The Diamondbacks should pursue these former Angels

The talk of the town in July was Shohei Ohtani.  It was a very real possibility that the best player in baseball was going to get traded before this year’s deadline.  Though it would have been hard for the Angels to depart from him (via trade), they would have got a massive haul (prospects/draft picks) in return for Ohtani.

Trading Ohtani would have made the most sense for them considering his contract status.  It would have given LA a chance to start over with a new group of talent. 

Instead, Angels GM Perry Minasian went for it all before the deadline.  At the time it seemed heroic and aggressive; Now he and the whole Angels front office look incompetent as their team sits 12.0 games out of a playoff spot.

In response to this, the Angels have put multiple players on waivers that could instantly upgrade any ball club.  Any MLB team can claim these guys off waivers starting tomorrow.

LA did this to save themselves some cap space heading into the 2024 season.  Once again, complete dumpster fire.

But hey, you know who this could be good for?  The Arizona Diamondbacks.  A team that is fighting for a wildcard spot on a nightly basis.

One of these 3 players could help them get to the postseason.  The question is, who would boost this club the most?

The Diamondbacks should pursue RP Matt Moore

Talk about a reliable arm out of the pen.  Moore provides stability with the best of them.

This season, the veteran lefty has a 4-1 record with a 2.66 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP.  He can rack up strikeouts, he doesn’t walk many batters, and he doesn’t give up a lot of extra-base hits.  Exactly what you want in a bullpen option.

He would instantly upgrade this bullpen that ranks 25th in all of baseball; Plus, he has postseason experience (24.1 innings pitched - 3.33 ERA).  An added bonus for this young D-backs squad.

The Diamondbacks should pursue OF Randal Grichuk

Another veteran that would be good for this young team.

I realize that adding an outfielder is not a necessity at the moment considering Arizona’s outfield is crowded at the moment (Corbin Carroll, Tommy Pham, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Alek Thomas).  But devastating injuries seem to always happen in the last month of the regular season.

If one of these guys were to go down, it would be very beneficial to have a guy like Grichuk.  On the season, Grichuk has 12 HRs, 35 RBIs, and a .450 slugging percentage.  Before joining the Angels this season, Randal was raking with the Rockies (say that 5 times fast).

In 64 games with Colorado, he was hitting .308 with 28 extra-base hits.  In his time with Colorado, he also crushed left-handed pitching to the tune of a 1.066 OPS.

Not a need, but it wouldn’t hurt to add a platoon veteran who also has playoff experience (15 games).

The Diamondbacks should pursue RP Reynaldo López

Did someone turn up the heat in here?  Oh wait, that was just Reynaldo Lopez’s fastball blowing by.

Lopez is the definition of a flame thrower.  He averages 98 (MPH) on his fastball; 98!  The righty has made 56 appearances out of the bullpen this season.  His record is a little alarming (2-7) but he has posted a modest ERA (3.93).

Lopez is an intriguing player.  Not because of his current numbers on the stat sheet, but because of what he could be.  Out of all MLB pitchers, he is in the top 3% in fastball velocity and the top 9% in strikeout percentage.

With some retooling and refining, Lopez could become one of the more dominating relief pitchers in baseball.  I think he’s worth the risk.  Hazen, it's up to you now.