The Diamondbacks enter tonight’s action at 43-50, 9 1/2 games back in the NL West and 7 1/2 games back for a Wild Card spot. This should put them firmly in the “seller” category, so it’s no surprise that ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reports that Arizona is getting “lots of calls” about veteran reliever Brad Ziegler. However, they are currently telling teams that they would have to be “overwhelmed” in order to move him.
Coming off microfracture knee surgery, Ziegler has a 1.08 ERA and 24/11 K/BB ratio over 41 2/3 innings this season. The sidearmer began the year in a set-up role, but has gone 15-for-17 in save chances since taking over the closer job from Addison Reed.
It’s a little silly for an out-of-contention team to take this sort of stance with a 35-year-old reliever, but keep in mind that his contract includes a reasonable $5.5 million club option (or a $1 million buyout) for next season. The Diamondbacks apparently won’t deal him unless they get a strong return.
