Dave Dombrowski is never afraid to make a bold trade; regardless of the player. He flaunted that fact in November 2009, when he traded Edwin Jackson and fan-favorite Curtis Granderson away in a deal that landed them Max Scherzer, Austin Jackson, Phil Coke, and Daniel Schlereth–all in an effort to give the team payroll relief while still maintaining their competitive aspirations.
Detroit and Arizona were not able to match up talent themselves, so they got the Yankees and Brian Cashman involved to fill in Arizona’s criteria needed to make the trade. Namely, the Diamondbacks felt they needed two starters that were ready to insert into their rotation if they were going to give up a young Max Scherzer, who was coming off his first full season in the major leagues.