The Arizona Diamondbacks are the only team with a winning record in the N.L. West. It would be an overstatement calling the division competitive, but the fact is that the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are the last-place team, are only six games back from first place. At 42-36, the Diamondbacks would love to secure their grasp on first place during the stretch run and as a result, they have taken interest into trading for Chicago Cubs' right-hander, Jeff Samardzija.
Samardzija is a hard throwing right-hander 28-year old. He's a strikeout pitcher, having blown away 115 batters in 106.1 innings pitched while averaging 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings. You can't pay too much attention to his record since he plays for the abysmal Cubs, but Samardzija, also known as "Shark," is 5-7 with a 3.39 ERA and 1.194 WHIP.
There's not much a team could dislike about Samardzija, so it's clear as to why the Diamondbacks would like to acquire the right-hander from Chicago. The Cubs are playing because there are 162 games on the schedule, but they know they don't have a chance at making the playoffs and the organization wants to plenish their young players as they look forward to competing in years to come.
The Cubs want prospects and after a few trades in the past years, the Diamondbacks have talent to spare in their farm system.
Arizona could really use some help in their starting rotation. The San Francisco Giants will not stay with their arms folded before the trade deadline as they have a history of making pivotal, season-changing moves. The Los Angeles Dodgers don't want to have their investments to wash down the drain, therefore, they will also improve their team whether it's through pitching or hitting.
Coming into Friday's game against the Atlanta Braves, the Diamondbacks' starting pitching is 19th in baseball with a 4.15 ERA and 22nd with just 22 wins. The highlight of their season has been Patrick Corbin, who remains a perfect 9-0 with a 2.22 ERA. Everybody else has an ERA over 4.00, except for Randall Delgado, but he's only made two starts this year. Also, aside from Corbin, every other starting pitcher has a losing record, except for Tyler Skaggs who is sitting at .500 with a 1-1 record in three starts.
The formula for success in baseball is a balanced team. The formula for postseason success is usually surrounded around great pitching. With the addition of Samardzija, the Diamondbacks could add depth and guarantee they get an innings-eater as Samardzija has gone at least five innings in all 16 starts this season.
