor Caratini is having a good year, though Yainer Diaz is struggling, so perhaps the Astros wouldn’t want to part with Caratini. Though if they did, Caratini is making $6MM this year, so flipping him would give the Astros some extra CBT space.

In the outfield, the Astros are currently without Jake Meyers and Yordan Alvarez. Their current mix includes Cam Smith, Taylor Trammell, Jose Altuve, Jacob Melton, Cooper Hummel and Chas McCormick. Houston’s not giving a ton of playing time to McCormick, who has some decent seasons on his track record. However, he hasn’t been good for a couple of years now, so the Padres probably don’t have too much interest. Trammell has been hitting well lately but while striking out in more than 30% of his plate appearances. Hummel has been DFA fodder all year. Altuve and Smith aren’t going anywhere. Melton might be hard to pry loose because he hits left-handed, something the Astros lack, and is covering center field with Meyers out.

The report from The Athletic points out that the Astros traded three notable prospects to get a rental pitcher at last year’s deadline, flipping Jake Bloss, Joey Loperfido and Will Wagner to the Jays for Yusei Kikuchi. Perhaps they could do so again, though it’s unclear if they have the farm system to do it.

If they have some guys the Padres like, it’s theoretically possible that the Friars could then use those guys to upgrade elsewhere. A sequence of events like this helped them land Cease in the first place. They traded Juan Soto to the Yankees for a bunch of pitchers, including Michael King and Drew Thorpe. They then quickly put Thorpe in a package to send to the White Sox to get Cease. Perhaps the Astros can make it work but they will have competition. Cease has also been connected to the Mets, Cubs, Blue Jays, Rays, Red Sox and Yankees.

As for the hitters, the Astros have also suffered a number of injuries to the lineup. As mentioned, Alvarez and Meyers are on the shelf, as well as shortstop Jeremy Peña, third baseman Isaac Paredes and others. Astros general manager Dana Brown has said the club would love to get a lefty bat, ideally one who could play the infield and/or left field. Players like Altuve, Mauricio Dubón and Zack Short have some defensive versatility, giving the Astros a bit of flexibility in what kind of bat they add.

Sánchez has been a roughly league average bat in his time with the Marlins. He has a .243/.310/.425 career batting line and a wRC+ of exactly 100. He is making $4.5MM this year, which leaves about $1.5MM left to be paid out. He can be controlled via arbitration for another two seasons. He’s been far better against righties in his career, which could appeal to Houston. He has a .179/.228/.287 slash against southpaws but a .258/.330/.459 line otherwise. The rebuilding Marlins likely aren’t clinging too tightly to him.

McCarthy has been good in the past but not this year. He slashed .285/.349/.400 for a 110 wRC+ in 2024, also adding 25 steals and quality defense. This year, he has a brutal .158/.232/.277 line and was sent to the minors for a few months. He did hit well in Triple-A, slashing .314/.401/.440, so perhaps the Astros see a path to getting him back on track. He still hasn’t qualified for arbitration and is being paid around the league minimum, which would be attractive for the Astros.

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
 
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams and Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss various trade deadline topics, including…


Check out our past episodes!

  • David Robertson, Trade Chips For The O’s and A’s, And What The Rangers Could Do – listen here
  • Rays’ Ownership, The Phillies Target Bullpen Help, And Bubble Teams – listen here
  • Firings in Washington, Bad Braves, And An AL East Shake-Up – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Geoff Burke, Imagn Images
 
A once-dominant season for the Tigers has sprung some leaks, as the club has lost 13 of its last 16 games. Detroit still has a nine-game lead in the AL Central so it’s far from panic mode just yet, but some help is clearly needed at the deadline, as evidenced by yesterday’s trade that brought Chris Paddack to the rotation in place of the injured Reese Olson.

