MLB Rumors: Diamondbacks Making Trade Calls
The Arizona Diamondbacks are making trade calls to upgrade their bullpen before the August 3 deadline.
The timing of the announcement raises an obvious question: why is the team with the lowest bullpen ERA in baseball since May 1 shopping for relief pitching?
The Context Behind the Call
The answer is the group of arms not included in that sparkling recent stretch.
Arizona's core bullpen of Paul Sewald, Juan Morillo, Kevin Ginkel, Ryan Thompson, Jonathan Loaisiga, Taylor Clarke, and Brandyn Garcia has thrown 75 percent of the team's bullpen innings with a collective 2.51 ERA since May 1.
The problem is what happens to the other 25 percent, and what happens when any one of those seven arms misses time.
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo's assessment of the Diamondbacks' homestand against the Dodgers and Nationals: Nothing overly alarming, but also not good enough. pic.twitter.com/0tYESkKrAT
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) June 7, 2026
Hazen said the lineup has a more pressing need: Arizona ranked among the league's bottom three in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging against right-handed pitching entering Sunday, but made clear both areas are active priorities.
"The bullpen market isn't done," Hazen told reporters recently. "There's trades out there. There are still active conversations all over the place in this area."
Brandon Pfaadt and Andrew Hoffman have both been relegated to Triple-A Reno after struggling in starting roles, leaving the bullpen more top-heavy than Hazen would prefer.
A left-handed bat headlines his wish list, but the bullpen call is out there and the conversations are already happening.
Photo Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
