The 2016 season can be written off as a failure for the Arizona Diamondbacks, making them open for business as the trade deadline approaches. Not everyone is up for sale: The Diamondbacks are open to move Daniel Hudson and Tyler Clippard from their bullpen, but not listening to any offers for their starting pitchers.
The general manager, Dave Stewart, has said it publicly: Hudson and Clippard are the only players he’s willing to listen to offers about, no one else, which makes sense from a contract standpoint. Hudson is a free agent at the end of this season, and Clippard has one more year on his deal at $6.15 million, but he shouldn’t be difficult to move, being one of the few players not disappointing this season in Arizona.
Who isn’t on the trading block? Despite the market favoring teams trading starting pitchers, the Diamondbacks aren’t willing to move Patrick Corbin and Robbie Ray. Corbin is only 26, controllable through the 2018 season. Ray is just 24, controllable through the 2020 season. The Diamondbacks have every reason to believe they’ll bounce back in the future, and their belief in the team they put together, despite the 39-53 record (last in the NL West), is holding off any massive exodus.
At this point, it’s about value, and Hudson is probably the player the Diamondbacks are most eager to trade, with his $2.7 million deal expiring. He’s overall probably a bit better than he was last year, and the Diamondbacks are hoping that his age (29), price and the notion that just playing in Arizona is bringing players’ numbers down, work in their favor, landing them a deal for him before the deadline expires.