Towers ready to get down to Deadline business

NEW YORK -- D-backs general manager Kevin Towers has been battling a virus that has wreaked havoc with his vocal cords, but with the non-waiver July 31 Trade Deadline just over four weeks away, he doesn't have time to stop talking.

Towers will be looking to improve a team that has recently seen its lead in the National League West shrink thanks to a mediocre June.

"I think we're definitely going to be active with dialogue," Towers said. "But that doesn't mean we're going to pull the trigger on anything."

The D-backs will be looking to bolster their starting rotation and bullpen, and they could also look to add a piece for the bench.

If Towers is going to part with one of his top pitching prospects -- and it's worth noting that the teams that have asked about Archie Bradley, their No. 2 prospect, have been told he's not going anywhere -- it's going to be for a No. 1 or 2 starter.

"It would need to be a significant upgrade from what we have," Towers said. "Controllable young pitching is valuable. We're not going to give up a lot for a back-end-of-the-rotation starter. We're not going to sacrifice the future."

The D-backs moved a young pitching prospect before the 2012 season when they dealt right-hander Jarrod Parker to the A's in a trade that brought Trevor Cahill to Arizona.

The team should get a boost when it gets a couple of key contributors -- outfielder Adam Eaton and pitcher Brandon McCarthy -- back from the disabled list.

And those prospects like left-handers Tyler Skaggs and David Holmberg, whom other teams continue to inquire about in trade discussions, could instead be used by the D-backs to help boost their rotation and/or bullpen later this year.

"I still think we have a lot of confidence in the players we have in our system," Towers said. "We're going to be getting guys back. A lot can still change over the next three weeks."