Another rotation upgrade could be under consideration, as John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Phoenix writes that “the Tigers like Merrill Kelly.” The Diamondbacks right-hander is seen as likely to be moved by the deadline since Arizona has started moving other impending free agents like Josh Naylor, though it remains to be seen if the Tigers could emerge as an ardent suitor. Gambadoro notes that the Tigers are primarily focused on adding relief pitching, which tracks with recent reports linking Detroit to such bullpen arms as Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, and David Bednar.

This isn’t to say that president of baseball operations Scott Harris isn’t exploring plenty of options, as the Tigers are also reportedly showing interest in third basemen like Ke’Bryan Hayes and another big Arizona trade chip (and former Tiger) Eugenio Suarez. Detroit’s rotation also needed help even before Olson went down, as there’s still uncertainty over the fifth starter’s role behind Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, and now Paddack.

Adding Kelly would be a nice way to solidify the starting pitching situation, which in turn would indirectly also make things a little easier on Detroit’s struggling relief corps. Kelly has bounced back well from an injury-shortened 2024 season by posting a 3.22 ERA over 128 2/3 innings for the D’Backs this year. His 23.5% strikeout rate, 45% groundball rate, and 7.4% walk rate are all above league average, though a .247 BABIP has helped Kelly get away with allowing a lot of hard contact.

His higher 3.78 SIERA reflects that batted-ball luck, though Kelly has continued the good form he has shown for almost all of his seven-season run with the Diamondbacks. Kelly also posted good numbers during Arizona’s NL pennant run in 2023, and this postseason experience would be helpful to a Tigers squad that surely has designs on making a deeper playoff run this October. Only around $2.31MM remains on Kelly’s $7MM salary, making him an affordable fit for pretty much any contender.

Kelly discussed his situation with the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro and other reporters on Saturday, following what could be the right-hander’s final start in a D’Backs uniform in 2025, but perhaps not ever. Even if he is dealt before Thursday’s deadline, Kelly said he and his agent have both expressed interest in a reunion in free agency this winter.

“Obviously, I understand the nature of the beast and the business aspect of it,” Kelly said. “The idea of, if I do get traded and if I do go somewhere…the chance to win is obviously in the forefront of my mind. That all being said, I love being here. I have always loved being here. I would always be open to being a Snake moving forward.”
 
The Diamondbacks have sent right-handed pitcher Trevor Richards outright to Triple-A Reno, according to his transaction log on MLB.com. Richards was designated for assignment over the weekend when Arizona called up Brandyn Garcia. The eight-year MLB veteran has the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, and presumably, he will choose to do so. This is the second time Richards has been outrighted in 2025, and the last time, when it was the Royals who sent him outright to Triple-A in June, he elected free agency shortly thereafter.

Richards moved into a full-time bullpen role in 2021, and over the next four seasons, he was one of the more durable bullpen arms in the league. From 2021-24, he was one of only seven relievers to throw at least 60 innings each year. He appeared in a total of 226 games and threw 266 1/3 innings for the Rays, Brewers, Blue Jays, and Twins. Only six pitchers both made more appearances and threw more innings in that span. His 4.60 ERA was mediocre, but his 4.21 FIP and 3.64 SIERA were more impressive, and regardless, his ability to eat innings out of the bullpen was valuable in and of itself.

The 2025 campaign hasn’t gone very well for Richards. He signed a minor league deal with the Cubs in the offseason but failed to make the Opening Day roster. He didn’t last long in the majors for either the Royals or the Diamondbacks. All told, he has a 7.94 ERA in 5 2/3 MLB innings this year, and a 5.12 ERA in 31 2/3 innings at Triple-A. Nevertheless, he could certainly find a new home with a club in need of a proven major leaguer to cover bulk innings.
 
