PHOENIX -- With the 1 p.m. MST Trade Deadline on Friday fast approaching, D-backs fans have questions.

Will the D-backs make more deals after trading Eduardo Escobar on Wednesday? Does the team intend to do a full-scale rebuild And what about the status of manager Torey Lovullo, whose contract expires at the end of the season?

D-backs president/CEO Derrick Hall addressed those topics on a Thursday conference call with the team's beat writers. Here are some key takeaways:

1. Expect more trades
A deal is never done until it's done, but Hall reiterated what GM Mike Hazen told reporters Wednesday night -- the D-backs likely have another trade or two in the works.

"I wouldn’t say we’re expecting much more," Hall said. "We’re still talking to plenty of teams and listening on most of our guys, but we also have the understanding that we can go into the offseason and still make moves if need be. It's not as if we have to make moves."

Hall, like Hazen, did not name any specific players, but one to keep an eye on would likely be closer Joakim Soria, whose contract is up at the end of the year.

Among players who are under control past this season, left-hander Caleb Smith and right-hander Merrill Kelly would be attractive to contenders.

2. The D-backs know they need to rebuild
Under Hazen, the D-backs have resisted rebuilding and have focused on trying to contend for a postseason spot every year. They won a National League Wild Card spot in 2017 and were in contention in both '18 and '19 before falling out in September.

But the disappointment of 2020 combined with bottoming out in '21 have convinced the front office that it has to start moving in the direction of replacing some of this team's core the past several years with younger players.

"Yeah, I don't think it's a Band-Aid anymore," Hall said. "Obviously, it's a tourniquet right now. We had a lot of faith in this group and thought that they could win. We really put it to the test the last three seasons. we believe we have some really talented players. That's the confusing part. But just collectively, they haven't gotten it done. In the past, we've felt like we're a player away, two players away. That is definitely not the case here. So I do think it's going to take a little time."

Don't expect there to be a complete tearing down like the Cubs or Astros did, but the D-backs may take a step backwards in order to hopefully go forward.

3. It sure sounds like Lovullo will be back in 2022
Lovullo is in the final year of his contract and, with the team struggling, there has been speculation as to whether he will be back next year.

However, that speculation is in stark contrast to the votes of confidence that have come from ownership and Hazen. Hall has time and again been supportive of Lovullo, as he was again Thursday.

"My feelings on Torey haven’t changed," Hall said. "I think he's a tremendous person. I think he is a great manager. This is a guy who, just a few years ago, was Manager of the Year, and that's because he knows what he's doing. He knows the game. He is prepared for this. Players love to play for him. And you can't blame him, you know, single-handedly. Again, it’s everybody. It’s the entire front office. It's the players. Torey would probably be most critical of himself, yet I think he's made the right moves this season and, perhaps, he just hasn't had the right roster, or the players just have not performed to their expectations."

4. That being said ...
Don't look for an extension for Lovullo before the end of the season.

"We'll go into the offseason and really look at everything we're doing," Hall said. "He's always been a part of the planning in the offseason and he will be [this year] as well. But we're all going to have to look back and reflect, and I don't have any doubt that he'll reflect on the job that he's done as well with us. But no, I don't think there's any need to rush to a decision on what his future is before the end of the season. Nor do I think he's looking for that. He wants to get through the season and then we'll all sit down and take a breath and reflect."