D-backs GM Mike Hazen Says Only a Couple of Sellers Right Now

In the wake of yet another Arizona Diamondbacks blown save on Tuesday, the calls for General Manager Mike Hazen to upgrade the bullpen prior to the MLB trade deadline have risen to new levels.

Arizona Diamondbacks Bullpen Issues Persist

The team is 36-36, three games back of the San Diego Padres for the third NL Wild Card spots. They also trail the Cardinals, Reds, and Brewers however.

They have 14 blown saves, third-most in MLB. But they also have 22 saves, tied for the fourth-most. Arizona's 61% save percentage is only two points lower than the league average, and ranks 17th in MLB. Shelby Miller's loss Tuesday notwithstaning, he's been a bright spot not a problem.

That said, bringing in another high leverage reliever capable of closing games would serve to deepen the bullpen. With six weeks still to go until the July 31 deadline, it's reasonable on the part of fans and pundits to expect the D-backs to have a greater sense of urgency in trying to make a deal now.

Arizona Diamondbacks GM Says Not Enough Sellers

The problem is that there simply are not enough clearly-identified sellers to feed the market. General Manager Mike Hazen addressed this dynamic while speaking on the Wolf and Luke Show on 98.7 Arizona Sports.

"The competitive landscape in baseball is probably as good, if not better than it's ever been," Hazen said. "If you look across both the American and National league, you look at the teams that are out of it. It's not a lot. Right now there's only a couple of teams that you would think might sell."

One might look at the standings tables and assume there are more than just a couple teams looking to sell. The Rockies and the White Sox are clearly those two teams. It's also reasonable to assume that the Pirates and Marlins in the NL and the Athletics in the AL could be added to the list very soon.

But we aren't the ones having phone calls with rival GMs. We must defer to Hazen's words in this case, and believe that the market has just not opened up yet to make an early trade. Not without wildly overpaying in a tight market.

"If we're down to that few teams, there's not going to be a ton out there for everyone to go after with all those teams that would be looking to buy," Hazen said.

Thus it's going to be a while, and it's imperative that the team receives improved performance from the pitchers they have now and avoid any further injury. Hazen said exactly that.

"I think our best bullpen is going to come with the solidification of the group that we have pitching better. We've gotten some new guys up here that have done really well. And if they continue on that trajectory, we're going to be in a good spot."

The pitchers he's referring to in that last comment are Juan Morillo and Kyle Backhus, two rookies that have pitched well most recently. Miller and Jalen Beeks continue to be the workhorses of the bullpen. Ryan Thompson and Kevin Ginkel are still trying to find consistency however.

Justin Martinez is not coming back this year, and most likely neither is A.J. Puk. Kendall Graveman was signed to be a veteran setup pitcher, but injuries have kept him from being able to help. Other young pitchers such as Cristian Mena and Christian Montes De Oca have suffered injuries as well and likely won't pitch for the major league team again this year.

There simply is not much depth or help on the way for the Diamondbacks. The current group must find a way to get it done over the next four to six weeks until Hazen can bring in an impact pitcher or two. Whether that will ultimately turn out to be too late is the question that is on everyone's mind.

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