Less than two weeks after being announced to the Arizona Diamondbacks' 20th Anniversary Team, relief pitcher Brad Ziegler is on his way back to the Valley.
The D-backs have acquired Ziegler in a trade with the Miami Marlins just hours before the MLB trade deadline. Minor-league relief pitcher Tommy Eveld will head to the Marlins as part of the trade. To make room for Ziegler, the D-backs moved pitcher Shelby Miller (right elbow inflammation) to the 60-day disabled list.
When you don't even need to photoshop the jersey. 😁
Welcome back to #GenerationDbacks 20th Anniversary Team member and the franchise's all-time leader in games pitched, @BradZiegler! pic.twitter.com/FUYFtLOLw6
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) July 31, 2018
The 38-year-old righthander has 11 years of MLB experience. He spent nearly six seasons with the D-backs from 2011-16, posting a 2.49 ERA and 105 saves in 348 appearances, the most by any pitcher in team history. He has been on a roll with the Marlins of late: He has a 0.64 ERA in his last 28 appearances.
The D-backs traded Ziegler to the Boston Red Sox during the 2016 season. He is set to become a free agent at the end of this season.
Ziegler was named to the D-backs' 20th Anniversary Team as part of a fan vote this season. He has been an advocate for military members and their families through his organization, Pastime for Patriots, which provides education-related financial assistance to military children, and offers family-friendly activities, including baseball tickets, for military families.
Also on Tuesday, the D-backs acquired relief pitcher Jake Diekman in a trade with the Texas Rangers. The 31-year-old lefty has a 3.69 ERA in 47 appearances for the Rangers this season. He has a career 3.57 ERA during his seven-year MLB career. The D-backs sent minor-league pitcher Wei-Chieh Huang and a player to be named to the Rangers in the trade. The D-backs designated relief pitcher Jorge De La Rosa for assignment to make room for Diekman.
Diekman won't have to travel far in order to join the D-backs, as the D-backs and Rangers are set to play in the second of their two-game series in Phoenix on Tuesday night. The Rangers defeated the D-backs 9-5 on Monday night thanks in part to Diekman's perfect ninth inning.
In fact, after he was traded, Diekman became the first D-backs pitcher to use the bullpen cart introduced this season.
𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐤-𝐮𝐩: 𝑉𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐶𝑙𝑢𝑏ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑
𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐻𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝐶𝑙𝑢𝑏ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑
…
𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮, @JakeDiekman! 𝐁𝐚𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐧𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜 𝐁𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐭. pic.twitter.com/MuBmzCaFd0— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 1, 2018
The Diamondbacks entered Tuesday one-half game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West division, and they hold a one-half-game lead over the Colorado Rockies and Atlanta Braves for the second and final Wild Card spot in the National League.
Last week, the D-backs traded for Twins infielder Eduardo Escobar in an effort to boost their postseason chances.
The D-backs are looking to advance to the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time since 2001-02. They made the playoffs as a Wild Card team last season.
