The Arizona Diamondbacks are currently in third place in the National League West going into the second half of the season. They are currently just six games back of the Giants who are currently in first place. With the trade deadline quickly approaching on July 31st, the Diamondbacks must make a decision on whether to be buyers or sellers at the deadline. The next couple of weeks are very important to this decision. If the D'backs can make a run in the next couple of weeks, they should look to improve their team to make a playoff push. But if they fall off, they could look to trade some of their better players, such as Justin Upton, to improve their farm system and look to the future. Arizona's offense has been the bright spot so far this year, as they are in the top half of the league in most offensive categories. As for their pitching, the Diamondbacks need to see some improvement over the next couple of weeks. They have the arms to do it with Trevor Cahill, Wade Miley, rookie Trevor Bauer, and Ian Kennedy. Kennedy thus far has not produced like he did last year, and it would take a quick turnaround by him to give the Diamondbacks a chance.
If the D'backs fail to produce and fall back in the standings, they will be looking to trade away some of their players at the trade deadline. Justin Upton is the prized piece that many of the contenders will be looking to get from Arizona. Upton, who has had an inconsistent career thus far, has tremendous upside. His numbers are down this year, where he is batting .271 with just seven home runs. Last year Upton, hit .289 with 31 home runs, so he definitely has power potential. At 24, there are still many years to turn this inconsistency around and be a perennial star player for whatever team tries to trade for him. Another star that could be trade bait for Arizona is second baseman Aaron Hill. Hill who is having a great year for a second basemanis batting .301 with a .355 on-base percentage, and has also hit for two cycles already this season.
No matter how the next two weeks go, the Diamondbacks have options and control their own destiny for their season and the future. In a ballpark like Chase Field, anything can happen. Chase Field is one of the most hitter friendly parks in the Majors and can allow the D'Backs to score lots of runs in a short amount of time, which means they are rarely ever out of any game at home. It should be an interesting next couple of weeks in baseball, both for the Diamondbacks and the rest of the NL West, which has been one of the more competitive division races over the last couple of years.
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