The Rattlers remained on the edge of the NL playoffs, sitting for five games and half in a wildcard chase. General Manager Mike Hazen said he hopes the team performs well and can position itself as a late buyer, but GM has also been listening to quotes from some of his outfielders at least, the New York Post reported. That’s true no Including stars Corbin Carrollno surprise, but Heyman suggested Alek Thomas,,,,, Jake McCarthy,,,,, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Randal Grichuk Probably discussed.
Of four outfielders, Gricook is the most obvious trade candidate. He is playing the 2025 season in a one-year 5mm contract. When he reaches the 200th set, he will receive a prize of $250,000 – currently $174 – if he reaches 275 sets, he will have another $250,000.
Grichuk’s contract structured makes Grichuk’s salary at $2mm, while next year’s $5mm co-option, owes a 3mm acquisition. This makes him a little more expensive for the rest of the season than a year-on-year contract, which means his contract suggests. He was paid around $634,000 before the deal deadline, but also had a 3mm acquisition and some potential incentive paycheck. Of course, D-Backs can offset some of the 2025 wages burdened by including cash, making trade more attractive.
The 2025 season isn’t Grichuk’s best, but he’s still fighting for strength. The 33-year-old hit the ball.242/.282/.466, had seven home runs, 13 doubles and 174 triple to the plate. His walking rate is 5.7%, consistent with his career mark. His 21.6% strikeout rate fell by about 25% with his career level, but is significantly higher than his personal best clips that he turned in the Snake’s productive season last year.
From a trade perspective, Gurriel, 31, is a tougher sale. He is paying 14mm this season and guarantees $13mm for 2026, plus a $5mm acquisition purchased on the $14mm club option for the 2027 season. His .251/.299/.421 batting line (98 WRC+) has represented a year and any team that attracts him knows that Gurriel will choose the remaining 18mm, he guaranteed him $18mm left outside of the season, or tore and opt out in the second half. It’s not an attractive structure, and the rattlesnake may need to eat the remaining portion of the money he owes to facilitate trade.
Thomas and McCarthy are both controllable left-handed outfielders, but both do well on the plate. Thomas once touted as one of the most important outfield prospects in baseball, but has not yet hit it in part of four major league seasons. He is an above average runner and a strong defensive midfielder, but this year’s .245/.295/.366 hitting line (84 WRC+) is actually the best in his career as a 25-year-old. He is a lifetime .230/.276/.360 batsman, in less than 1,200 major league games.
On the other hand, McCarthy has had a great major league success in the set, only in 2025. He reached .283/.342/.427 (116 WRC+) in 99 games in 2022 and beat .285/.349/.400 (110 WRC+) in his most recent season. However, he fell for a year in 2023, with the 27-year-old struggling to reach his career-worst .144/.228/.244 line (33 WRC+) on 102 trips this season.
Of course, this is a relatively small sample, and McCarthy is having a bad luck. He hit only 0.151 in the game, less than half of his .328 career as a season, about 130 points below the league average. McCarthy didn’t hit the ball at all (average 83.9 mph exit speed with a hard hit rate of 23.7%), but he’s poorly hit metrics even in his more efficient 2022 and 2024 seasons. His strikeout rate of 15.7% is still excellent, with McCarthy driving at 8.8%.
D-Backs picked McCarthy as Triple-A after a tough three-week start and recalled him only in late June. He beat .314/.401/.440 in 237 sets with 237 sets and hit the ball at Reno’s top member branch and slashed 222/.300/.400 on the past 51 major league boards.
Both Thomas and McCarthy have control over three seasons. Both are eligible for the first time in the offseason. The Rattlesnake burned McCarthy’s last choice year when he sent him to Triple-A in April. Next year he will no longer be the minor league choice. Thomas has one option left to enter 2025, but he is still intact as he hasn’t been sent down at any time of the season.
