D-backs to ‘take some risks’ with roster re-vamping

PHOENIX — Mike Hazen was as affected person as he could possibly be. He tried including gamers on the Trade Deadline hoping that may do the trick. But after watching his crew battle for greater than six weeks, the D-backs’ common supervisor had seen sufficient. Something needed to change and Sunday, earlier than the D-back’s 5-4 win over the Padres, which gave them the collection victory, it did as Arizona’s roster shakeup continued.

“Things just weren’t moving in the direction we needed them to move in,” mentioned Hazen, whose crew snapped a nine-game dropping streak Saturday. “I don’t know what the right decisions are in terms of changing the roster construction, but we’re going to make some changes and see if that helps spark what we feel like is a good team that’s not playing the way it did in the first three months of the season. I don’t know what the right answer is, but we’re not just going to sit and watch it.”

Here are some issues to find out about what Hazen needed to say in regards to the strikes and his crew’s state of affairs down the stretch:

They simply didn’t see sufficient from Kelly to maintain him
The Kelly transfer was considerably of a shock, as a result of whereas he has struggled on the plate this yr, the D-backs don’t have a variety of organizational depth at catcher. If one thing occurs to Moreno or backup catcher Jose Herrera, it’s not sure the place they’d flip.

Ali Sanchez and Adrian Del Castillo are the 2 catchers at Reno and Hazen mentioned they proceed to have a look at what different options there is perhaps outdoors the group.

“At some point, with five to six weeks to go, depth becomes less important than trying to put the best [team] on the field,” Hazen mentioned. “We is probably not proper in all these issues, however you need to be keen to take extra dangers.”

Moreno and Herrera dealt with the majority of the catching duties the primary couple months of the season whereas Kelly was on the IL with a forearm fracture.

“When we had the roster construction in the first half of the season with Gabi and Herrera, we played really well,” Hazen mentioned. “I don’t know that that is going to be the secret formula to getting back to the way we were before, I don’t think that’s anyone’s expectation, but that was the choice we had, to send Herrera down or make this move. We decided to make this move.”

Paul Goldschmidt commerce didn’t work out as hoped
With Kelly departing the group and right-hander Luke Weaver having been dealt eventually yr’s Trade Deadline for infielder Emmanuel Rivera, the D-backs don’t have rather a lot to indicate for the 2018 commerce of Paul Goldschmidt to the Cardinals.

The D-backs do nonetheless have outfielder Dominic Fletcher, who they chose with the Draft decide they acquired in that deal, at Triple-A however Kelly and Weaver have been the headliners.

“We didn’t do a great job on that trade,” Hazen mentioned. “I’ve said this previously. None of that, unfortunately, has changed. We now have Rivera and Fletcher still who were a part of that trade, which I feel good about. But we didn’t do a very good job on that trade.”

The D-backs are going to get inventive with their rotation
By demoting Nelson, the D-backs left themselves with basically three starters — Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Brandon Pfaadt.

Jarvis, who has been a starter all through his professional profession, will pitch out of the bullpen and may give them a number of innings. Slade Cecconi made one begin and one aid look since being known as up 10 days in the past. They even have lefty Tyler Gilbert, who can throw a number of innings.

Zach Davies goes to make a second rehab begin for Triple-A Reno on Tuesday and will return after that however within the meantime, the D-backs will combine and match with the 2 open spots.

“Ryne did a good job in some of his games,” Hazen mentioned. “It just was wildly inconsistent for us. We ended up using a lot of bullpen in those days, anyway. The decision was, if we’re using a lot of bullpen in those days, anyway, looking at it just as a traditional starter situation wasn’t the right way we should be looking at it. We’re going to take some risks and play it by ear, week by week.”