D-backs GM Mike Hazen Opens Up on Nolan Arenado Trade

On Tuesday morning, the Arizona Diamondbacks made a surprise trade, acquiring All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for right-hander Jack Martinez and salary relief.

More on the trade: Diamondbacks Make Surprise Trade for Cardinals All-Star

Following the initial breaking news, D-backs GM Mike Hazen met with members of the Arizona media to discuss the trade. Below is the Q&A:

Arizona Diamondbacks Mike Hazen Addresses Nolan Arenado Trade

Q: What made Arenado attractive for you in this trade?

"I think he's a good fit for us as a team. We lost some of our position-player group last year in the middle of the season when I traded them at the deadline. So even though I know a lot of the fixation this offseason has been on the pitching, we still felt like adding back to the position-player group was important for us.

"We think he really solidifies our defense on the infield. It's been a priority for us to improve our defense, which I believe is going to have a direct impact on our pitching in a significant way. And I think it builds out the depth around our team, allowing some of the younger guys to be versatile, play, have matchups selected for them, etc.

"I like the way he's played the game. The impact he can have when he's not playing inside the walls is important to us. I think he's a good fit from that standpoint, too. I know how much winning means to him and is important to him, and it's important to us."

Q: What does a veteran guy... bring to that position on the field but also leadership inside the clubhouse?

"I think we have a young team. Our young players are our superstar players. I think that's great. I think it's a good position to be in in this league. But I think there's also a need and a balance and a desire to have players that have been through it for a long time from a preparation standpoint, from going through the ups and downs of a season standpoint. I think that adds to clubs quite a bit.

"And the young players that are superstars on the roster, we have a bunch of young players that are getting ready to break onto or have already broken onto the roster. I think it helps those guys tremendously as well...

"I think these veteran guys that set by the example and the way he plays the game and the way he prepares to play the game and win is critically important for the long-term future of our organization."

Q: Arenado wanted to be here. What does that mean to you? And what does that say about the culture that you guys have kind of established here?

"We appreciate that for sure. ... I talked to him, but we didn't really dig into any of those things necessarily. We talked more about what what the fit is here, how I see the fit on the team, what our team is like, what the organization is like.

"I told him that we are committed to doing everything we can to maximize his time on the roster. I said the same thing to Merrill Kelly. I very much value the veteran players that are on this roster, the time they have in the game. And I know with with specific guys, as they're getting a little older, I know the priority shifts in a lot of ways. Not that it always hasn't been, but there's a huge emphasis on wanting to be on a winner and we're committed to that as well."

Q: Just how long have you been in discussions for Arenado?

"We had had some initial conversations, as we do with most teams, about a lot of different players in the beginning. As we wound down the [Ketel Marte] situation. One of the things I talked about was... how are we going to build around him with this in mind?

"Solidifying some of the corner to the infield was going to be a priority for us, given that I traded Suarez and Naylor in the middle of the year last year."

Q: Would you kind of evaluate a little bit where you see Nolan at as an offensive player at this stage of his career?

"Last year, I'm sure, didn't go as well as he had wanted it to. We definitely see the ability to bounce back here. We're excited about that. We know how much work he's going to put into that.

"We probably have a little better ballpark to hit in. And so we look for him to be a solid offensive contributor for us in our lineup. I think, with the firepower we have at the top of our lineup, we're not looking for him to carry the offense. We don't need him to carry the offense. We need him to solidify and stabilize our defense. That's a huge component to this.

"I think it's a huge value to what he brings to the table. And what he's going to do from a leadership standpoint, I'm excited about."

Q: Do you feel like if you had been able to land or spend a decent amount of money on the bullpen, maybe you wouldn't have gone this direction?

"No, we're trying to fill a number of different holes that we got left with at the end of last season. I look at last season. We've talked about this, going into it with as many free agents as we did that we were going to have to put the team back together after trading away... the free agents.

"I don't think we're anywhere close to one player away from being the best team we can possibly be. We need to continue to shore up multiple areas of our team. That includes the bullpen and the position-player group. We'll see what happens between now and opening day."