The Diamondbacks remain a sub-.500 baseball team with just days to go until the trade deadline. They’re ten games back of the Dodgers in the NL West and six games out of a playoff spot, leaving them with minimal hope of a miracle run back into postseason contention. As a result, they’ve turned their attention more fully towards selling with deals that shipped Josh Naylor to Seattle and Randal Grichuk to Kansas City in the past week. That sell-off only figures to get more substantial from here, and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic suggested over the weekend that after initially resisting the idea of trading both Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly in the coming days the pair could both be pitching for other teams in August if the club receives strong enough return packages for them.

As the team’s downward trajectory in the standings has continued, the value in keeping one of Gallen or Kelly around in the second half has diminished considerably due to the lack of a realistic path to the postseason. Still, either one would receive and reject a Qualifying Offer this winter if retained, allowing the Diamondbacks to recoup value in the form of draft pick compensation. Additionally, Rosenthal suggests that Arizona brass is concerned about the club’s pitching depth if it were to lose both Gallen and Kelly from the fold. Given that, the Diamondbacks would need to not only receive more than the value of the draft pick they could recoup over the winter to move their two starters, but also enough to make up for the additional strain on their rotation.

That the Diamondbacks would at least consider trading both Gallen and Kelly makes sense. After all, Fangraphs projects them for a meager 5.4% chance at the postseason entering today, and with a core of talent still in place to help bring the club back into contention for 2026 and beyond augmenting those years ought to be the club’s priority. It’s understandable, however, that Arizona is looking at its group of injured pitchers (including Corbin Burnes, A.J. Puk, and Justin Martinez) and the strain losing reliable arms like Gallen and Kelly would put on their remaining healthy arms with some trepidation. That’s why the club is already reportedly targeting young pitching this summer, and it stands to reason that if the Diamondbacks can land a big-league ready starting pitcher or two who can be reliably plugged into their rotation to eat innings down the stretch, that would go a long way to convincing them to part with their veteran rentals.

As noted by Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, GM Mike Hazen acknowledged over the weekend that he was receiving “strong interest” in both of his rental starters. That’s hardly a shock, as both Kelly and Gallen have an argument as the best rental pitcher available. Kelly has pitched to a 3.22 ERA with solid peripherals this year that’s consistent with his status as a solid #2 starter, while Gallen is in the midst of a down season but has shown ace upside in the past with third-, fifth-, and ninth-place finishes in NL Cy Young voting over the years. Both pitchers offer solid enough track records of success in the postseason as well, something that other intriguing rentals like Dylan Cease and his 12.91 career ERA in the postseason cannot boast, though Kelly’s excellent 2.25 career ERA in the playoffs shines much brighter than the 4.54 figure of Gallen.

Interest in starting pitching in general is strong league wide this year, so it’s hardly a shock that Gallen and Kelly are no exception to that. The Blue Jays and Cubs are among the teams to have been directly connected to at least one of Kelly or Gallen at this point, but a number of other teams are known to be on the prowl for a starter. That includes the Yankees and Giants, both of whom appear to be prioritizing rotation help, although other clubs like the Padres, Tigers, Mets, Red Sox, and Astros all also expected to be at least somewhat involved in the rotation market. With so many teams looking for starters, it seems likely that the Diamondbacks will have plenty of intriguing offers for their pair of veteran hurlers that they can sort through in the coming days.
 
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams and Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to go over the various deadline dealings, including…


Check out our past episodes!


The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Chadd Cady, Imagn Images
 
The Diamondbacks announced today that right-hander Casey Kelly has been selected to the roster. Left-hander Kyle Nelson has been optioned to Triple-A Reno to open an active roster spot. In a corresponding 40-man move, righty Kevin Ginkel has been transferred to the 60-day IL.

Kelly, 35, signed a minor league deal with the Snakes back in March. He has been pitching for Triple-A Reno in a swing role since then, logging 85 innings over 14 starts and four relief appearances. He has a 5.82 earned run average with a 10.6% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate and 45.8% ground ball rate.

