LOS ANGELES – While the Diamondbacks’ key decision-makers huddled here in a downtown hotel in preparation for Monday’s trade deadline, rival evaluators wondered from afar about what direction the club would take in the coming days.
Many view the Diamondbacks as a team in an interesting predicament. They are in last place, staggering toward a 90-loss season, but because they built their team in hopes of contending in the next couple of years, they appear unlikely to part with the majority of their big-league assets. At the same time, their most logical trade candidates are struggling, dragging down their value.