The Arizona Diamondbacks reached the All-Star break at 49-47, winners of four straight after sweeping the Dodgers in Los Angeles over the weekend. They sit second in the NL West, 2.5 games out of the final wild-card spot — and their general manager is not ready to call them buyers yet.
“No, we’re gonna see how we come out of the break — we’re obviously still behind a number of teams,” Mike Hazen told Arizona Sports when asked whether the club had settled on a deadline plan. “I’d like to see us cover some ground in the next few weeks coming out of the break.”
That caution is defensible. Arizona spent much of the first half at or below .500 and only climbed over the line on the final weekend before the break. The difference lately has been run prevention: the sweep’s finale featured six no-hit innings from the bullpen, and the club has leaned on its defense to keep low-scoring games within reach. The division is gone — Los Angeles leads by 11.5 games — so the next three weeks are strictly a wild-card audition, with the trade deadline set for August 3.
The complication is the rotation. Zac Gallen opened the break on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation, and how his elbow responds may shape Hazen’s August as much as the standings do. A contending roster missing its No. 1 starter shops differently than a healthy one — and a fading roster with a damaged ace sells differently, too.
For fantasy purposes, Gallen is a hold in standard leagues until there is a post-break update on his elbow; the IL move was described as inflammation, not structural damage, and cutting him before the first imaging news is premature. If Arizona keeps winning, its lineup regulars are safe plays again in the second half.
