ESPN Insider: Looking at the Arizona Diamondbacks’ trade deadline objectives
Jul 27, 2015, 11:10 AM | Updated: 2:44 pm
Arizona Diamondbacks chief baseball officer Tony La Russa told Bickley and Marotta of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM that his organization are buyers, whether at the trade deadline or during the offseason.
“We will make a move, at the trade deadline or this winter,” La Russa said. “We want to make a move that will make us better now and in (20)16, ’17. From that point of view, we are buyers.”
But should they be?
ESPN Insider writer Jim Bowden broke down the trade deadline objectives for each of the MLB’s 30 teams, and he disagreed with La Russa in his observations on the D-backs.
Arizona Diamondbacks
7 1/2 games behind second wild-card spot
Trade status: Sellers
The Diamondbacks are not expected to do much at the deadline, but they could move some veteran pitchers, such as Brad Ziegler and Jeremy Hellickson, as well as shortstop Cliff Pennington if they can get the right prospects in return.
Ziegler, 35, has a 1.21 ERA and 17 saves in 44 appearances this season entering play Monday.
Hellickson, who won the 2011 AL Rookie of the Year Award, has gone 7-6 with a 4.60 ERA this season. He threw six shutout innings Sunday, giving up just four hits while picking up the win against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Pennignton, 31, batting .237 with one home run and 10 RBI in 65 games this season.
Entering play Monday, Arizona is 46-51, sitting 8.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West.