Assessing the Goods of the Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks are going to be one of the more intriguing teams to watch over the next 20 days as they float between the potential of being buyers along with the potential of being sellers or doing nothing at all. As things stand right now, the Arizona Diamondbacks currently sit in a virtual tie with the Colorado Rockies in second place with a 46-45 record, but are 13 and 1/2 games back of the first place, Los Angeles Dodgers, meaning that Arizona's only gateway to the playoffs is through the Wild Card.

Given that and the idea of how strong the Los Angeles Dodgers are this year, along with the rising stock of the San Diego Padres, this is going to be a crucial July 31st Trade Deadline for the Arizona Diamondbacks, as they decide which direction they want to commit to heading in and what they envision the future to be like. The Dodgers won't be fading anytime soon in the National League West, while the Colorado Rockies are likely to continue to stay focused on being a contender and the San Diego Padres are only bound to get better during the second part of this year and in years to come.

Knowing all of that and the overall landscape of the National League this season, Arizona Diamondbacks General Manager, Mike Hazen & Company, need to step back and perform a very in-depth evaluation as to what exactly they want to do. After all, while the Diamondbacks farm system isn't nearly as bad as it used to be (back in 2016 it was ranked 30th), there is still work to do in that regard and work to try and improve the talent level overall near the top levels of the system.

Therefore, the Arizona Diamondbacks might be wise to sell and cash in on some of their names that are intriguing to other contenders around the league. The only question is: who are those intriguing names and what value can they provide to a contender? Let's survey the Arizona Diamondbacks 25-man roster to find out.

• Zack Greinke: At the very top of the list when it comes to potential trade candidates for the Arizona Diamondbacks is right-hander, Zack Greinke. Greinke is once again doing a phenomenal job in the desert this season posting a 2.73 ERA over 122 innings of work with a (0.91) WHIP and 108 strikeouts. Based on those stats alone and his track record, Greinke is going to draw plenty of interest, but there is a significant hurdle for any interested team and that is the amount of money that Greinke is owed. Zack Greinke won't hit free agency for another two years and is owed around $17 million dollars over the remainder of this season as well as a combined $70 million dollars over the next two seasons. This might be wishful thinking, but a Zack Greinke-Milwaukee Brewers reunion would be quite fascinating if the Brewers feel like spending some serious cash and enhancing their chances of playing deep into the postseason. 
• Robbie Ray: Right after Zack Greinke comes left-hander, Robbie Ray, a power pitcher who knows how to strike guys out and is right in the midst of his prime. Over his 6-year big league career, Ray has averaged a (10.9) strikeouts-per-9 rate and this year's rate (11.8) is very close to last season's rate of (12.0). The one problem with Ray has been the fact that he hasn't been able to put it all together and find a way to strike out a lot of guys, while not issuing a lot of walks. After all, Ray has a (4.6) walks-per-9 rate so far this season and has an overall walk-to-strikeout percentage of (18.5%). However, a change of scenery and a team that embraces analytics at a high level, could be the magic to get Robbie Ray back on track and back to being the ace the Arizona Diamondbacks always thought he could be. 
• Jake Lamb: This year hasn't necessarily gone well for Jake Lamb, as he missed nearly three months recovering from a left quadricep strain, but there's a lot to like about Lamb and the offense that he brings when healthy. Looking ahead, Jake Lamb has one year of arbitration left before he is due to hit free agency which means that if the Arizona Diamondbacks want to trade him, the time will be now. Last year, Lamb dealt with left shoulder issues on and off, but was named an All-Star back in 2017 and ranked 13th in home runs (30) and 23rd in slugging percentage (.487) among National League hitters that season. In addition, Lamb brings value because he has the ability to play first and third base, which could be extremely helpful for a team looking to add depth at those positions down the stretch. 
• Nick Ahmed: Among all of the shortstops in baseball, Nick Ahmed always seems to get overlooked because much of the attention at that position is focused on in-division guys like Corey Seager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Trevor Story of the Colorado Rockies. However, Ahmed has been very valuable to the Arizona Diamondbacks over the years and was rumored to be available this past offseason. In fact, the Pittsburgh Pirates were very much in on him this past winter, but a deal couldn't come to fruition because there was disagreement over what the return should look like on the Pirates end. However, if the Pirates remain in contention, it could still be a great fit and would vastly improve the Pirates infield defense. Dating back to the start of the 2017 regular season, Nick Ahmed ranks 2nd among qualified shortstops in Defensive Runs Saved (39) and has the 7th highest overall Defensive rating (21.6), over that period among the position player group. 
• David Peralta: David Peralta, otherwise known as The Freight Train in the desert, is another extremely valuable trade chip for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Just this past week, David Peralta's name was floated around in trade rumors and connected to the Chicago Cubs which makes plenty of sense. The Cubs need a left-handed bat that might be an upgrade over current option, Kyle Schwarber. Peralta, who is currently on the Injured List with right AC Joint Inflammation, is in the midst of his age 31 season and has another year of arbitration left before he hits free agency. Prior to going down with the injury, Peralta had a .352/.476/.828 slash line over 324 plate appearances with 85 hits, 24 doubles, 2 triples, 9 home runs, 44 RBI, and 26 walks. Based on those numbers and the fact that he has developed the notion of being a power hitter over the past few seasons, the Arizona Diamondbacks could receive a nice haul in return. 
• Adam Jones: Over this past offseason, it seemed as though no one wanted to sign Adam Jones and that was likely because of the analytic movement and teams fearful of committing money to an aging player that could be headed towards regression. Well, regression he isn't because Adam Jones has been the life blood of the Arizona Diamondbacks at various points throughout this season. If there is a contending team looking to inject some veteran leadership into their clubhouse and get a veteran bat for their lineup, Jones is the guy. If the Arizona Diamondbacks end up electing not to sell, he will have a big impact on their fate down the stretch as well, but with an unknown stance as to what the Arizona Diamondbacks are going to do and with the fact that Jones will hit free agency after this season, he looks to be a prime trade candidate. 
• Archie Bradley: Look, Archie Bradley is having a miserable season overall, but it wasn't too long ago that he was the relief ace for the Arizona Diamondbacks. At 26, soon to be 27 next month, Bradley is right in the middle of his prime years and a contending team might view him as the perfect change of scenery type of guy. Bradley was a godscent for the Diamondbacks during the 2017 postseason and is famous for hitting that triple in the Wild Card Game against the Colorado Rockies, but it might be time for the Arizona Diamondbacks to file for divorce and cash Bradley in while the time is right. Although Bradley has a 4.95 ERA over 40 innings of work this season, he still has a career high (12.5) strikeouts-per-9 rate and a (3.28) Fielding Independent Percentage. For a contending team, Bradley could get back to being the phenomenal late inning guy that he was last year and in 2017 and could, even have as much impact as to, lead a contending team to playing deep into the postseason. 
• Greg Holland: Concluding the long list of potential trade candidates for the Arizona Diamondbacks is closer, Greg Holland. Arizona brought Holland in over this past offseason to try to add more depth and validity to the back end of their bullpen and overall Holland has done a fabulous job and lived up to expectations. However, as with any team that sells, the closer is usually in jeopardy when it comes to the potential of being traded and Greg Holland is no different. So far this season, Greg Holland has a 3.30 ERA over 30.0 innings pitched with an Opponent Batting Average Against of (.179) and is averaging 16 pitches per inning. As is the case with Adam Jones, Holland will be a free agent after this season which means he is yet another prime trade candidate for the Arizona Diamondbacks.