The Arizona Diamondbacks swung baseball’s first major deal ahead of the trade deadline, sending first baseman Josh Naylor to the Seattle Mariners on July 24 in exchange for a pair of pitching prospects.
The deal signals the club’s intentions to sell, a direction that seemed cemented when they were swept this week by the Houston Astros.
At 50-53, the Diamondbacks are 5 1/2 games out of the wild-card race with four teams ahead of them. Their postseason odds, per FanGraphs, are at just 10.8 percent.
The Mariners are sending hard-throwing left-handed reliever Brandyn Garcia and High-A right-hander Ashton Izzi to Arizona.
Garcia, 25, made his major league debut on July 21. He pitched twice for the Mariners, giving up two runs (one earned) in two innings, walking three and striking out one. In 33 1/3 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A this season, he logged a 3.51 ERA with 42 strikeouts and 17 walks.
In his two big-league appearances, he featured a sinker that averaged 97.1 mph along with a slider and sweeper.
Izzi has logged a 5.51 ERA in 12 starts with High-A Everett and is coming off his best outing of the season, in which he logged six scoreless innings on three hits with no walks and seven strikeouts on July 22, vs. Spokane.
Izzi is ranked as the Mariners’ No. 13 prospect, according to Baseball America. He has a fastball in the 92-96 mph range along with a change-up and slider. The publication said he has sometimes erratic command but is athletic enough to project gains in that area.
“Izzi is a long way away,” BA writes, “but has the frame and three-pitch mix to be a mid-rotation starter at peak.”
The Diamondbacks have a number of potential players who could be on the move between now and next Thursday, July 31, including third baseman Eugenio Suarez, right-handers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, outfielder Randal Grichuk and relievers Shelby Miller and Jalen Beeks.
In moving Naylor, the Diamondbacks are saving nearly $4 million, the amount left on his $10.9 million deal. Naylor is set to hit free agency at the end of the season.
Naylor is slashing .292/.360/.447 this season, with 11 home runs, 59 RBIs and 11 stolen bases.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
