The D-Backs have acquired 33-year old righty swinging infielder David Eckstein from the Blue Jays for 23-year old righty pitcher Chad Beck. Eckstein will likely take over as the starting 2B for the D-Backs and they need him badly. He played in 76 games for the Blue Jays this season and he was 72 for 260 (.277 avg, .712 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 1 homer, 23 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. The D-Backs have needed a battle tested veteran infielder to help bring the team back to the playoffs this season and Eckstein might fill that role. Eckstein has now played in 1,041 games in his major league career and he is 1,151 for 4,032 (.285 avg, .713 OPS) with 583 runs scored, 31 homers, 308 RBIs and 112 stolen bases. Chad Beck was not one of the better D-Backs prospects but he might do a decent job for the Blue Jays down the road. He has pitched in 32 games (15 starts) in A-ball this season and he was 8-5 with a 3.67 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. This was a good move for the Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks have claimed lefty reliever Wilfredo Ledezma off waivers from the Padres. The 27-year old lefty pitched in 25 games (6 starts) for the Padres this season and he was 0-2 with a 4.47 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. The Diamondbacks will probably use Ledezma as the lefty specialist but he will need to throw more strikes to keep the job as he has walked 176 batters in 361 career innings in the majors. Ledezma has now pitched in 152 games (40 starts) in his major league career and he is 15-22 with a 5.16 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. This was a good low risk move for the D-Backs as Ledezma does have good stuff.

Rumors are swirling that 25-year old righty starting pitcher Micah Owings is the last player to be named in the Adam Dunn trade. Owings has pitched in 22 games (18 starts) for the D-Backs this season and he is 6-9 with a 5.93 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Owings has recently been sent down to AAA-ball and he’s currently on the D.L. there. It’s possible that Owings won’t get through waivers which means the Reds wouldn’t get him until the season is over. Owings has now pitched in 51 games (45 starts) in his career with the D-Backs and he is 14-17 with a 4.97 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Owings also is a fine hitter as he is 35 for 112 (.313 avg, .895 OPS) in his major league career with 16 runs scored, 5 homers and 18 RBIs. Trading Owings, Butler and Castillo for Adam Dunn seems like more than a fair price as the Diamondbacks are trying to win right now.

The Diamondbacks have traded 24-year old switch hitting catcher Wilkin Castillo to the Reds as one of the players to be named later in the Adam Dunn trade. Castillo was the #14 prospect in the D-Backs minor league system coming into the season according to Baseball America. Castillo has played in 104 games in AAA-ball this season and he is 98 for 386 (.254 avg, .663 OPS) with 40 runs scored, 6 homers, 47 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He will probably get called up by the Reds when rosters expand.

44-year old Randy Johnson has really been pitching well the last two months. In his last 8 starts, Johnson is 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. His control has been very sharp walking only 6 batters while whiffing 45 in his last 49.1 innings. It appears that Johnson’s trademark slider (Mr. Snappy) is back and that spells trouble for the rest of the National League. Having a healthy Big Unit behind Brandon Webb and Dan Haren could be a nightmare matchup in the playoffs for other teams if the D-Backs can hold off the Dodgers and make it there. Johnson has now started 22 games this season for the Diamondbacks and he is 10-8 with a 4.18 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. The 10 wins this season has Johnson’s career total up to 294 and he could possibly join the 300 win club in September if he can stay healthy and effective.