Hazen strikes quickly to fill top Deadline priority in Puk

PHOENIX -- As he surveyed the Trade Deadline market, D-backs GM Mike Hazen knew that a lot of would-be buyers were looking to add starting pitching. While Hazen might still make a deal for a starter, his top priority was adding back-end bullpen help so he struck quickly, acquiring Marlins lefty A.J. Puk on Thursday night in exchange for a pair of Minor Leaguers.

The move comes days before Tuesday's Trade Deadline, which leaves Arizona time to add pieces.

“Frankly, I feel like it's harder for some of the teams that are that are shooting for starting pitchers to focus on both starting and relieving [trades] at the same time, just with the resources you have to deploy,” Hazen said. “We felt like attacking the relief market early could be to our advantage. We'll see. You never really know what the price is ultimately going to be at the Deadline, but you can't just say that you want to go and improve your team and then not go and do it.”

Hazen hinted at having to pay a little extra to get a deal done before the Deadline. D-backs infielder Deyvison De Los Santos (Arizona's No. 14 prospect per MLB Pipeline) was the centerpiece of the deal for the Marlins, but outfielder Andrew Pintar (No. 30) was later added to get it done.

The D-backs recently returned left-handed starter Jordan Montgomery from the injured list, and they expect to have lefty Eduardo Rodriguez and righty Merrill Kelly back in August. If the trio remains healthy, Arizona's rotation would seem to be in a good spot, with Zac Gallen and Brandon Pfaadt pitching very well and Ryne Nelson putting together a nice string of starts of late.

The bullpen has pitched well lately, too, but the D-backs were missing a second left-hander to go with Joe Mantiply. Two other left-handed options that helped Arizona last season during its postseason run -- Kyle Nelson and Andrew Saalfrank -- are out for the season. Nelson is dealing with left shoulder inflammation, and Saalfrank was suspended by Major League Baseball for violating its gambling policy.

Puk gives manager Torey Lovullo another late-inning option, with Mantiply and right-handers Paul Sewald, Ryan Thompson, Kevin Ginkel and Justin Martinez.

“We felt like this was a good complement,” Hazen said. “I feel like when our bullpen was at our best last year with [Mantiply] and [Nelson], we had those two lefties out there giving Torey a lefty [to use] probably every night.”

The 29-year-old Puk opened this season in the Marlins’ rotation as Miami tried to convert him from a reliever to a starter. That experiment did not go well, with Puk going 0-4 with a 9.22 ERA in four starts.

Puk regained his dominance after he shifted back to the bullpen on May 13, compiling a 2.08 ERA in 28 games.

Adding to Puk's allure is that he is not a rental. He is under team control through the 2026 season, which gives the D-backs some insurance should Sewald leave via free agency after this season.

“Obviously, the control, having him for multiple seasons is something that was very valuable and intriguing for us,” Hazen said. “We feel like once he shifted back from starting to relieving, that the relief performance was what we expect and have seen out of him in the past.”

Giving up De Los Santos and Pintar was not a decision reached easily, but it was weighed against where Arizona is in its competitive window.

After winning 84 games last season and making a surprise run to the World Series, the D-backs were aggressive in the offseason and opened the year with the highest payroll in franchise history.

Now, as they sit squarely amid the NL Wild Card race once again, remaining idle at the Deadline was not an option to Hazen.

“The commitment that we made this offseason and into this year, and what the team has shown to this point, we need to push some of our chips in here to make this team a better team. And we're committed to doing that. We're going to continue to look at ways of doing that. This isn't hopefully the only thing we do.”