It’s no secret that the Arizona Diamondbacks aren’t looking to compete in 2015. After finishing at 64-98 last season, the worst record in all of baseball, the Diamondbacks appear to be geared up for a similarly underwhelming finish in 2015. With a lineup that regularly features Tuffy Gosewisch, Nick Ahmed, and Ender Inciarte it’s safe to say the Diamondbacks have some holes to fill.
But how exactly can the Diamondbacks go about filling all these holes? Sure their farm system has a good deal of depth, particularly in pitching, but with the lack of talent currently on the big league roster it seems as though the Diamondbacks still have a long ways to go before they will be back to competing. Years of poor player personnel decisions have left this team devoid of any superstar talent with the exception of one player, Paul Goldschmidt.
So how exactly does Goldschmidt factor in to the Diamondbacks’ future? Aside from the fact that he is by far this team’s best player, what can Goldschmidt do to help turn this franchise’s fortunes around? The answer is simple, but one that many fans may not like to hear: the Diamondbacks must trade Paul Goldschmidt.
This proposal is certainly not going to be a popular one. After all, Goldschmidt is still only 27 and playing on an outrageously team-friendly contract through 2019 with a club option for 2020 that will unquestionably be picked up. But despite the fact that Goldschmidt is locked up for as many as 5 more years at an enormous discount, that still isn’t enough for the Diamondbacks.
Goldschmidt is just beginning to enter the prime years of his career. While that’s great and all, the Diamondbacks are in the heart of what is bound to be a grueling rebuild. It would be a shame to see a player as great as Goldschmidt waste away his best years playing for an irrelevant team.
While I don’t think the Diamondbacks (or Goldschmidt for that matter) have any intent of trading their star player in the immediate future, they should look into the possibility at the trade deadline and even more seriously in the offseason. Sure Goldschmidt is probably the only thing bringing fans to the yard in Arizona this season, but the team needs to cash in on its most valuable asset in any way that they can. They could sit on Goldschmidt and have him put up MVP-caliber numbers for them, all while sitting towards the bottom of the league; or they could trade Goldschmidt to a team with World Series aspirations for a hefty price.
Should the Diamondbacks decide to trade Paul Goldschmidt, the return would be massive. We’re not talking one near MLB ready player and some middle tier prospects. No, a Goldschmidt trade would involve multiple MLB ready prospects in addition to a bus load of middle tier players. While the Diamondbacks do already have a pretty good looking farm system, this type of trade would dramatically accelerate their rebuild.
So while trading Goldschmidt isn’t something I’d expect to happen anytime soon, it’s an option the Diamondbacks do need to look into. Taking a slight step back in the immediate future from an already weak roster will hurt a bit, but it would be a prudent long-term decision. After so many years of ill-advised trading of talented players, its time the Diamondbacks officially hit the reset button and look down the road a bit further.
