Trade partners that make the most sense for the Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks need to consider the trade market, but which teams make the most sense as potential trade partners?
The Arizona Diamondbacks have some holes on the roster to fill. The free agent market will certainly have its options, however there will also be plenty of potential players to pursue on the trade market. The Diamondbacks' biggest need is starting pitching. Right now, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, and Brandon Pfaadt occupy three of the five rotation spots. However, it's a toss-up after that. Plus, there are very few good near-MLB-ready pitching prospects in the system. They also could use a third baseman. As of right now, Emmanuel Rivera is at the top of the third base depth chart.
If the D-backs trade any prospects, they're likely going to be outfield prospects. Corbin Carroll and Alek Thomas have two of the spots on lockdown for the foreseeable future. But they have a ton of talented outfield prospects, such as Druw Jones, Jack Hurley, Jorge Barrosa, and Kristian Robinson, and more, with Dominic Fletcher flashing potential in the big leagues. All catching prospects are also likely on the block because Gabriel Moreno having the position to himself for quite a while.
So with that being said, which are the best teams who match up in a potential trade?
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners would be the first team I'd call regarding starting pitchers if I were Mike Hazen. The Mariners have so many starting pitchers they're not going to know what to do with all of them. While there's no such thing as enough pitching depth, the M's have a ridiculous amount of starters and it would be wasteful just to hoard them in the name of depth alone.
Their rotation is headed by a big three of Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, and George Kirby, one of the most intimidating 1-3s in baseball. After that, they have plenty of young options like Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo, Emerson Hancock, and veteran Marco Gonzales. Plus, Robbie Ray, the 2021 Cy Young winner, will likely return near summertime, as long as there are no setbacks in Tommy John surgery.
When healthy, Gonzales can be a durable and quality starting pitcher. From 2018 to 2022, Gonzales pitched 765.1 innings, the 11th most in baseball, with a 104 ERA+. Last year, however, he only managed to play in 11 games with a poor 5.22 ERA/78 ERA+. Granted, his 4.28 FIP is par for the course for him. With two years of control left, Marco will likely be the first player the M's shop.
You could also see a prospect-for-prospect swap, including one of the D-Backs' many outfield prospects for one of the M's young pitchers. There definitely is a possibility between a Mariners and Diamondbacks swap, simply given the amount of pitching depth Seattle has at their disposal.
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a team in need of outfield help with some pitchers to spare. As of right now, MLB.com lists Estevan Florial in two of the three outfield roles, with Aaron Judge in right field. With the highly touted Jasson Dominguez out for a while after undergoing Tommy John surgery, the Yankees are definitely a team in need of OF depth.
The D-Backs have a few options to choose from the Yankees' depth chart in terms of pitching. Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodn, and Michael King are likely off-limits, but I could definitely see the Yankees listening to offers regarding Nestor Cortes and Clarke Schmidt, depending on the deal they're being given. There are a handful of young and talented, but unproven options as well. That includes Yoendrys Gomez, Jhony Brito, Randy Vasquez, and Clayton Beeter.
I definitely think Jorge Barrosa would be a player the Yankees would be interested in. They have so many power-over-hit kinds of players, and their outfielders were the definition of three-true-outcomes. As a unit, Yankees OFs had a .182 ISO and 10% walk rate, but also struck out 25.8% of the time with a .223 BA in 2023.
There is a fit here for the Yankees and the D-Backs. As of right now, they have little outfield depth and have lost one of their best options to TJ surgery. The D-Backs, who need pitching, could poach one of the Yankees' pitchers.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are going to listen to offers regarding any and all their veteran players. If the Brew Crew does decide to ultimately go through a complete rebuild, they will definitely have some starting pitchers to offer.
Freddy Peralta is coming off a strong season where he had a 3.86 ERA, 3.85 FIP, and 1.12 WHIP. He struck out over 30% of the opponents he faced (30.9%) with a career-best 7.9% walk rate. His 1.41 HR/9 wasn't great, but with a 16% HR/FB ratio, he could definitely see that improve next season.
Of course, you have to mention Corbin Burnes. The right-hander had a down season for his standards, with a 3.39 ERA, 3.84 FIP, and 1.07 WHIP, but that's still good production overall. His 25.5% strikeout rate was above average, but he also had a K% above 30% in 2021-2022. Burnes' 8.4% walk rate was also decent but pales in comparison to the 5.9% BB-rate he had in '21-'22. But he was still good at limiting hard contact with an 86.2 MPH exit velo.
Peralta is controlled through the next three seasons, while Burnes only has control through 2024. Colin Rea is another pitcher they'll likely listen to offers on, but he's more of a back-of-the-rotation-type arm. The only thing that doesn't make the Brewers a perfect fit is the amount of outfield talent they have. Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, and Garrett Mitchell could be part of their OF next season, along with Christian Yelich. Still, if the Brewers are selling on veterans, including their starters, the D-Backs need to check the price tag.
Cleveland Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians' ace Shane Bieber got some attention back at the trade deadline and with only one year of control left, will likely have trade rumors swirling around him this winter. While he's coming off a down year, he still had a solid 3.80 ERA, 3.87 FIP, and 1.23 WHIP, albeit in an injury-limited 128 innings of work. It also wouldn't be shocking if there were rumors surrounding Triston McKenzie.
While the Guardians definitely have some pitchers that the D-Backs would be interested in if they decide to shop them, the Guards also need outfield help. Steven Kwan is the only one who is penned into an outfield spot. Myles Straw is a great defensive outfielder but has a sub-.600 OPS in each of the last two seasons.
George Valera is their best outfield prospect, and he only had an 84 wRC+ with a 27.8% K-rate at Triple-A last year. Granted, he only just turned 23 earlier this month. Their next best outfield prospect, according to FanGraphs who is older than 19, Wuilfredo Antunez, only just got to A-Ball this season.
If the D-Backs and Guards wanted to get bold, they could probably get a trade put together involving Mackenzie going to Arizona in exchange for a package surrounding Barrosa, Robinson, or even Fletcher. Bieber is more likely to get moved, however, and would slot nicely into the Snakes' rotation.