The Arizona Diamondbacks 2021 season has been disastrous, to say the least.
They have a 20-43 record, by far the worst in Major League Baseball.
The Diamondbacks lost, 4-0. A key call went against them. They were two-hit, getting shut out for the eighth time this year. They have lost 19 in a row on the road, tied for the fourth-longest streak ever. Overall, they have lost 21 of 23 and 30 of 35. They are 20-43.
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) June 9, 2021
Even the Colorado Rockies, a franchise that also appears to be going nowhere, has a better record at 25-38.
The D-Backs are already an incredible 19 games out of first place, a position held by the surprising San Francisco Giants.
But are the Diamondbacks stuck in the basement of the National League West?
Considering the quality of their competition, they might be for a long time.
The Dodgers And Padres Are Just Too Good
Let’s not forget the division in which Arizona plays most of its games: the NL West.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Giants, and Rockies all play in the NL West.
The Dodgers are perhaps the team to beat in all of baseball, and they are the current holders of the World Series trophy after winning it last year for the first time since 1988.
They have two perennial MVP candidates on the roster in Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger, plus other top performers such as Max Muncy, Corey Seager, Will Smith, Gavin Lux, and others.
On the pitching side of things, they may have four Cy Young candidates when all is said and done: Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Trevor Bauer, and Julio Urias.
The Padres, on the other hand, have a super rotation that includes Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove, Dinelson Lamet, and Ryan Weathers, with uber-prospect MacKenzie Gore waiting in the wings and Mike Clevinger recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Of course, they also have Fernando Tatis Jr., perhaps the best young player in MLB.
Those two teams will be a problem for the Diamondbacks for a long time.
They have built teams to win now and in the future, complicating Arizona’s outlook.
What About The Giants?
As good as the Dodgers and Padres are, the Giants are actually leading the division with a 38-23 record.
They have enjoyed resurgent seasons from Buster Posey, Evan Longoria, Alex Wood, Anthony DeSclafani, Brandon Crawford, and a breakout performance by ace Kevin Gausman.
Most of those players are veterans, but help is on the way, mainly thanks to shortstop prospect Marco Luciano and outfield project Heliot Ramos, among others.
San Francisco should be better than Arizona for at least a couple more years.
A Competition With The Rockies To Avoid Last Place
The Diamondbacks aren’t in good shape this season, and they should be sellers at the deadline because they are going nowhere this year or next.
Four starters are over 30: David Peralta, Josh Reddick, Nick Ahmed, and Eduardo Escobar.
Ketel Marte, the club’s best player, was injured for weeks and only returned recently.
If Arizona decides to trade him, they could replenish the system.
Arizona ought to trade Ketel Marte, you get him for 1.5 years, only due to make 8.4 million in 2022. .981 OPS in 2019, .329/.389/.592
32 & 92 RBI, 77 XBH, 148 OPS+
136 OPS+ through 16 games in 2021
— Jarbs (@_jarbs) May 30, 2021
Speaking of the system, most of the best prospects are still a couple of years away: outfielders Kristian Robinson, Alek Thomas, and Corbin Carroll.
With them, there is a solid foundation for the future, and if we add Carson Kelly, Zac Gallen, Josh Rojas, and Pavin Smith, there is something to work with.
However, even if all those players pan out, the Diamondbacks are far from the Dodgers and Padres and still behind the Giants.
It looks like Arizona will be fighting with the Rockies to avoid the cellar for the next few years.
NEXT: How Long Will Torey Lovullo Last With Diamondbacks?
