It is not a certainty that the Arizona Diamondbacks will trade shortstop Stephen Drew.

Club officials are trying to decide whether to give the bulk of playing time at short to Drew or Willie Bloomquist, according to major-league sources.

If their answer is Bloomquist, the team will trade Drew. The Oakland Athletics, who are interested in Drew, are not the front-runner to acquire him, sources said; another, unspecified team would be more likely. The A’s, at the moment, also are reluctant to meet the Toronto Blue Jays’ price for shortstop Yunel Escobar, sources said.

Bloomquist, 34, is batting .299 with a .718 OPS, and one Diamondbacks player said Sunday, “He has to play.” But if Drew stays with the team, Bloomquist’s playing time will diminish; Bloomquist has been playing mostly third of late, and on Sunday the D-Backs acquired third baseman Chris Johnson from the Astros.

Drew, 29, is batting only .203 with a .539 OPS in 88 plate appearances since missing almost 11 months while recovering from right-ankle surgery. However, his line-drive rate – 40 percent entering Sunday’s play – indicates that he is hitting into poor luck.

Bloomquist is in the first year of a two-year, $3.8 million contract. Drew is eligible for free agency at the end of the season.

-Ken Rosenthal