Jordan Hamm
All seemed quiet(ish) on MLB trade deadline day for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
They had acquired Miami pitcher Zac Gallen for top prospect Jazz Chisholm in what Bob Nightengale called a “minor league deal.”
Shortly before the deadline unofficially passed, news came down that Arizona acquired Mariners starter and former ASU Sun Devil Mike Leake.
Then the big one came through.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal first reported that the Arizona Diamondbacks traded Zack Greinke to the Houston Astros.
This year was the best season of Greinke’s time in Arizona, with a 10-4 record, striking out 128 batters in 141 innings and a 2.87 ERA.
The last look at Greinke in D-backs gear as he moves on to Houston. pic.twitter.com/vv04DqOPfb
— Bally Sports Arizona (@BALLYSPORTSAZ) July 31, 2019
According to Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro, the Diamondbacks receive a group of prospects in first baseman Seth Beer, right-handed pitcher J.B. Bukauskas, right-handed pitcher Corbin Martin and outfielder Joshua Rojas. Beer, Bukauskas and Martin are the #3, #4 and #5 prospects in the Astros system according to MLB Pipeline. Rojas is the 22nd-ranked prospect in Houston’s system.
Beer totalled 25 home runs and 86 RBI at a .309 batting average between High-A and Double-A this year. He presents power and plate discipline and was a Freshman of the Year in 2016 while at Clemson.
Bukauskas holds a 5.25 ERA in 85.2 innings pitched with 98 strikeouts in Double-A. Here’s what MLB Pipeline had to say about the right-hander:
Bukauskas’ best offering is his slider, which combines mid-80s power with late, sharp bite, though he can fall in love with it and lose some feel for his fastball. His heater is also formidable, sitting in the mid-90s, topping out at 98 mph and featuring some sink and run.
MLB Pipeline says Martin sports a fastball that sits been 92-95, though he had Tommy John surgery earlier this month and could miss well into the 2020 season.
He can miss bats with each of his breaking balls, with his slider showing more flashes of becoming a true plus offering than his curveball. His changeup continues to improve as he uses it more often and helped make him slightly more effective against lefties than righties in 2018.
Rojas has hit .315 betweenDouble-A and Triple-A and played his college ball at Paradise Valley Community College and Hawaii.
Gambadoro also reported the Diamondbacks will cover $24 million over the next three years of Greinke’s remaining $77 million left on his contract.
Greinke joins an already impressive Astro rotation that features Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander.
