MLB Trade Deadline: The ultimate 30-team trade
19. Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks struck quickly last week to acquire slugger J.D. Martinez from the Detroit Tigers. The move helped to set the market for rental players, and though the D-Backs sent a trip of prospects – Sergio Alcantara, Jose King and Dawel Lugo – to Detroit in return, a lot of the buzz surrounding the deal suggested the Tigers didn’t get enough for a .305/.388/.630 hitter with 16 home runs and 39 RBI in 57 games.
Nevertheless, the two sides agreed on the appropriate compensation, and Martinez will hold down left field in Arizona for at least the remainder of the season as the club battles for an NL Wild Card spot.
But don’t expect the Diamondbacks to sit idly this week. One of the biggest areas of need for the club is catcher, where Jeff Mathis and Chris Iannetta, though solid defensively, have provided very little offensive production. In fact, the D-Backs ranks 28th in the majors in Wins Above Replacement among catchers (-0.3 fWAR), and Arizona backstops have hit .198/.271/.390 this season.
Therefore, expect the Diamondbacks to make a move to add a catcher with some pop at the plate. A natural fit would be Braves backup Kurt Suzuki, who has hit .257/.342/.471 with eight home runs and 27 RBI in 44 games while backing up Tyler Flowers. We discussed this briefly way back on slide No. 6.
Suzuki has been worth 1.0 fWAR by himself this season, which ranks 19th among catchers, and the same as Yadier Molina. Also, because Suzuki signed a one-year, $1.5 million free agent deal with Atlanta before the season, so the Braves are likely willing to let him go cheaply, even for a PTBNL.