What if ... the Diamondbacks and Marlins hadnt swapped Zac Gallen and Jazz Chisholm?
In late July of 2019, as he was haggling with the Astros in an effort to trade ace Zack Greinke, Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen was working on something else seemingly contradictory. His club was a seller, the Diamondbacks having never joined the wild-card mix in earnest for the first four months of the season. But, as Hazen was selling with one hand, he was buying with another. That same day, Hazen traded his top prospect. Jazz Chisholm had been signed for a song out of the Bahamas but had turned himself into an enticing combination of defensive skill at short and power potential at the plate. But Hazen and the Diamondbacks had their eyes on Marlins rookie right-hander Zac Gallen. Chisholm was the asking price. So, the same day Greinke was dealt, Arizona shipped away its top prospect to fill the right-handed starter with the initials Z.G.-shaped hole on its roster.