As the calendar moves towards July it’s becoming more apparent which Major League Baseball teams will be buyers and which will be sellers with the trade deadline approaching.
For some, like the Arizona Diamondbacks, the picture is bit more cloudy. Although they hold a slim lead in the National League West heading into Wednesday’s series finale at Chase Field against the Miami Marlins the verdict is still out whether the Snakes will still have bite in the stretch run given the second half success of teams right on their heels, particularly the defending World Series Champion Giants.
One insider believes the division’s balance this year actually benefits the Dbacks.
“It doesn’t look like anybody in the National League West is capable of winning 95 games,” ESPN baseball insider Pedro Gomez told Brad Cesmat in a recent interview on ‘Big Guy on Sports.’ “I think…88 to 90 will enough to win the division this year. You look at the current roster the Diamondbacks have they could win 88 or so games. They absolutely could.”
With that being said he was quick to point out a win total similar to that likely wouldn’t get Arizona past the first round against National League heavyweights like the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds or Atlanta Braves.
It’s the quandary facing General Manager Kevin Towers who must weigh the options of trading a well-regarded prospect or possibly two within the organization in hopes of landing a key piece to get the Diamondbacks in the post-season and positioned to make a run at a second World Series title.
“If the Diamondbacks were in the NL Central I’d say they’d absolutely be sellers,” Gomez explained to Cesmat. “Because they’re in the National League West it’s not going to take 95 wins.”
He cited inconsistent play from the Giants and Dodgers which has plagued both teams. Gomez believes the young, over-achieving Padres simply aren’t experienced enough to keep up their hot play when the post-season race gets tighter later this summer.
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