Hazen reflects on D-backs' unexpectedly quiet Trade Deadline

The Trade Deadline has come and gone and it was clear that it was a frustrating day for the Diamondbacks and GM Mike Hazen, with at least one deal for a pitcher falling apart due to medical concerns.

We recently circled back with Hazen to revisit some of the Trade Deadline details and to talk about the signing of right-handed reliever Dennis Santana to a Minor League contract, among other topics.

Here's what you need to know from that conversation, which took place before Thursday night's 5-1 loss to the Padres.

The lack of deals was not about a lack of prospects

Hazen's comments about how he was willing to offer up to the top of his prospect list for a deal led some to think it meant that other teams were not interested in his prospects. Hazen clarified that a bit.

"We offered some of the players at the top of our farm system, but I didn't offer those guys for rentals," Hazen said. "There's a sliding scale for that. Nobody [in the system] was untouchable. Some of the guys on the Major League team were untouchable because I didn't want to take them off the Major League team. Brandyn Garcia was untouchable. I got asked about him in almost every deal."

The Diamondbacks also got a lot of asks for Ashton Izzi (the club's No. 11 prospect), Daniel Eagen (whom they ended up dealing), Jack Hurley, JD Dix (No. 4) and David Hagaman (No. 3), just to name a few.

The Diamondbacks also reportedly had a deal agreed to that would have netted them Mets starter Clay Holmes, but it fell apart due to the Mets' concerns over a player's medical reports. While they were sorting through that deal, a potential fallback option was taken off the board.

The team is also close to the first luxury tax threshold, and they were not willing to go over it, which further shrank the pool of players available to them.

"We could have gotten some deals done," Hazen said. "I said no to a lot of stuff, but that wasn't the only reason things didn't get done. It was all those things in combination with each other."

Last year's Trade Deadline deals paying off

Hazen was a reluctant seller at the Deadline last year, and while he may not have enjoyed that experience, it has paid off this year.

Left-handers Mitch Bratt (No. 8) and Kohl Drake (No. 21), acquired along with Hagaman in the Merrill Kelly trade with the Rangers, have stepped into the rotation and filled important innings.

Garcia has turned into Arizona's de facto closer, and Tyler Locklear has filled in at first.

"I think last year's Deadline went about as well as it probably could have gone, honestly," Hazen said. "And now, looking at the prices that got paid for players this year versus the prices that got paid for last year, and knowing, being on that side of the table, what teams were willing to give us, the cost was far higher this year."

Santana might not end up being the only player picked up

The Diamondbacks signed former Pirates right-hander Santana to a Minor League deal after he was designated for assignment and released by Pittsburgh.

While the 30-year-old struggled this year for the Pirates, he had a 2.18 ERA and a 201 ERA+ for Pittsburgh in 2025. In 2024, after being traded to the Pirates, he had a 2.44 ERA in 39 games.

Santana had other teams interested in him, but the Diamondbacks had two big things working in their favor. The first was that he lives in the Phoenix area and also has a history with assistant GM Jeremy Bleich, who was the Pirates' director of pitching development before joining the Diamondbacks this year as assistant GM of pitching strategy and development.

"In Dennis' case last year, you had no access to him [via trade] and this year didn't seem like it went as well for him," Hazen said. "He obviously has a relationship with Jeremy, so there's some familiarity with what he was doing in Pittsburgh, which I think, hopefully, will help. And we're looking to make a few tweaks and see if we can't get him back righted. He was a leverage reliever last year, and he's still young, and his stuff didn't decline. So we felt like it was a worthwhile shot."

Santana has an opt-out in his deal if he's not in the Major Leagues by a certain point. That is standard for a player of his stature because they don't want to be caught not being on a roster when Aug. 31 rolls around and eligibility for the postseason becomes a factor.

Walston a relief option

Lefty Blake Walston, who is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, could be an option out of the bullpen for the Diamondbacks in September if he's healthy.

The Diamondbacks have limited left-handed options beyond Garcia. Philip Abner was recently called up from Triple-A Reno to give them two southpaws in the 'pen.