Diamondbacks’ quiet trade deadline earns D+ from The Athletic

The D-Backs looked poised to capture some value in both their pitching and offense ahead of the deadline. Arizona was linked to several starting pitchers and high-impact infielders, but as the hours ticked down before Monday’s 3 p.m. deadline, it became clear the front office wouldn’t land the pieces it was targeting.

And that’s exactly what happened.

They didn’t land a pitcher, and their sole acquisition was outfielder Lars Nootbaar from the St. Louis Cardinals for right-handed pitcher Daniel Eagen, left-handed pitcher Sandro Santana and a player to be named later. Though they got the left-handed power hitter they wanted, the move didn’t address the club’s most pressing needs.

The Diamondbacks are currently holding the second National League Wild Card spot. But with a series against the San Diego Padres underway and the Los Angeles Dodgers up next this weekend, it won’t get any easier to stay there.

The grade reflects what Arizona was unable to accomplish by the deadline. It’s not that there wasn’t urgency to get what they needed, but rather the final product they were left with by the end of the whirlwind of a deadline. General manager Mike Hazen told reporters after the deadline that he wished there was more that could have been done.

Still, making just one acquisition while very much still in the postseason conversation isn’t necessarily ideal, especially since injured players aren’t guaranteed to perform at the elite level they reached before getting hurt. That was a gamble the front office was willing to take, but it also hoped to complement the roster with more trades.

Now, those injured players, along with Nootbaar, will be what the D-Backs roll with to finish the regular season and hope for a postseason berth.

Ultimately, The Athletic’s D+ reflects how much more Arizona could have done to bolster its roster and how different its outlook might have been had it acquired its most pressing needs.