Blue Jays: Five logical landing spots for Marco Estrada

Arizona Diamondbacks – Playoff Hopeful

Closely battling the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West, the Diamondbacks are also looking for a strong postseason performance to validate their new organizational direction. With an outstanding offence and solid defence, the team from Arizona has not exactly been consistent in terms of starting pitching.

While Zack Greinke (2.89 ERA, 149.2 IP, 152 K) and Patrick Corbin (3.15 ERA, 148.2 IP, 183 K) have formidably anchored the rotation, the other three starters have been less than concrete. The bullpen, though generally dominant, could use some reinforcements – as could most of the bullpens of playoff hopefuls.

In this case, it’s more of a potential “want” than a need. The D-Backs don’t necessarily need to add another starter (or longman), but it would be nice to see them strengthen their pitching before they face off against the rest of the scary NL contenders including the Cubs, the Phillies, and the division rival Dodgers. With a weary fanbase hungry for a deep playoff run and an antsy group of youngsters itching for a title, any minor moves that could push them over the proverbial contention hump would be welcomed with open arms.

Ninth in baseball in ERA, and fifth in innings pitched by starting pitchers, Arizona could either stick Estrada in the rotation to alleviate the workload of their core staff, or could toss him in the bullpen to serve as a long reliever. Either way, he could be useful at the right price.