Ray in top form vs. O's as Trade Deadline looms

PHOENIX -- The scout section behind home plate at Chase Field was more crowded than usual Monday night with the Trade Deadline approaching and D-backs left-hander Robbie Ray on the mound.

Ray’s name has been mentioned prominently in trade rumors, and he could be dealt before the July 31 Trade Deadline if the D-backs, who are hovering around the .500 mark but are still just two games out of a Wild Card spot, decide to sell.

Those scouts had to like what they saw as Ray fanned 10 over six innings in the D-backs’ 6-3 win over the Orioles.

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The D-backs remained two games behind the Cardinals, who beat the Pirates, in the race for the second National League Wild Card spot. Arizona is 1 1/2 games behind the Phillies and Brewers in the Wild Card race.

That’s close to a playoff spot, but the fact remains the D-backs were a .500 team at 50-50 through 100 games before winning Monday.

“I mean, the belief that a .500 team is going to win the World Series, get through the Wild Card format that we have and win the World Series is, I don’t think objectively that’s a position we should be staking ourselves to,” D-backs general manager Mike Hazen said before the game.

Losing three of four over the weekend to the Brewers certainly hurt the players’ chances of convincing management to keep this team together.

Monday, though, was the beginning of a seven-game stretch in which the D-backs play three games against the last-place Orioles and four at the Marlins, who have the worst record in the National League.

Hazen was asked what would happen if the team runs off six or seven wins.

“We’ll see what happens when it happens,” Hazen said. “We’ll tackle that at the appropriate time. We’re going to make a determination on where we stand, what we think moving forward. We’ll factor that part in. We’ll have to see what our competition does, as well. If we’re standing in a playoff spot eight days from now, it’s probably a little harder to make certain decisions. But up to this point, we haven’t done that.”

Ray is eligible to become a free agent after the 2020 season, and a left-handed starter with swing-and-miss stuff and a live fastball is certainly attractive to a team loading up for the postseason.

In addition, outfielder David Peralta, shortstop Nick Ahmed and infielder Jake Lamb are among those who have contract situations similar to Ray’s. For a variety of reasons, though, Ray would seemingly be the more likely to go if a team agrees to Arizona’s asking price.

In addition, the team has such players as closer Greg Holland, outfielder Adam Jones, catcher Alex Avila and reliever Yoshihisa Hirano, who are eligible for free agency after this year.

Hazen said that as of right now the team is receiving more calls than it is making. Teams are checking in to see who might be available if the D-backs do decide to sell.

Should the calculus begin to change this week with the D-backs climbing into a Wild Card spot, Hazen could look to add a starting pitcher and a bullpen arm, but don’t expect it to be a blockbuster-type move.

“I wouldn’t see a lot of significant additions to the team,” Hazen said. “But I think we have a good team.”

While the goal is to have a perennial World Series-contending team, Hazen doesn’t want to shortchange what the D-backs have accomplished the past two seasons. In 2017, they captured the first Wild Card spot and beat the Rockies in the Wild Card Game.

Last year, they led the NL West until a September collapse cost them a postseason spot. This year, they have stayed in the postseason race despite injuries to key players like Steven Souza Jr., Luke Weaver and Taijuan Walker.

“Competing is something to be taken with a significant amount of respect,” Hazen said. “We’ve done that all year. Having a team that goes out there and plays hard every night for the fans and represents for the city and state and organization and goes out and competes and vies for playoff appearances, I think that’s something to be proud of. It’s not the goal that we have established for ourselves.”