With such a golden opportunity in front of them, you would think that Arizona GM Kevin Towers would do what he could to add some depth or fill in any holes to the squad at the last possible moment.

Los Angeles Dodgers GM Ned Colletti and San Francisco Giants GM Brian Sabean clearly had that in mind by adding key pieces to their puzzle. The Dodgers added Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino and the Giants added his former teammate Hunter Pence. Both players are good, and both players add significant offense to their respective teams.

That wasn’t the Dodgers first move this trade season either. Los Angeles added former batting champion Hanley Ramirez on July 25th and All-Star reliever Brandon League from Seattle last night.

Arizona has been somewhat quiet this trade season, adding third baseman Chris Johnson from Houston on Sunday, outfielder Scott Podsednik and reliever Matt Albers from Boston today.

Compared to the moves made by the other teams in the division, many would consider Arizona’s trade season as less than ideal. The names acquired and resumes clearly do not compare to the other players acquired.

So why didn’t Arizona GM Kevin Towers do more to keep pace with division rivals?

To be perfectly honest I was happy to see a tweet this morning from Ken Rosenthal indicating that Arizona was looking to make a blockbuster deal to add a premiere starter. I think that is exactly what this team is missing to be considered a serious title contender. Former 21-game winner Ian Kennedy has not pitched consistently well this season, Daniel Hudson is done for the season, and the remaining starters have not performed at the level of other premiere pitchers in the division (Cain, Lincecum, Kershaw).

Unfortunately for Towers, he wasn’t able to come to an agreement with other teams  that were shopping their reliever. With a wealth of young starting pitching in the farm system, I can understand not wanting to give up too much for a rental player for the rest of the season. It’s also worth knowing that the majority of other teams in discussion with Towers would have wanted Justin Upton included in any deal, and I personally do not believe it would have been productive to give up a player who is that good, young, with so much potential, and under team control for three more seasons for a deadline deal.

In the end I think Towers felt comfortable with the squad we are currently fielding, but I would have preferred to make a little more noise today to keep pace with the moves the other teams made. I hope it doesn’t come back to bite us in the rear.

July 26, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros infielder Chris Johnson (23) throws out a runner in the sixth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-US PRESSWIRE

The move brought lots of hope to D-backs fans as many saw it as a response to the Dodgers’ acquisition of Hanley Ramirez. And while Johnson is an upgrade over Ryan Roberts, who was traded to the Rays earlier in the week, it’s probably wise not to get too excited about Johnson.

Johnson has been a journeyman for pretty much all of his career. He was not a highly-touted prospect and has never had a great year. In fact, he was worse than a replacement player last year according to fangraphs.com, where he had a -0.8 fWAR.

He was better in 2010, when he accumulated a 1.5 fWAR in only 94 games, and has been better this season as he has a 0.9 fWAR so far. But for comparison, Roberts has a 0.6 fWAR this season and had a 3.6 fWAR last season. So, Johnson has never had a year like Roberts did last year and is only slightly better so far this season.

I, frankly, expected a better haul for Bobby Borchering and Marc Krauss, who were sent to the Astros in the deal. However, Borchering has never been able to show he can field at any position and Krauss has been stalled in the organization for the last couple of years.

The simple truth is, the D-backs probably just didn’t regard either very highly and were willing to deal them for even a marginal upgrade. Still, if Johnson is able to finally bring some consistency to third base, it will count for something.

If he is able to account for even one Win Above Replacement for the rest of the year, that can mean the difference between a playoff spot and a spot on the couch for the D-backs.

Just temper the expectations a tad.

My question is, will Arizona make a similar statement?

Granted, trading for a player the caliber of Ramirez does not happen every season, and he is truly a unique combination of pure talent and interesting character. But there is plenty of talent out there for the picking if the D-backs were looking to add depth for a run at the West title.

July 24, 2012; Philadelphia, PA USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Zack Greinke (13) pitches during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE

In terms of the team’s depth chart, the team is relatively depth throughout the lineup for position players. Our offense has been stable enough to put up close to five runs a game, with a good combination of speed and power mixed throughout the lineup. From what I can see, pitching has been a thorn in the team’s side all season long.

In the search for starting pitching, the Dodgers have been linked to Chicago Cubs starters Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza. The Rays have been rumored to have made starting pitcher James Shields available, and with the Brewers fading from contention, Zack Greinke has been one of the most sought after starters this trade season.

Although Arizona has prime pitching prospects at the cusp of breaking it into the bigs (Bauer, Skaggs, Corbin), there is a glaring need for depth in the rotation this season. Aside from rookie starter Wade Miley, the rest of the rotation has been anything but consistent this season.

If the team is  serious about making a push for a playoff spot, picking up some depth at the trade deadline would make sense.