D-backs Return to Familiar Identity after Heartbreaking Deadline

The Arizona Diamondbacks are in a tailspin, and it cost them several of their veteran hitters at the Trade Deadline.

After a brutal start to the second half, GM Mike Hazen dealt Eugenio Suárez and Josh Naylor to the Mariners, while sending Randal Grichuk to the Royals.

For the most part, Arizona brought back young minor league pitching, while filling a need at first base with high-ranked prospect Tyler Locklear.

Players like Suárez, Naylor and Grichuk were certainly beloved by fans and teammates. They were good hitters, often bordering on elite when hot.

Obviously, Arizona's offense currently looks nothing like the group that ranked consistently among MLB's top five run-producing clubs. That's been a blend of poor approach, a decimated lineup, and perhaps the mental distraction of the deadline.

But what exactly do all these changes mean for the identity of the club moving forward? Maybe, just maybe, it signifies a return to the identity that made the Diamondbacks relevant in the first place.

Arizona Diamondbacks Returning to Old Identity Post-Deadline

The D-backs have hit the seventh-most home runs in baseball in 2025. And that ranking has gone way down in their recent stretch of play.

In fact, Arizona had already seen a large departure from their previous identity this season.

A much larger portion of their runs came via the long ball, rather than strung-together at-bats and chaotic baserunning.

But with the departure of Suárez, Naylor and, to some degree, Grichuk, Arizona's offense has gotten less powerful, more athletic, and younger across the board.

With the exception of Ketel Marte, James McCann and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., not one member of Arizona's offense (and defense) is over 28 years old.

Recently, manager Torey Lovullo addressed that post-deadline identity shift in his weekly appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7's Burns & Gambo show.

"I think we've gotten a little more athletic, a little younger," Lovullo said.

"I love that we're getting a little bit more athletic. You've got Blaze [Alexander] at third base instead of Geno. We've got a young, athletic first baseman that we know very little about. [Jorge] Barrosa is up here playing defense."

"When you can create a little bit of a diversion and chaos, as we all remember, then I will sign up for that every day of the week. But we've got to be smart."

That chaos hasn't quite manifested itself into run production, yet. Arizona has scored only seven runs in the last seven games.

But it's not necessarily a bad thing to shy away from being homer-dependent, if possible. The chaotic (and often inconsistent) approach was what took the D-backs to the World Series in 2023, after all.

Defensively, meanwhile, the D-backs have taken a huge step back. After being the best defensive club in baseball in previous seasons, Arizona has been below average at helping their pitchers collect outs.

Related Content: Diamondbacks Manager Blames Himself for Team's Struggles

Without pointing the finger at any one player, as it's been a group effort, Suárez and Naylor were large contributors to the increase in errors.

Suárez committed 12 and is worth -4 Defensive Runs Saved, while Naylor has made four errors and been worth -6 Defensive Runs Saved.

There's no guarantee that Alexander and Locklear will be immediately better. Alexander has certainly had his fair share of errors. But they're younger and have significantly more range, with more time to develop defensively in the seasons to come.

"We feel like we're going to just innately, because of our athleticism, be a little bit better to cover some range, collect some outs, and then once we get on the bases, create some of that chaos," Lovullo said.

There's undeniably much more that needs to improve in the coming weeks. Arizona's offense, pitching and defense have been exceptionally poor, and that needs to change.

But perhaps, even through the heartbreak of the 2025 Deadline, there's hope that chaos ball can return to the desert. It worked pretty well the first time.

Arizona Diamondbacks Latest News