The Arizona Diamondbacks entered Wednesday's game hanging on for dear life in the NL Wild Card race. There's no shame in losing to a potent Houston Astros team, but the way this loss went down was crushing for multiple reasons. Not only did the Diamondbacks get robbed, but a truly terrible called third strike they might be what pushes them to become trade deadline sellers.
A brutal strike 3 call to end the game as the Astros sweep the Diamondbacks
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) July 23, 2025
The Arizona broadcast couldn’t believe itpic.twitter.com/ZLvjNl7yI7
Even Josh Hader was shocked that home-plate umpire Brian Walsh called that pitch a strike. There's no telling what the Diamondbacks would've done after Ketel Marte drew what should've been a walk, but Diamondbacks fans have reason to feel slighted.
And now, with this loss, the team feels more likely than ever to be trade deadline sellers.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Diamondbacks forced to sell at deadline in most heartbreaking fashion
To be clear, things were always trending this way. The Diamondbacks have underperformed all season long and have been ravaged by injuries. However, after sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in their first series after the All-Star break, the Diamondbacks had a chance to claw their way back into the postseason race by putting up a good showing against a potent, yet undermanned Astros team.
Getting swept, albeit in three hard-fought games, won't help them make the postseason. Now, at 50-53 on the year, Arizona is 5.5 games back of the third Wild Card spot with several teams in front of them. The odds that they make the playoffs aren't zero, but they certainly aren't very high.
Again, losing games is one thing, but losing games, especially with the season on the line and when the umpire played far too big of a role, stings. Now, it feels as if Arizona has no choice but to sell at the trade deadline.
Diamondbacks can win trade deadline by becoming sellers
It is never fun for a team to become sellers, but is there a team better positioned to win the deadline than the Diamondbacks? Not only is this a seller's market, but Arizona has tons to give contenders.
Eugenio Suarez figures to be the best bat available. Josh Naylor might be the second-best bat available. Both Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen are high-end starters who can anchor a rotation when right. All of these players are on expiring contracts.
Arizona can trade players who won't be back next season and acquire a slew of impactful players who can contribute in 2026 and beyond. Again, a sell-off is never fun, but the Diamondbacks would put themselves in a better position to win next season and in the future by selling off their expiring stars.