5 Rental Relievers for Diamondbacks to Target at the Trade Deadline

Five realistic arms who could help Arizona's bullpen.

Jun 7, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Brooks Raley (25) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Arizona Diamondbacks are 57-52, tied with the Philadelphia Philles for the second NL Wild Card Spot. They have an excellent chance to make a push for the playoffs, but face stiff competition in a jam-packed race. There are no fewer than seven teams within 2.5 games of each other vying for a Postseason berth.

The D-backs just removed Paul Sewald from the closer's role after a meltdown Tuesday versus the Pirates. The first save opportunity came right away on Wednesday, going to lefty Brandyn Garcia, who converted the save.

Garcia is the only lefty reliever in the bullpen, and the only other left-hander who has pitched for them out of the pen this year is Phillip Abner, who is currently back in Triple-A Reno. While Torey Lovullo said he will play matchups, Garcia has arguably the best stuff in the D-backs' pen.

If the D-backs were able to bring in a good lefty prior to the August 3 trade deadline to handle situational matchups before the ninth inning, that would free up Garcia to be a bonafide closer. Accordingly the list below of five potential rental reliever targets is dominated by left-handers.

5 Rental Relievers Who Could Help the Diamondbacks

5 Rental Relievers who could help the Diamondbacks | Jack Sommers

Chart Note: $$ = remaining prorated salary for the rest of the season. Exp is the composite of ERA estimators xERA from Statcast, and FIP/xFIP from FanGraphs.

LHP Brooks Raley, Age 38

Jul 12, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Brooks Raley (25) pitches in the tenth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brooks Raley pitched as a starter in Korea for a number of years, but upon returning the USA in 2020, he has pitched exclusively out of the pen. After taking a couple years to find his footing, he's been excellent for the last five years, including four with the Mets, posting a 2.45 ERA in 180 innings since 2022.

That includes a microscopic 2.09 ERA, and a .185 BA against left-hand batters. He dominates with one of the best sliders in the game, despite a 90 MPH sinker. He throws a cutter as well. He's owed just $600,000 for the remainder of 2026.

RHP Antonio Senzatela, Age 31

Jul 28, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Antonio Senzatela (49) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Antonio Senzatela has spent his entire career as a starter with the Colorado Rockies up until this season. He missed most of 2023 and 2024 with an elbow injury and had a difficult return last year. Converted to relief this season, he's been outstanding.

His fastball velocity has jumped almost three miles per hour since his stater heyday prior to the elbow injury. That hasn't translated to a lot of strikeouts, but he has a good walk rate and is limiting homers. His 3.66 ERA might not look impressive, but it's actually about 25% better than average once you adjust for Coors Field. His $3 million price tag could be an impediment.

LHP A.J. Minter, Age 32

Jun 7, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher A.J. Minter (33) throws a pitch during the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Long time Atlanta Brave A.J. Minter has missed a lot of time with injury since signing a two-year deal with the Mets prior to 2025. He's thrown just 33 innings the last two seasons combined, including 22 this year. He made his season debut on May 26.

Despite losing 2-3 MPH on his fastball, he's posting a low 2.45 ERA and walked just two batters in 22 games. Minter is also somewhat expensive, as he's still owed $3.3 million.

LHP Brent Suter, Age 36

Jul 25, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Brent Suter (37) pitches the ball against the San Francisco Giants during the fourth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brent Suter is an 11-year veteran who has carved out a successful career, but doesn't actually dominate left-hand batters. For his career he has fairly even splits, and actually has a reverse split in 2026.

Suter's calling-card is great control. He's walked just 2.3 batters per nine in his career, and that number is 2.1/9 this year. He's striking out 8.0 per nine, so can get enough swing-and-miss despite being a low-velocity pitcher. Owed just $800,000, he is a reliable, low-cost option.

LHP Brock Burke, Age 29

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brock Burke (49) throws a pitch in the ninth inning of the MLB National League Central game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Milwaukee Brewers at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Monday, June 22, 2026. The Brewers won, 2-1, in 10 innings. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Brock Burke is a hard thrower, with a fastball that averages over 96 MPH. Left-hand batters are hitting just .161 against him this year. He has an excellent 2.61 ERA, but for the second straight year the expected stats are much higher than the ERA.

His main issue is walks, as evidenced by his 29 free passes in 52 innings (13.3% walk rate), but he's inducing soft contact in the air and has a career low HR/FB rate. Another low-cost option, Burke is owed just $700,000 for the rest of 2026.

Summary

Brooks Raley is the most desirable target here, but any one of these pitchers would go a long way to strengthening and adding depth to the Diamondbacks' bullpen.

See Also:

5 Potential Target Bats

5 Potential Target Starting Pitchers