The Arizona bullpen got a workout last night. They played 11 innings against the Padres, eventually falling 10-5. Six different relievers made an appearance. They also traded Merrill Kelly ahead of the deadline last week, which led to Anthony DeSclafani moving from a long relief role into the rotation. DeSclafani only lasted two and a third innings last time out and is starting again tonight. Kelly could be tasked with absorbing some innings out of the bullpen behind DeSclafani, in order to spare the rest of the bullpen.

As for Ginkel, this move ends his season. He began the year on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation. He was activated off the IL at the end of April but landed back there on Monday due to a sprain of that shoulder. The 60-day count will push into early October.

He has some good seasons on his résumé but 2025 will go down as one of his worst. He posted a 7.36 ERA this year, perhaps with the shoulder troubles contributing to his struggles. He averaged 94.9 miles per hour on his fastball this year, more than a mile below last year’s 96 mph.

He is making $2.425MM this year and could be retained via arbitration for 2025. His poor results will prevent him from earning a notable raise but the Diamondbacks might consider a non-tender anyway, based on this year’s results. They will have to decide if they think there’s a path back to his pre-2025 results. From 2022 to 2024, he pitched 164 2/3 innings with a 2.95 ERA, 26.5% strikeout rate, 7.3% walk rate and 47.1% ground ball rate.

Photo courtesy of Philip G. Pavely, Imagn Images
 
The trade deadline has come and gone. While trade season was slow to get started this year, when all was said and done, there were several dozen trades made in a flurry of movement over the final few days before the deadline arrived. The full impact of these trades won’t be known for years to come, but that doesn’t mean we can’t analyze the deals and decide whose haul looks the best right now. Over the next week-plus, MLBTR will be running a series of polls asking which club in each division had the best deadline. So far, the Phillies and Reds have each come out on top in their respective divisions. Today, we’ll be rounding out the National League with a review of the NL West. A look at each of the five clubs, listed from best to worst record in 2025:

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers are, predictably, one of the best teams in the National League this year. They aren’t quite as overwhelming as some expected them to be, however, and that left them with some work to do ahead of the stretch run. Despite the holes in the club’s roster, however, L.A.’s deadline was a surprisingly quiet one where they did as much selling as they did buying. Dustin May was shipped to Boston for a pair of prospects headlined by 2024 first-rounder James Tibbs, and they downgraded from Hunter Feduccia to Ben Rortvedt for the club’s third catcher in order to bring in rookie reliever Paul Gervase and A-ball prospect Adam Serwinowski.

In terms of buy-side moves, they swapped depth outfielder James Outman to the Twins in order to bring Brock Stewart back home to the Dodgers’ pen. They followed that up by replacing Outman on the depth chart with a right-handed complement to Michael Conforto in the form of Alex Call. L.A.’s moves were strong ones on paper. They gave up very little meaningful talent in order to make a couple of legitimate improvements to their bullpen and bench mix, and it’s easy to see them emerging as the clear winners of the two sell-side trades they did make. Still, this summer could wind up feeling like a missed opportunity for the Dodgers given the lack of impact talent acquired—especially if they wind up getting chased down in the NL West by their rival 100 miles to the south.

San Diego Padres

No front office executive in the league operates quite like Padres GM A.J. Preller, and that frenetic aggressiveness was on full display on the day of this year’s trade deadline. San Diego completed five trades in the final seven hours before the deadline. The first one was the biggest, as they swapped a massive package headlined by consensus top-5 prospect Leo De Vries to the Athletics in exchange for superstar closer Mason Miller and lefty starter JP Sears.

They didn’t stop there, however. Outfielder Brandon Lockridge was surrendered to land Nestor Cortes from the Brewers (alongside prospect Jorge Quintana), and Preller immediately replaced Lockridge in the outfield by picking up both Ramon Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn from the Orioles. The acquisitions of Sears and Cortes created enough starting pitching depth that the Friars could move Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert to add Freddy Fermin behind the plate, and for good measure San Diego rounded out its deadline by upgrading the infield with a controllable young talent in Will Wagner.

