Diamondbacks boost playoff chances at the deadline

In what was arguably one of the most critical trade deadlines for the Diamondbacks in the past 5–10 years, they did not disappoint.

Whether it be a handful of new arms in the bullpen, or a couple more crucial bats, Arizona’s front office has had a busy past couple of days.

A quick look at how it all went down..

Players acquired:

• Peter Strzelecki (RHP)
• Tommy Pham (OF)
• Jace Peterson (INF)
• Paul Sewald (RHP)

Platers traded away:

• Andrew Chafin (LHP)
• Josh Rojas (INF)
• Dominic Canzone (OF)
• Jeremy Rodriguez (rookie league)
• Chad Patrick (AA)
• Ryan Bliss (AA)

Because of these moves, Bob Nightengale at USA Today named the Diamondbacks a winner at the deadline.

Arizona joined a list consisting of the Angels, Rangers, Orioles, Marlins, Phillies, and Blue Jays.

As for the reasoning, Nightengale credited the acquisition of Paul Sewald, which may have saved the Diamondbacks season.

“They have played awful baseball the past month, 8-16, sinking in the standings from first place in the NL West to sitting just outside of the wild-card pictures.

Yet, instead of licking their wounds and saying they’re a year away, they made moves to prevent the erosion. They finally landed a closer in Paul Sewald from the Seattle Mariners, grabbed veteran outfielder Tommy Pham for power, and veteran infielder Jace Peterson for depth. If they’re going down, they’re going to go down fighting.”

But getting back on track may not be as simple as shuffling around the roster. With a chance of their first playoff birth in five years on the line, the Diamonbdacks are looking ahead to a pretty difficult schedule.

Some notable opponents left include the Orioles, Dodgers, Rangers, Astros, Padres, Reds, and Mets.