The Arizona Diamondbacks have hit a little bit of a rough patch lately, having lost back-to-back games, but they still are just a half-game back in the National League wild card race. They have fallen to seven games behind the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, so that may be a longshot, but the wild card is still very much in play.
If they stay in the race, they will need to make some moves at the trade deadline to enhance their chances of reaching the postseason. Mike Axisa of CBS Sports lists them as a surprise potential fit for New York Mets starter Freddy Peralta.
“The same teams that pursue (Tarik) Skubal also figure to pursue Peralta, and in some cases Peralta might even be Plan A given his bargain salary,” Axisa wrote on Wednesday. “The Cubs have already kicked the tires. For the sake of variety, let’s also list the Diamondbacks and White Sox (!) as potential Peralta destinations.”
Diamondbacks Have Done This Before
Arizona may be a smaller-market team, but the fact is that they still have been bold at times when pursuing top starting pitchers. Decades ago, they landed both Curt Schilling and Hall of Famer Randy Johnson. In 2016, they signed Zack Greinke and added Corbin Burnes after the 2024 season.
So, it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see them go after an arm like Peralta. Skubal may be too costly in terms of the prospects the Tigers would want in return, but as Axisa notes, Peralta could come at a cheaper price, which would be good for Arizona.
They could pair Peralta with his old teammate in Burnes and truly have a dangerous rotation that also features Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen. That could make them a serious threat to at least land a wild card spot, but also make a deep run in the postseason just as they did in 2023.
Catching the Dodgers is going to be difficult, but if they can add Peralta to their mix, they could be a legitimate threat in the postseason, and it could at least make the NL West race more compelling, even though the Dodgers have a big lead over Arizona at the moment.
There is a lot to like about a potential Peralta trade for Arizona fans, and it will be interesting to see if they try for him at the deadline.
What It Could Take
Obviously, it’s going to take some top prospects to get a deal done. Outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt probably isn’t going anywhere, so that takes him out of the equation, but Arizona also has Slade Caldwell and Tommy Troy that could be thrown into the mix. Those are Arizona’s No. 3 and No. 4 prospects, respectively.
The Mets will ask for a lot in return, but Arizona is fortunate to have several options in their farm system that could potentially help get a deal done if that is where Arizona decides to focus its energy at the deadline.
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