Arizona Diamondbacks Make Interesting Trade To Cut Payroll
The Arizona Diamondbacks made a salary dump trade late Saturday night that sent Bronson Arroyo to the Atlanta Braves for infielder Philip Gosselin. The thing that has several people scratching their heads is that the Diamondbacks also gave the Braves pitching prospect Touki Toussaint, Arizona’s first-round draft choice in 2014.
Arroyo is working his way back from and injury and will likely be ready to pitch for the Braves in early August. He hadn’t pitched for the Diamondbacks since getting hurt on June 15, 2014. Arroyo had Tommy John surgery in July. The 19-year-old Toussaint, whose birthday was Saturday, was pitching well in Class A ball, sporting a 3.69 earned run average. Gosselin is a utility infielder who is currently on the disabled with a fractured thumb.
Fox Sports is reporting that Arizona general manager Dave Stewart felt the deal needed to be done so that the Diamondbacks young pitchers can continue their development in the big leagues.
“It is more of what we are trying to do. The money is definitely important. We said that we are going to try to do what we can to promote our young pitchers, but also give ourselves a chance to make some savings so that we can have an opportunity to do things at a later date.”
The move should save the Diamondbacks nearly $10 million, but at what cost? It seems that if Arizona had waited for Arroyo to make some rehab starts, some other team may have come along that needed some pitching help and would have taken the veteran off the Diamondbacks’ hands. Arizona traded away a solid prospect to dump some salary, and that has to be concerning.
The deal was widely panned by baseball writers on Twitter.
The D-Backs sold Touki Toussaint for $10 million, five months after paying $16 million (with tax) for Yoan Lopez, who is not as good.
— Ben Badler (@BenBadler) June 21, 2015
With spending restricted everywhere but free agency, eating cash for a great talent like Atlanta did for Touki Toussaint is a no-brainer.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 21, 2015
Touki Toussaint giveaway by @Dbacks to @Braves to dump $9.5 mil of Bronson Arroyo's salary is the most inexplicable trade I have ever seen.
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) June 21, 2015
Both teams have played better than expected so far this season. The Braves are in third place in the National League East, just two games behind the Washington Nationals. The Diamondbacks are in third place in the N.L. West, four-and-a-half games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. Neither team is likely to make a playoff run, so this was a deal for the future. Gosselin is a decent utility infielder, but nothing more. Toussaint is a young first round draft pick. This is a clear win for John Hart and the Braves.
Arroyo is the second big salaried player dealt this month by the Diamondbacks. As reported on earlier at the Inquisitr, Arizona sent slugger Mark Tumbo and pitcher Vidal Nuno to the Seattle Mariners for a package of four players. We will see in the next few weeks if the Arizona Diamondbacks are in complete fire sale mode or if the dealing is done.
[Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images]
