Diamondbacks Acquire Left-Handed Starter Konnor Pilkington
The Diamondbacks starting rotation depth has been depleted by injuries and poor performances, necessitating urgency for a team that has started 16-13. Veteran starters Zach Davies and Madison Bumgarner were expected to provide some stability at the bottom of the rotation, but have combined for just six starts. The team has already gone deep into their Triple-A depth to fill out the rotation, with Tommy Henry on the roster and Brandon Pfaadt potentially close to his MLB debut. In order to add more rotation depth, the D-backs have acquired left-hander Konnor Pilkington from the Cleveland Guardians for cash considerations and optioned him to Triple-A Reno.
Pilkington was originally a third round selection by the Chicago White Sox in the 2018 MLB Draft and went to Cleveland in a trade deadline deal for infielder César Hernández in 2021. He debuted for the Guardians last season, going 1-2 with a 3.88 ERA in 16 games (11 starts). Due to allowing five unearned runs and being significantly penalized by playing with a good defense, he was worth -0.1 Wins Above Replacement on Baseball Reference. He made one appearance this year for the Guardians, going two scoreless innings in relief, before getting designated for assignment on April 26th.
Pilkington offers a full arsenal of pitches, throwing a fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup. His fastball averages 92 MPH with a flatter, more horizontal movement profile than the D-backs typically target. His best secondary pitch is a changeup, which he mainly uses against right-handed hitters, which opponents batted .193 with a .316 slugging percentage. The main issue has been the lack of a consistent breaking ball, although his slider may be the better of the two.
After getting stretched out in Reno, Pilkington buys the organization time for the starting rotation. Top pitching prospects Slade Cecconi, Blake Walston, and Bryce Jarvis have combined for 12 starts for the D-backs top minor league affiliate, so they're not likely to be ready for the big leagues until after the trade deadline.
It's also notable that the only left-hand starter in the rotation at the moment is Henry. Should he falter and need to be replaced, the team would have to either go with an all right-handed rotation, or prematurely call up Walston before he's ready. As such, Pilkington provides left handed balance to the depth chart.
