Diamondbacks’ A.J. Puk Trade Helps Them Retool for Wild Card Push

On Thursday evening, the Arizona Diamondbacks (53-50) officially kicked off the 2024 trade season by acquiring lefty reliever A.J. Puk from the Miami Marlins. ESPN’s Jeff Passan shared the details on social media.

General manager Mike Hazen has been clear that the D-backs were in pursuit of a lefty reliever to stabilize a suddenly unstable bullpen. With Puk, the D-backs finally have the lefty reliever they were desperate to find.

In 2024, the 29-year-old pitcher has a 4.30 ERA (1.34 WHIP). Over 44 innings, he has struck out 45 and walked 23 while giving up three home runs.

But those numbers are a bit misleading.

At the beginning of the season, the Marlins used Puk as a starter; however, since moving back to the bullpen on June 1, he has a 2.08 ERA (2.42 WHIP) 30.1 IP, including 33 Ks. Hitters are slashing a measly .159/.204/.252 against him.

Moreover, his numbers in relief are consistent over the last two seasons: He has a 31% K% and a 5% BB%.

Plus, Puk is the kind of player pitching coach Brent Strom can really work with.

Puk will give the D-backs an additional lefty reliever to Joe Mantiply. In addition, over recent weeks, closer Paul Sewald has become less reliable. In acquiring Puk, the D-backs look to return to the stability the bullpen found last season, ironically, with the addition of Sewald.

Puk will earn $1.8 million in 2024 and is under club control until 2026. Hazen has said he wants to make moves that will help the D-backs optimize their contention window. Acquiring Puk is consistent with that strategy.

Here’s what the revamped D-backs bullpen looks like:

To make room for Puk on the D-backs 40-man roster, LHP Joe Jacques was DFA’d.

While Hazen has said the D-backs are not going to sell the farm, moving Deyvison De Los Santos and Andrew Pintar is not a small move.

De Los Santos has slashed .325/.376/.635 for an OPS of 1.011. He’s also hit 28 homers this season in Double-A and Triple-A. Oh, and he’s only 21 and the youngest player in the PCL with more than 120 plate appearances.

That said, while the power is for real, the plate discipline is not, so he’ll be a project for the Marlins.

Pintar, meanwhile, was promoted to Double-A Amarillo in June. This season, he has hit 12 home runs and slashed .266./.355/.768. He was recently converted from shortstop to the outfield.

With this trade completed, the next step for the D-backs is to see if Hazen acquires another starter in addition to a right-handed power bat. He has indicated both are possibilities.

A D-backs team that remains in the Wildcard hunt despite, at times, losing 3/5 of its starting rotation to injuries and finding its Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll in a terrible “sophomore slump” will be one to watch down the stretch.