Fansided

Buy or sell: Evaluating the NL contenders at the trade deadline

By Joshua Sadlock

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 16: Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies in action against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a baseball game at Citizens Bank Park on July 16, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 16: Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies in action against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a baseball game at Citizens Bank Park on July 16, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 7
Next
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JULY 06: Robbie Ray #38 of the Arizona Diamondbacks delivers a pitch against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field on July 06, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JULY 06: Robbie Ray #38 of the Arizona Diamondbacks delivers a pitch against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field on July 06, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

4. Arizona Diamondbacks: Sell

The Diamondbacks are in an interesting place. They have begun a rebuild and are in the process of totally overhauling a weak farm system. Their attempt to build a contender around Paul Goldschmidt, Zack Greinke and a strong supporting cast of young arms and bats really only lasted for one season before it began being torn down. Still, the Diamondbacks have managed to get started on retooling their system without going into full-on tank mode like the Orioles.

Arizona has managed to hover around .500, but they won’t have the firepower to keep up in the second half. It also makes little sense to immediately flip the script and start dealing prospects away now in an effort to get back to the playoffs this year. The second Wild Card makes it extremely tempting for teams in this position to go away from their plan to chase the immediate gratification of a single-game playoff.

In an ideal world, the Diamondbacks would be able to find a taker for some or all of Greinke’s remaining contract. He has completely lived up to the six-year deal, but the team still owes him over $70 million the next two seasons. That amount of money is going to hamper the franchise’s ability to build a complete roster. It’s also why they were forced to deal away star Paul Goldschmidt. Getting a contender to take on all of Greinke’s remaining money is going to be nearly impossible. Instead, the Diamondbacks should consider eating some of the cash in exchange for better prospects.

Robbie Ray, Greg Holland and Archie Bradley could all be moved to a contender, with Ray offering the highest value. The left-hander is under team control for one more season and continues to pitch well despite some command issues. If the Diamondbacks are content to ride out Greinke’s deal, all three of the pitchers mentioned above should be on the trade block.

Home/MLB