It was a massive flurry of moves that should substantially improve the Padres in the near-term, but the cost was heavy. Prospects of De Vries’ caliber rarely get moved for a reason. Even aside from the risk that they’ve traded the league’s next superstar, they also surrendered some important depth in Kolek and Bergert, not to mention a huge chunk of their 2024 draft class. Preller’s win-now aggression allowed his club to improve its odds of winning the World Series this year more than any other team. But was the cost too great?

San Francisco Giants

Despite a strong start to the season and the aggressive decision to swing a deal with the Red Sox for Rafael Devers back in June, the Giants have mostly fallen out of the postseason race and now have a 58-57 record. That led the club to pivot towards selling at the deadline, and they brought back an impressive haul of talent in doing so. A trade of pending free agent Tyler Rogers to the Mets brought back a trio of well-regarded talents nearing or already in the big leagues: Triple-A outfielder Drew Gilbert, rookie starter Blade Tidwell, and young MLB reliever Jose Butto. They also landed A-ball starter Yunior Marte for rental outfielder Mike Yastrzemski despite his down 2025 campaign.

Impressive as those deals were, the package they received for Camilo Doval was somewhat light. That deal was led by catching/infield prospect Jesus Rodriguez and Double-A starter Trystan Vrieling. The return for Rogers and Yastrzemski was phenomenal, as the Giants acquired their #12, #13, and #25 prospects (per MLB Pipeline) along with Butto for aging veterans on expiring contracts. Parting with Doval for two-plus seasons in exchange for a package headlined by the club’s #16 prospect, according to Pipeline, puts a bit of a damper on the club’s deadline, but it was still a strong infusion of talent to the upper levels of San Francisco’s minor league system and should result in better days for the Giants in the future.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks teetered on the edge of buying and selling for most of July but kicked off trade season by dealing Josh Naylor to the Mariners and never looked back. The club executed four trades that brought back players in return and a fifth that saw them deal Shelby Miller to the Brewers in exchange for Milwaukee taking on a portion of Jordan Montgomery’s contract. Big league ready talent and pitching prospects were the focus for Arizona this summer, and they mostly accomplished that goal of bolstering those parts of the organization. Eugenio Suarez brought back a potential first baseman of the future in Tyler Locklear as well as rookie reliever Juan Burgos. Randal Grichuk and Naylor also both brought back rookie relief arms in Andrew Hoffmann and Brandyn Garcia, giving the club a number of big league ready relief arms who can help fill out the bullpen next year.

Between the trades of Suarez, Naylor, and Merrill Kelly, the Diamondbacks also picked up five pitching prospects who have yet to make their big league debut. Kohl Drake (#7 in Arizona’s system at MLB Pipeline) leads that group, which also includes Mitch Bratt (#10), David Hagaman (#14), Ashton Izzi (#15), and Hunter Cranton (#23). Locklear (#6) and Garcia (#20) also rank within the top 30, meaning that nearly a quarter of the club’s top 30 prospects were acquired at this deadline. As solid as those moves were, some view the return for Suarez as too light, and there’s reason to question why the team held onto Zac Gallen rather than bringing back additional prospects and salary relief by letting him go. Even without Gallen moving, however, the Diamondbacks breathed new life into their farm system and saved a considerable amount of money that can be repurposed for the 2026 campaign come the offseason.

Colorado Rockies

Perhaps the most notable thing about Colorado’s deadline this year is that they did anything at all, given their years of relative inaction and refusal to part with veteran talents. The club made just three trades this summer, but the deals they did make were notable ones. Ryan McMahon and Jake Bird were traded to the Yankees for lefty Griffin Herring (#5 in the Rockies’ system at MLB Pipeline), second baseman Roc Riggio (#11), righty Josh Grosz (#19), and lefty Ben Shields (#27).

