Diamondbacks Missed The Mark With Their Modest Deadline Results

Nootbaar is a positive addition to Arizona's roster, even if his .687 OPS doesn't look like that of an impact player. He's been limited to 48 games after starting the year on the IL with a foot injury.

But Nootbaar has good plate discipline, a consistent reputation and good bat-to-ball skills. He also plays quality outfield defense. Arizona needed some left-handed production, and Nootbaar is capable of providing that.

"We think, as a left-handed hitter coming in, hitting in our lineup, it's a good fit from the way he goes about it," Hazen said of his newest outfielder.

"We've had some issues as we've gone through the season against right-handed pitching, so we felt like that was one of the bigger needs that we wanted to address coming out of the deadline."

Where the consternation arose was from the return. The D-backs sent righty starter Daniel Eagen, who's been a fan-favorite prospect for a bit thanks to his electric 2024 season in High-A. He's pitched to a 4.95 ERA in Double-A this year, but has 109 strikeouts in 87.1 innings.

Alongside Eagen is left-hand reliever Sandro Santana — who was also in Double-A. He has a 2.14 ERA between High-A and Double-A this year.

Even with that in mind, the Nootbaar move does, theoretically, fill a D-backs need. It's not that that trade itself, though arguably an overpay, is a move deserving of a failing grade.

So Hazen and the Diamondbaks' front office won't get an F, or even a D for this deadline. Instead, it looks more like an "incomplete."

Diamondbacks didn't complete deadline assignment

Hazen, when speaking to the media Monday following the Deadline, did note that offense was more of a priority than pitching, though he did actively pursue multiple arms, to no avail.

It's not that the Diamondbacks are necessarily wrong for seeing offense as the top need. They entered Monday ranked 22nd in OPS.

But they are also trotting out two rookie starting pitchers in Kohl Drake and Mitch Bratt — who have ERAs in the high 4.00s and low 5.00s. Neither have completed more than five innings in a start. Meanwhile, Merrill Kelly has an ERA of 5.04.

Arizona's rotation is being carried by Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt as they await the return of Corbin Burnes, Michael Soroka and Ryne Nelson.

The Diamondbacks do not have much starter depth beyond what they have already dipped into. They were interested in Casey Mize of the Tigers, but lost out on him to their rival Padres — who also landed Robbie Ray at the Deadline.

And then, there's the bullpen. Arizona's relief corps has been significantly improved this season, with a cumulative ERA around league average. They just had to yank Paul Sewald out of the closer's role, going with a committee-based approach moving forward.

Of that high-leverage relief group, there is only one left-hander (Brandyn Garcia), and he's one of the more appealing closer options. The Diamondbacks needed another left-hand reliever, but saw most of those options dissipate, too.

This outcome is not necessarily due to a lack of serious attempt from Hazen. The D-backs' GM said he had made even some of Arizona's higher-ranked prospects available. No club was enthralled enough to make a pitching trade not involving one of Hazen's off-limits players, which likely included Ryan Waldschmidt, Arizona's big-name stars or major league relievers.

The Diamondbacks will get back quite a few injured arms soon enough, but there is also no guarantee they can perform at their highest level in big moments.

With all of that said, the reality of a results-based league is harsh. It does not matter how a team gets there, the results are what matter.

And in that essence, the Diamondbacks' inability to bring back starting and relief pitching must be seen for what it is: an incomplete section of an important Deadline exam.