The Diamondbacks have put themselves in strong position to be buyers at the trade deadline, sitting with a 52-50 record and only a full game out of the final Wild Card spot in the standings. While starting pitching isn’t a pressing need, one starter that could suit their fancy that’s become available is left-hander Reid Detmers.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In the 2024 season, Detmers is 3-6 with a 6.14 ERA. Advanced metrics are more bullish about his run prevention skill, with a 4.36 FIP, 4.07 xFIP, and 3.64 xERA. Looking at those three numbers, his issue isn’t necessarily reflective of his ability to miss bats, limit free passes and long balls, or even quality of contact.
As mentioned in MLB Trade Rumors‘ post about the left-hander’s availability in the trade market, his final eight starts in the big leagues were very rough before the demotion. After starting the year 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA and a 34.7% strikeout rate in his first four starts, he’s allowed 41 runs over 40 1/3 innings in his final eight starts with a 20.9% strikeout rate. That’s an issue the Diamondbacks will need to identify the cause of, and then decide if they can course-correct him. If the answer to that question is yes, then it will be worth exploring a trade.
While the Diamondbacks aren’t necessarily on the rental market for starting pitching, general manager Mike Hazen did not rule out the possibility of trading for a controllable starter when discussing the topic with Steve Gilbert, D-backs beat reporter for MLB.com, last weekend.
“Long-term starting pitching is still going to be something I’m going to explore no matter what if it’s multiple years of control because I feel like we have to. We always have to look out for our rotation a couple of years down the line.”
To execute this trade, the Diamondbacks will have to give up quite a bit of talent from their farm system. With the Angels’ current situation, they will focus more on getting MLB-ready prospects in the deal, especially on the pitching side. For a centerpiece prospect, right-hander Cristian Mena makes the most sense. He is Arizona’s top pitching prospect on my most recent list of Top 10 prospects. He would immediately slide into the Angels rotation and get the opportunity to grow at the MLB level, which should make him an attractive trade piece.
Mena by himself will not be enough to land Detmers, even with the season he’s having. The Diamondbacks will likely have to part with at least one more player on their current 40-man roster plus another Top 10 prospect. Adding outfielder Jorge Barrosa and right-hander Dylan Ray should be enough to swing the deal for Arizona. Barrosa is a major league-ready outfielder who plays center field at a high level with solid on-base skills and Ray is a solid right-hander with all the characteristics to be a solid No. 4 starter.
Detmers was selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels. He debuted for the Angels at the tail end of the 2021 season and had been in their rotation for the next two seasons. After struggling for his first 12 starts to start the 2024 season, he was optioned to Triple-A. The results haven’t improved much since his demotion, with a 7.11 ERA in seven starts, although it’s difficult to take stock of performances in the extremely hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
Even though the results haven’t been good this year, the potential for picking up a middle-of-the-rotation starter that’s controllable through the 2027, possibly the 2028 season depending on how many days he spends in the minor leagues. Detmers features the full four-pitch mix: a four-seamer, curveball, slider, and a changeup. The four-seamer averages 94.0 MPH with a lot of carry and arm-side run, with the curveball being his best secondary pitch.
For an arm that still throws quality stuff, with the results not necessarily matching, it’s a chance for the Diamondbacks to buy low on a potential rotation building block. While they don’t necessarily need a starter to add to their rotation for 2024 or 2025, adding Detmers gives them someone to slot in for the long term. Beyond the 2025 season, Arizona just has Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo RodrÃguez under team control out of their current rotation candidates.
Hazen usually pulls a surprise move at the deadline no one expects or sees coming. Some of those recent examples came in 2019 when he traded for Zac Gallen, and in 2023 when he landed Tommy Pham. Trading for Detmers would fit right into that playbook. The trade deadline is less than a week away, with a lot of teams deciding over the next three to four days whether to make a run or focus on building for the future.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
