A Major League Baseball general manager typically has almost 100 games before having to decide to be a buyer or seller at the July 31 Trade Deadline.

But this is 2020, and things are different. Far different.

D-backs GM Mike Hazen had seen his team play 25 games heading into Thursday night, and this year’s Trade Deadline is coming up on Aug. 31, only 11 days away.

“It still all remains very complicated to evaluate,” Hazen said. “We’re sitting here evaluating our season and taking stock of where we’re going to be and how we’re going to go after 20-plus games? It’s bizarre. But it’s intriguing and it’s fun and it gives us a different dynamic under which to operate. Everyone is operating under the same principles and playing fields, and we’ve got to figure it out. But in a baseball season, making major decisions or large decisions after 20-plus games is probably not what we’re all used to doing and probably not the smartest thing to be doing, but we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do.”

The D-backs entered Thursday night’s game against the A's having won seven of their past 10 games and held the eighth and final postseason spot in the National League.

Hazen said he and his staff hope that the team continues to play well over the next week, which could determine how big of a move they make before the Trade Deadline. And they may have some financial flexibility available.

“I don’t have a real hard and fast position on it right now,” Hazen said about adding salary. “We’ve been told to go out and explore and see what additions we can make to the team, and evaluate them as we go.”

Hazen will also have to see what the market is like, because no one has been in a situation like this before, so they don’t know what to expect.

Further complicating the situation is the fact that there is no Minor League season this year. Teams can trade players from their 60-man player pools easily, but in order to trade someone not from that pool, it gets more complicated.

“You can have a player to be named later, but that becomes a more complicated scenario, because Minor League contracts are suspended," Hazen said. "We don’t know how that’s going to shake out.”

With Madison Bumgarner expected to return from the injured list in the near future, Hazen feels good about his starting-pitching depth, but he is always looking to add to the bullpen.

And with the D-backs not yet having a player take hold of the designated-hitter role on a regular basis -- slugger Kevin Cron is getting an audition right now after Jake Lamb’s early-season struggles -- that’s another area Hazen could try to add to.

“Offensively, I think we may look to be opportunistic,” Hazen said. “A bat to help us in a DH role or whatever. I would still prefer that addition come from within, but I do think it’s an area that needs to see improvement.”

Trading one of the organization’s top prospects from the 60-man player pool, such as outfielders Kristian Robinson and Corbin Carroll or shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, is not likely to happen.

“I’m just not going to do that,” Hazen said. “In order for us to trade the guys that you’re referring to in the lower levels of our system on the 60-man, we would be looking at a very big piece to our Major League team. It would take a significant piece [in return]. It wouldn’t be adding to the roster to finish out a 30-game schedule.”

Sherfy released
Reliever James Sherfy was released by the D-backs on Wednesday from the alternate training site. Hazen said Sherfy is scheduled to have bone chips removed from his right elbow and would have missed the rest of the season. Sherfy is set to be a free agent after the season, so he was released.

Bumgarner progressing
Bumgarner threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Thursday, and Hazen said the plan for the left-hander is for him to throw another simulated game before returning to the active roster.

The timetable for the sim game is still being worked out.