After making it to the World Series in 2023, the Arizona Diamondbacks have struggled. They have missed the postseason ever since, and the fanbase would love for that to change this upcoming season.
They have made a handful of deals so far this winter, some bigger than others. They came to terms with Michael Soroka on a one-year deal and also came to terms with James McCann for the same duration.
Their bigger splashes came when they signed Merrill Kelly on a two-year, $40 million contract. But that does not compare to them acquiring Nolan Arenado in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals.
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Proposed Diamondbacks trade lands them a four-time Gold Glove Award winner
Despite these moves, Arizona still has a few holes it needs to figure out. They could use a frontline starting pitcher, could use more pop at first base, could use another late-inning reliever, and could use more consistency in the outfield.
To help with the outfield consistency, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller suggests a potential trade with the Cleveland Guardians, sending them OF Ryan Waldschmidt and LHP Kohl Drake in exchange for four-time Gold Glove Award winner Steven Kwan.
“Waldschmidt is probably still a year away from the big leagues, so the Guardians might not be all that interested in this package. But the theoretical value is about right, and the Diamondbacks would surely love to add an impact outfielder without running up against the luxury tax threshold.”
The problem with this trade is that Cleveland may not be interested in this package. They would be selling low on a player who has proved to be one of the most consistent in the outfield. Not only that, but he is one of the key contributors that Cleveland has in a lineup full of question marks.
