Arizona Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen still wants to add at trade deadline despite recent skid

Though his team entered Wednesday afternoon stuck in what has been nearly a month-long skid, Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen sounded committed to try to add to his roster in the days before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

“We think we have a good team,” Hazen said in a session with reporters Wednesday morning. “We have a good team that plays hard and there’s talent in the lineup, there’s talent in the bullpen and there’s talent in the rotation. So we’re out there looking to find ways to improve.”

Entering the day with a 55-47 record and tied for a National League wild-card spot, the Diamondbacks are still well-positioned to advance to the postseason for the first time since 2017 despite a recent stretch in which they dropped 15 of 22 games.

Hazen touched on a variety of subjects pertaining to his team and how he plans to approach the deadline. Here is a breakdown of what he had to say:

Why Hazen still wants to add to his roster

Hazen did not sound as willing to be aggressive as he did, say, 10 days ago, when he said he could have an “ultra-aggressive” approach, but he still seemed determined to upgrade his roster so long as it makes sense.

There are a variety of reasons for this: For one, he believes in the group he has and places more value on what it showed over the first three months of the year compared to the past few weeks.

Some of the issues the club has had in recent weeks are correctable — namely, the baserunning mistakes and the defensive miscues — and the lineup’s recent struggles are, in his mind, easier to overlook considering the Diamondbacks had one of the more potent offenses in the majors in the first half of the season.

He also raised another consideration: He sees the window to contend just opening for his team and believes there are tangible benefits to trying to move the ball forward in the coming months.

“I think this team will continue to mature and grow,” he said. “I think giving this team an opportunity to play in a pennant chase is extremely important.”

What the Diamondbacks are looking to add

The Diamondbacks can use help up and down their pitching staff, and Hazen did not offer a specific area of focus. Asked if he was focusing more on the bullpen or rotation, he said, “Pitching.”

That said, he acknowledged that given what the market usually offers, adding to the bullpen feels more likely than the rotation.

Hazen also mentioned the possibility of trying to add a right-handed bat somewhere on the roster “to maybe create a platoon situation for Torey (Lovullo, the manager) to maybe strengthen our bench,” though he seemed to downplay the likelihood of the right player coming available.

The Diamondbacks would love to land players who are multiple years from free agency, but the price for those players is always high and fewer are made available. Hazen has shown a willingness to part with prospects for controllable assets — most notably, he traded top prospect Jazz Chisholm for right-hander Zac Gallen at the 2019 deadline — and said he would be willing to do that sort of deal again.

“We’ve done it multiple times already; we’ll do it again,” Hazen said. “I think that’s a good way for us as an organization to add real, long-term talent to what we’re trying to do. And it’s paid off for us. We’ll explore that. I think the rental market is usually what you have the most available to you. So we’re going to engage in that, too.”

What a possible deal could look like

Hazen said there were certain prospects in the organization whom he has all but made unavailable to rival clubs, though he noted that everything is on a sliding scale depending on who he might get back.

“In most cases, there are certain players we are telling teams we’re not discussing,” Hazen said.

Hazen did not name names, but shortstop Jordan Lawlar and center fielder Druw Jones likely fit in that bucket, and right-hander Brandon Pfaadt could, as well.

He also made it sound like he would be reluctant to trade players off his major-league roster.

“It’s a little tougher because you’re talking about taking someone off your team that’s in the position we’re in,” Hazen said. “In the past, we weren’t in this position so it was easier for us to do that.”

The Diamondbacks have several players in Triple-A Reno who could be viewed as major-league caliber, making it a group that would be far easier for Hazen to trade.

“Obviously, our young players are extremely popular,” Hazen said. “That’s a good thing. That’s a good position to be in. We also know that the youth on our team and the athleticism and what they bring to the table on a nightly basis has also driven us to this point, too. I think that’s a line we’re going to need to walk.”

What the market might look like

For now, not many teams have declared themselves as sellers, in large part because so many teams are bunched up in the wild card races in both leagues. Hazen doesn’t know the specifics but he expects activity at the deadline.

“My guess is,” he said, “there’s a lot of teams in contention and that usually spurs on activity.”

Hazen said teams have been telling him they still don’t know their direction, but he figures there should be more clarity on that within the next two or three days.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: DBacks' GM sees value in adding at trade deadline despite recent skid