Last week, the Diamondbacks traded from their outfield depth when they sent Dominic Fletcher to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for 21-year-old pitching prospect Cristian Mena. USA Today's Bob Nightengale provides more insight into how that deal went down as part of his most recent column.
Per Nightengale, the White Sox had a choice between Jake McCarthy and Dominic Fletcher. That choice may have come down to the input from former D-backs farm director Josh Barfield, who oversaw both McCarthy and Fletcher's development in Arizona's system. Barfield currently serves as one of the White Sox's assistant general managers under newly hired GM Chris Getz.
Looking at the roster situation for both players, Fletcher has one more year of control and has one more option remaining than McCarthy. The additional roster flexibility, plus the former's superior defensive profile, could have been the deciding factor for Chicago. Both players profile as fourth outfielders in Arizona, primarily to start against right-handers, with McCarthy having a longer track record with 736 career plate appearances compared to Fletcher's 102. The trade alleviates the left-handed hitting outfield logjam somewhat, with Jorge Barrosa also knocking on the door for a big league opportunities after a solid season in Triple-A Reno.
Arizona's outfield is still in flux, as they are considering three right-handed hitting outfielders in free agency to complete their roster. Corbin Carroll, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Alek Thomas are expected to get a large share of the playing time in the outfield. Whoever they pick up would likely be the fourth outfielder, platooning with the left-handed hitting Thomas and a part-time designated hitter against lefties. That leaves McCarthy on the outside looking in for a roster spot entering Spring Training.
The D-backs could explore trades on McCarthy, especially if there's an injury that causes a team to be desperate, however that could also leave them a bit thin in the outfield if injuries affect their own roster. Barrosa is the only other major league ready option in the organization while Caleb Roberts and A.J. Vukovich will need to get reps in Reno. Kristian Robinson likely isn't going to get a meaningful number of opportunities at the major league level, if any, during the 2024 season.
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