Why the Diamondbacks Didn't Add Pitching at the Trade Deadline

The 2026 MLB Trade Deadline has come and gone, and the Arizona Diamondbacks were limited to just one deal.

Arizona, who surged into the Deadline and are right on the edge of a Wild Card berth at 59-53, sent a message to GM Mike Hazen: buy.

Hazen did make one addition to the roster, trading for Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar. But despite a major need in the pitching department — both starter and reliever — the Diamondbacks were unable to bring in a new arm. It was not for lack of effort on Hazen's part.

A visibly-frustrated Hazen met with members of the media to discuss a 2026 Deadline that might come with more disappointment than excitement.

Why the Diamondbacks didn't add pitching at Deadline

Nov 8, 2023; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen speaks to the media during the MLB General Manager's Meetings at Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Diamondbacks did not abdicate their responsibilities in looking for pitching upgrades. Hazen said, bluntly, that Arizona was "very close" on "multiple" pitchers.

"We had some things just not go our way, and it didn't happen for us," Hazen said. "We took some runs at a lot of the pitchers. We made a lot of players available. It just didn't happen for us." He added that things "kind of fell apart in the middle of the day to the end of the day."

"There were players that were available that we talked about that didn't end up getting traded, so that happened to us, for sure," Hazen said.

Arizona's GM said his offers were not stingy in nature. He only began to back off discussions surrounding Arizona's major leaguers.

"We offered a lot, so all the way to the top of our farm system, et cetera. I had to draw the line on the major league team on some level," the GM said.

"Taking guys off the major league team comes with a bigger risk. Taking guys out of the bullpen, taking younger players off the team that we need. But from a prospect standpoint, I felt like we were very aggressive."

Hazen admitted that the way this Deadline unfolded was one of the more frustrating such Deadlines, given his hopes to add significant pieces.

"I think it's frustrating in the sense of watching the way the team played and wanting to do your part to add in wherever you can," he said. "It's still a little raw for me right now, just the last week, the work that was put in, and that's what I'm going to reflect on. I hope that we go out there and continue to play the brand of baseball that we've been playing the last few weeks.

"I wish we were able to do more, obviously, with the way the team has played, but that's the way it went."

Jul 4, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Lars Nootbaar (21) celebrates after catching a fly ball hit by Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson (not shown) during the seventh inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Diamondbacks will still have pitching reinforcements coming. It's been expected that Arizona would rely heavily on some injured arms returning — the likes of Michael Soroka, Ryne Nelson and Justin Martinez.

Hazen said that was a factor to an extent, but that it did not limit his pursuit of pitching. He said it "wouldn't have prevented us from doing anything and just dealing with it later."

But those reinforcements don't make it less disappointing Arizona was not able to bring in some new arms, especially given the additions made by other contending teams in the National League. Thee Padres, for example, were able to land both Robbie Ray and Casey Mize — the latter of whom
Arizona had reported interest in.

The Diamondbacks have been playing well, but the road will get even tougher moving forward as the race becomes more dire.

Add us as a preferred source on Google