5 Rental Pitchers Who Could Rescue Diamondbacks' Staff at Deadline

Five trade deadline targets for the Diamondbacks; pitching staff.

May 18, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Robbie Ray (38) looks on in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Arizona Diamondbacks are fighting for their playoff lives, clinging to a one-game lead in the NL Wild Card standings. They're doing so with a depleted rotation due to injuries to Corbin Burnes, Michael Soroka, Ryne Nelson and Zac Gallen.

Burnes is recovering from a shoulder setback that occured during his rehab from Tommy John surgery. The plan is for him to return in September. Soroka is expected back within the next couple of weeks as he slowly ramps up in rehab assignments following a glute injury.

Ryne Nelson has begun a throwing program but may not have enough time to ramp up to a full starter's workload. The team was even considering bringing him back as a reliever for the remainder of 2026, but that decision has not been made yet. Gallen does not have a timetable to return from his shoulder injury.

With all these injuries, the Diamondbacks have been relying on rookie starters, with somewhat poor results. Jose Cabrera made four starts and went 0-2 with a 5.60 ERA. Mitch Bratt has made four starts and the is 0-1 with a 6.32 ERA. Kohl Drake has allowed five earned runs in nine innings over two starts.

Cuumulatively the rookies have made 10 starts, and the team is 3-7 in those games. Just as important, they've thrown only 42.1 innings in those 10 starts, putting a lot of extra stress on the bullpen.

Following up our previous article on potential hitting trade targets from among the rental player pool, here are five pitchers on expiring contracts that could be considered by the Diamondbacks if they go that route.

5 Diamondbacks Rental Starting Pitcher Trade Deadline Targets

5 starting pitchers on expiring contracts | Jack Sommers

Note that the player pool for consideration when creating this list was limited to eight teams, including the Royals, Athletics, Angels and Blue Jays in the American League. The Rockies, Giants, Mets and Reds were the teams selected from the National League.

It should also be noted that as of this writing the Blue Jays and Reds have crept to within 5.5 and 5.0 games respectively of the third Wild Card in their Leagues. At this moment there are only 6-8 teams that should be clear-cut sellers.

LHP Robbie Ray, age 34

Jul 25, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray (38) pitches the ball against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Robbie Ray is quite familiar with Diamondbacks fans. Now 34, he does not quite have the fastball he used to have. His more-than-respectable 3.34 ERA in 110 innings makes him attractive. But the gap between that number and his FIP and xFIP as shown in the table above undermine his value.

Still owed $6.9 million, the Giants would need to pick up at least a portion of that for the D-backs to bite. The D-backs may hesitate to pay the prospect cost in a deal with a division rival. That prospect capital cost goes up the more the Giants need to pick up.

RHP Clay Holmes, age 33

May 15, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Clay Holmes (35) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Clay Holmes is on a rehab assignment following a broken fibula suffered on a comebacker in May. He was having a terrific season up to that point, posting a 2.39 ERA in 53 innings. He's expected to make a rehab start on July 28, and then could be ready to return to MLB by August 3.

Previously a reliever, Holmes was converted to starting in 2025, and has been very successful in that role. A premier ground ball pitcher (55% ground ball rate), he would thrive with the D-backs' infield defense behind him. Holmes could be the perfect swing man for the D-backs as they work back in their returning starters as well.

Owed a very affordable $3.8 million for the remainder of the season, he has a player option for 2027 he's likely to decline. The competition for his services will be stiff.

RHP Kevin Gausman, age 35

Jul 26, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman (34) pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the sixth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kevin Gausman is having a down season in terms of results, much like almost every other Blue Jays player. But the underlying peripherals such as a 3.58 FIP and nearly a 4:1 strikeout to walk ratio suggest he's been closer to his dominant self than the surface stats suggest.

Gausman made six starts in the Postseason last year, throwing 31 innings and recording a 2.93 ERA. He is exactly the type of pitcher you hand the ball to in the biggest games. Still owed $6.6 million, the D-backs probably can't take on all of the salary. The prospect cost would be dear.

RHP Shane Bieber, age 31

Jul 18, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) throws a pitch against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Shane Bieber missed almost the entire first half of the season with elbow inflammation. While his total numbers over six starts since returning look poor, he's been very good over his last three. He's pitched to a 1.53 ERA in 17.2 innings over his last three outings.

Bieber was a key contributor to the Blue Jays' run to the World Series last year, providing 19 Postseason innings and a 3.86 ERA. Owed a more palatable $4.1 million, his prospect price tag should not be as high as some of the others on this list due to his injury history.

RHP Brady Singer, age 30

Jul 22, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Brady Singer (51) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brady Singer is a lower-cost option in terms of prospect capital and is only owed about $3.8 million for the rest of the season. He's on pace to make over 30 starts and throw 170 innings for the third straight season.

He is the prototypical league average innings eater with a career 102 ERA+ (100 = average). He may not have the upside of the previous four pitchers mentioned, but would provide more certainty of length every fifth game than what the D-backs are currently getting out of their rookie contingent.

Summary

The D-backs need another starter, even though they have some injured pitchers coming back. They can't wait on them, nor can they rely on those injured pitchers to be able to provide length when they do return.

The team may prefer to go after a controllable starter, but this exercise was just looking at the rental market. In the final rental market installment, we will look at relief pitchers.