Their third deal was a smaller one, as the club dealt struggling reliever Tyler Kinley to the Braves in exchange for Double-A reliever Austin Smith. It wasn’t the flashiest deadline for Colorado, but the return in exchange for McMahon was strong and the activity should help prop up one of the weakest farm systems in the majors as the Rockies toil through the worst season in franchise history.

With the exception of the Dodgers, the NL West was busier than usual this summer. San Diego did enough buying for the entire division, while the Giants, Diamondbacks, and Rockies each made some savvy sell-side moves. L.A. stands out from the crowd for their quiet approach to the deadline as they did some light buying to address areas of need and also managed to sneak in some light selling to take advantage of areas of depth. Which team did the best of this quintet? Have your say in the poll below:

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The Diamondbacks went into 2025 with an Opening Day payroll of just under $187MM, representing yet another new high for a club that had already bumped its payroll from roughly $116.1MM in 2023 to $163.3MM in 2024. Arizona’s attempt to try and capitalize on its surprise NL pennant in 2023 hasn’t worked out, however, as the D’Backs fell short of the playoffs in 2024 and are fighting just to try and salvage a winning record this year.

These struggles led to some selling at the deadline, with such impending free agents as Eugenio Suarez, Josh Naylor, Merrill Kelly, Randal Grichuk, Shelby Miller, and Jordan Montgomery all sent elsewhere. The money saved by getting those players off the books for the final two months of 2025 will impact the 2026 payroll, as team president/CEO Derrick Hall said the D’Backs will “reinvest into the product for next year. We’re going to have to because we’re still going to have so many guys on the IL. We’re going to have to do some work on the roster.”

In terms of overall spending, however, Hall told the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro and other reporters that next year’s payroll is expected to be reduced to some degree. “Do I think we need to have the payroll number where it was this year? Probably not. But I think we can have just as good a team as we constructed by reinvesting the money that we have (saved) and then some,” Hall said.

Hall’s statement isn’t surprising since 2025 was viewed as something of an all-in season for the Diamondbacks, with ownership okaying the payroll boost since the entire roster core was in place. With several notable players slated for free agency this coming winter, a spending cut was pretty much inevitable just because of all the high salaries coming off the team’s books. In the aftermath of the trade deadline, the Diamondbacks have just under $107MM in guaranteed salaries set for 2026 (hat tip to RosterResource), though that number doesn’t factor in arbitration raises.

It doesn’t help matters that Corbin Burnes (Arizona’s highest-paid player) will miss most or all of the 2026 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Between Burnes’ absence and Zac Gallen slated for free agency, the D’Backs will have holes to fill in the rotation, plus they’ll be looking to fix a bullpen that has been a weak link for the better part of two years. The Diamondbacks’ offense has again been strong in 2025, but the absence of Suarez and Naylor means that next year’s lineup needs a lot more power.

Hall said he expects the D’Backs to still be able to make moves in free agency, and the CEO unsurprisingly didn’t give any specifics about how much GM Mike Hazen may or may not have to spend this offseason. It is possible the team doesn’t yet know the answer to this question, as Hall noted that attendance over the remainder of the season will impact next year’s payroll.

Hypothetically speaking, even if the Diamondbacks were to reduce payroll to 2024 levels, that still leaves Hazen with quite a bit of spending capacity to address the roster’s many needs. Trading a player like Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (who drew interest prior to the deadline) who is only under guaranteed contract through 2026 is another avenue the front office could pursue to free up more money, if necessary.

With so much invested in long-term contracts, there is no sense that the Diamondbacks are planning a larger selloff or considering a rebuild in any respect. As disappointing as the last two seasons have been for the Snakes and their fans, there is still enough core talent in place that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the D’Backs return to contention by next year, though Hazen will again need to be creative.
 
The Diamondbacks have released outfielder and first baseman Seth Brown, according to the transaction log on his MLB.com player page. He had signed a minor league contract with the team in July after being released by the Athletics.

