The Arizona Diamondbacks need to strongly consider adding more bats ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline.
With the 2026 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline fast approaching, the Arizona Diamondbacks have some work to do.
Arizona is one of those clubs that is having a decent enough season, but it isn’t running away from the competition. The Diamondbacks have multiple flaws, and the front office only has until Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. ET. to address them.
At the time of writing, the Diamondbacks are 57-52 after winning two out of three games against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a series that was crucial to their place in the National League Wild Card standings. However, one bad losing streak could make things unravel quickly.
So, what does Arizona need?
More productive bats
Recently, Tim Britton, Johnny Flores Jr. and Eno Sarris of The Athletic broke down the Deadline needs for all 30 clubs. The three categories the trio wrote about were starting pitching, bats and relief pitching. The Diamondbacks fell into all three areas of need.
Britton took the bat category, and his reasoning for the Diamondbacks was straightforward.
Britton points out that while the Diamondbacks are very close to the American League-leading Tampa Bay Rays in terms of league average in runs per game, and that they are projected to be a top-10 offense the rest of the season, he made the case that Arizona is not getting productive offense from the positions that should be providing it.
For example, the Diamondbacks’ first basemen have a .605 OPS this season, which is well below the MLB average of .721. Their designated hitters are only producing a .638 OPS, which is arguably more brutal given that their sole job is to be productive at the plate.
Arizona got virtually nothing from Pavin Smith or Carlos Santana earlier this season, and both of them were designated for assignment as a result. Rookie LuJames Groover also has not demonstrated that he is ready to take MLB-level at-bats consistently.
Britton also points out that, unlike the Rays, the Diamondbacks rely on their offense much more. Starting pitching has not held up its end of the bargain, and additional pressure has been placed on the batting order to do more to win games.
It is certainly a situation for the front office to be in. No team wants to have to plug multiple holes in its roster, but the good news for the Diamondbacks is that they are playing winning baseball without addressing any of these problems yet via trades.
General manager Mike Hazen recently expressed his interest in being a buyer at the Deadline, and if he can nail a couple of acquisitions, the Diamondbacks will be in good shape.
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