Arizona Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen isn't ruling out being a seller at trade deadline (2024)

Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen wants to add to his team ahead of the July 30 trade deadline, but his team’s sluggish start through the first half of the season has him at least considering alternate routes.

It is not where the Diamondbacks thought they would be — or where most of the rest of the baseball world expected them to be — coming off last year’s World Series run, but injuries and inconsistent play have them two games under .500 heading into a tough 10-day stretch during which they will play the Dodgers, Padres and Braves in succession.

Hazen said his team’s starting pitching needs to be better. He said the offense needs to improve, pointing to the need for better production from his young position players. He said that if those things happen, he could look to add. Another starting pitcher would be appealing, especially one he could have under control through next season. He said another bat, likely on the infield, would help. And he said he’d always take another bullpen arm.

With about a month to go before the deadline, Hazen answered questions about his current thinking. Here is what he had to say. (Answers have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.)

Where is your focus at the moment with the deadline coming up?

“I feel like my desire is for us to be in a position to buy at the deadline and improve this team to push to the playoffs. It’s obviously been a struggle here for the first half of the season. We haven’t played consistent enough. We’ve taken on some injuries — some of those have resolved, some of those have not — but every team, especially the teams that I’m looking at that we’re competing with, they’ve all taken on injuries. It’s certainly something to factor into, but I just feel like we haven’t played well enough yet.”

Where do you need to be in order to buy?

“It’s going to be, where are we down relative to how many teams are above us. Like last year, as we slipped down around the deadline, I think we got to like two or three out and we had two or three teams above us. That’s a dynamic you can overcome. If you start getting too far down and buried behind and needing three, four or five teams to lose and you win, that’s not a good spot to be in. Look, I think if we have a glimmer of (hope with) where it’s at, my gut will be to continue to add to this team. We started this season with the goal of making the playoffs. But we need to earn that, too. All of us. I, obviously, haven’t done the best job here in the first half.”

How do the timetables of Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez, with both likely not returning until right around the deadline, factor into your thinking?

“That’s a complicated question. It’s all about time returning and opportunity that’s left in front of you. How much time do we have if we’re not in the best position possible? I think we’re clearly going to have to grind to the deadline, at this point, with using the guys that are here, unless we can pull off a ‘buy’ trade some other way. But most buy trades don’t happen until closer to the deadline, anyway. It is going to play a factor if they’re showing up right after the deadline and we are in a very good spot. I’m going to bank on that and buy into that, for sure. If we’re not in a great spot and whenever that is when they’re going to be getting back into the rotation, we’re going to be needing to sprint 15 out of 17? I’ll factor that in, too. It will play. It’s a huge variable. I just don’t know how to answer that question in the hypothetical, so I won’t, until we get closer to the deadline.”

What sort of guidance are you getting out of ownership from Ken Kendrick and Derrick Hall?

“I think Ken and Derrick’s mindset has been the same as all of ours from the beginning. They want to push to win. That’s never changed. I think we’ll have conversations around other scenarios if we’re forced to deal with other scenarios, but I think we’re all sort of, based on my internal communication, we’re all on the same page in terms of what we want to have happen. But there’s a difference between us wanting to have it happen and us being able to go out and make it happen. The going out and making it happen now needs to happen.”

How many possible outcomes are there here? Either buy or sell?

“Probably not just two; there’s probably three. Just because this team is still going to be together. There’s not a ton of expiring guys — there are some, obviously, and some are significant, we’ll have to deal with those — but they’re still a young team that’s going to be around and together. I don’t see a scenario at the deadline where we’re peeling down long-term assets, no. We’re not in a position like that as an organization. These guys are too talented. I’m not even sure in a trade scenario, given how important August and September could be, if we’re in the middle somewhere, trading off all the expiring guys to get rookie ball guys back necessarily is a strategy we’ll take, either. I’m just not sure. I’m hopeful that’s not the scenario we’re dealing with. But I think the least likely scenario is us just trading off everybody that we can. Obviously, if we’re in a bad spot, we’ll trade some, for sure, because there will be opportunity that we’ll need to seize on, but that’s not what my hope is at this point.”

Cutting ties: Diamondbacks DFA Tucker Barnhart, clears way for Gabriel Moreno’s return

What went into the decision to cut ties with catcher Tucker Barnhart after Sunday’s game?

“I think I feel like I can’t sit here and talk about us playing at a different clip, a little higher, without us looking to do some different things, too. I think changing things — it had nothing to do with Tucker. He did well for us. I appreciate what he did. He was a pro. He filled in when (Gabriel Moreno) went down, all that. I just kind of started making the decision that we’re going to make some changes. And it’s probably not going to be the last one we make. I just feel like we need to play at a higher clip.”

What are you guys seeing from catching prospect Adrian Del Castillo in Triple-A?

“He’s had a really good season for himself. Offensively, he’s smoked the ball all year, so that’s good to see. He certainly has an offensive component. At some point, if he keeps doing this and we need to make more changes, he’s going to get a look. Defensively, he’s done a good job. He needs to improve some of the throwing stuff and blocking; I think he’s done a good job receiving. Calling a game is always a tricky endeavor to really figure out, you know, the chicken or the egg to the calling a game part of it, so we’ll see. It’s always an unknown with a young catcher coming up here. But he’s a smart kid. He’s had a really good year.”

Tuesday’s Diamondbacks-Dodgers pitching matchup

Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m., Cox, Ch. 34

Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (5-6, 5.69) vs. Dodgers RHP Bobby Miller (1-1, 6.75).

At Dodger Stadium:Nelson had a rough go against the Twins in his most recent start, giving up six runs in 3 2/3 innings. … Prior to that, he had pitched well in three of his previous four starts, including going a career-high 7 2/3 innings against the Giants on June 3. … Nelson does not induce much swing-and-miss. His fastball leads his repertoire with a 21.7 percent whiff rate. … Nelson has a 1.59 ERA in 17 career innings against the Dodgers. … Miller made three starts before landing on the injured list in April with right shoulder inflammation. He has made two starts since returning, going 6 1/3 innings against the Rockies but lasting only two innings against the White Sox in his most recent performance. … Miller has a 3.00 ERA in two career starts against the Diamondbacks. That is not counting his start last year in Game 2 of the division series, in which he gave up three runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Coming up

Wednesday:At Los Angeles, 7:10 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Jordan Montgomery (6-5, 6.03) vs. Dodgers RHP Gavin Stone (9-2, 2.73).

Thursday:At Los Angeles, 6:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (6-4, 2.83) vs. Dodgers RHP Landon Knack (1-1, 2.08).

Friday:At San Diego, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Slade Cecconi (2-6, 5.81) vs. Padres RHP Matt Waldron (5-7, 3.56).

What to know about the Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers entered Monday with the second-best win percentage (.612) in the National League and the fifth-best in the majors. They have been playing without SS Mookie Betts since June 16, but they are 8-4 in that time, averaging six runs per game as an offense. They are also without 3B Max Muncy, who has been on the injured list since mid-May due to an oblique strain. DH Shohei Ohtani has been one of the better hitters in the majors this year, with a .316/.399/.635 line and an NL-best 26 homers. 1B Freddie Freeman had a huge June, slashing .319/.416/.617 with six homers in 26 games. The Dodgers recently brought RHP Bobby Miller back from the injured list but are again without RHP Walker Buehler, who made eight starts in his return from elbow surgery before going down with a hip injury. LHP Clayton Kershaw also remains out as he works his way back from offseason shoulder surgery.