Brown, 33, played the first decade of his professional career in the A’s organization. They drafted him in 2015 and promoted him for his MLB debut four years later. He spent time with the big league club in each of the next seven seasons. The lefty batter established himself as a solid platoon slugger in 2021, hitting 19 home runs with a .498 slugging percentage in 281 PA against right-handed pitching. After trading away several key pieces over the subsequent offseason (including All-Star first baseman Matt Olson), the Athletics had more playing time for Brown in 2022. Splitting his time between first base and the outfield, he played almost every day, which meant facing left-handers more often. Southpaws continued to neutralize his bat, but he hit well enough against righties that it hardly mattered. He finished his first full season with 25 home runs and a 115 wRC+ in 150 games.

Unfortunately for Brown, his power numbers dipped in 2023 and ’24. It’s not that he was an awful hitter – he still hit 14 home runs each year – but as a player whose only asset is power against right-handed pitching, he needed to crush righties to continue earning regular playing time. He wasn’t able to do that, ultimately posting a .676 OPS, a 91 wRC+, and -0.7 FanGraphs WAR in 236 games over those two years.

Brown made the Athletics’ Opening Day roster again in 2025, but he started the year off hitting even worse than he had in the two years prior. With better options to play first base, DH, and the outfield, as well as several young and exciting lefty bats, the A’s no longer had a job for the struggling Brown. They designated him for assignment in May. He accepted an outright assignment and stuck around in the organization, tearing the cover off the ball in Triple-A. The A’s then selected his contract again just two weeks later. However, he injured his elbow another week after that, and the team never brought him back from the IL. He passed through waivers unclaimed once again at the end of June, and this time, with just enough service time to retain all of the salary remaining on his $2.7MM contract, he elected free agency.

The Diamondbacks gave Brown a minor league deal in early July. After hitting reasonably well for the Triple-A Reno Aces, he triggered an upward mobility clause in his contract on August 1, forcing the D-backs to notify the other 29 teams that he was available for any that wanted to add him to their 40-man roster. Evidently, no other club expressed interest, as Brown continued to play for Reno through yesterday’s game against the Tacoma Rainiers.

It’s now been several years since Brown was a productive big league bat. However, perhaps his success from 2021-22 – and his 1.113 OPS and 159 wRC+ in 35 Triple-A games this year – will entice another organization looking for lefty depth to give him a shot on a minor league deal.
 
The Diamondbacks have signed right-hander Nabil Crismatt to a minor league deal, per an announcement from the Triple-A Reno Aces. Crismatt was previously with the Phillies on a minor league deal but was released a few days ago, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com.

Crismatt, 30, has pitched 177 major league innings in his career with a 3.71 earned run average. His 21.5% strikeout rate is a bit south of average but his 7.2% walk rate and 50.3% ground ball rate are both solid figures. That includes a brief stint with the Diamondbacks in 2023, when he tossed two scoreless innings in his lone appearance as a Snake.

This year, he’s been stuck in the minors with the Phillies. He’s been working as a starter in Triple-A, making 19 starts with a 4.04 ERA, 16.2% strikeout rate, 6.2% walk rate and 40% ground ball rate.

The Diamondbacks have been hemorrhaging pitching this year. They have lost Corbin Burnes, A.J. Puk, Justin Martínez, Tommy Henry and Blake Walston to Tommy John surgeries. Additionally, Cristian Mena, Christian Montes De Oca, Ryan Thompson and Kevin Ginkel are on the injured list due to other reasons. Those injuries played a notable role in knocking the Diamondbacks out of contention, which led them to trading Merrill Kelly and Shelby Miller ahead of the deadline.

Given all of those fallen soldiers, the club may have some innings available down the stretch. Crismatt has worked both as a starter and a reliever in his career. He’ll give the Diamondbacks a depth arm for now but could perhaps be useful for the big league club as they play out the string on the season.

Photo courtesy of Orlando Ramirez, Imagn Images
 
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