The Arizona Diamondbacks are 28-31 and will have to quickly kick things into gear if they want to compete in the National League West. If they can’t, they could be sellers at the trade deadline.
The Diamondbacks’ fate is not sealed yet. They still have plenty of games left to play before they need to decide if they want to trade away some assets in preparation for the future. However, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden tabbed Zac Gallen as one of the most likely players to get traded if they do decide to sell.
Corbin Burnes was placed on the 15-day injured list, and that could play a huge factor in the Diamondbacks’ plans at the trade deadline. Burnes is signed to a six-year deal, so the team has their ace for years to come. However, Gallen is going to be a free agent after the season. His value is not as high as in years past right now.
“Gallen is having a subpar year — he’s logged a 5.54 ERA, more than two runs over his career mark — and would have to pitch much better over his next five to six starts for the Diamondbacks to get anything close to his value if he were pitching at his accustomed level,” wrote Bowden.
After giving Burnes a $210 million deal, it’s not unrealistic to think the team will let Gallen walk as a free agent. He is projected to earn a six-year, $116 million deal on the open market.
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Trading him now could yield the team some young prospects that they could use to build for the future with Burnes as their ace. Gallen still has value, but he needs to kick things into gear if the Diamondbacks want to maximize his value.
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