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The Arizona Diamondbacks might not be sitting atop the NL West, but they do own one of the NL Wild Card spots, tied with the Philadelphia Phillies.
But, this D-Backs team needs some help at the MLB trade deadline. Of their issues, the closer role and the team's first base spot are in dire need of some help.
Amid the team's need at first base, Katie Woo, Ken Rosenthal, and Will Sammon of The Athletic linked the D-Backs to Washington Nationals 23-homer lefty slugger Luis Garcia Jr. as their "perfect" trade deadline target this summer.
Luis Garcia Jr. is a 'perfect' fit for D-Backs at trade deadline
"The Washington Nationals' Luis Garcia Jr. would appear a perfect fit for the Arizona Diamondbacks, whose .599 OPS at first base entering Thursday was the worst in the majors by nearly 50 points, behind the New York Mets," Rosenthal, Sammon and Woo write.
With the Diamondbacks in postseason contention, they're likely to be deadline buyers. In search of help at the deadline, first base and closer are their top-two priorities.
With plenty of relievers available, adding first base help might be a bit more challenging. But if they could find a way to acquire Garcia, it might be the best possible addition they could make.
This season, the 26-year-old infielder, who is under club control through 2027, has 2.4 bWAR in 350 at-bats across 102 games with 100 hits, 19 doubles, 23 home runs, five triples, 76 RBIs, and a .286 batting average with an NL-best .566 slugging percentage.
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Compared to the lousy .599 OPS from the current Diamondbacks first basemen this season, Garcia's .882 OPS would be a massive upgrade of nearly .300 points.
Such a massive upgrade is very tempting to make, but the cost of adding Garcia will be very high. The Nationals are willing to listen to offers on just about anyone, but the D-Backs will have to give up a ton to land him.
However, if the Diamondbacks believe this version of the team has a real chance to go on a postseason run and upset the Los Angeles Dodgers by adding a closer and someone like Garcia to man first base, then a blockbuster deal would be worth it.
Garcia would be a perfect fit for the Diamondbacks this summer, even at the lofty price it'd take to pry him from the Nationals. Arizona needs first base help desperately, and Garcia is probably the best possible option they could acquire this year.
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