Why Diamondbacks Made Strange Move to Trade Alek Thomas To Dodgers

On Tuesday morning, the Arizona Diamondbacks made a largely unprecedented move, trading center fielder Alek Thomas to their division rival Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for 17-year-old outfield prospect Jose Requena.

That came in the wake of the prior decision to DFA Thomas in favor of top prospect and outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt, despite Thomas still having a minor league option.

Trades between divisional foes are generally rarer in nature to begin with, but D-backs GM Mike Hazen had nearly no history of doing so. The only prior trade made with Los Angeles during Hazen's tenure came in 2018, as Arizona dealt right-handed pitcher Tyler Pill in exchange for cash considerations.

So, why did the D-backs opt to trade Thomas to the Dodgers?

Why the Diamondbacks traded Alek Thomas to the Dodgers

Well, as first reported by MLB.com's Steve Gilbert, the Dodgers were the only team willing to take on the entirety of Thomas' $1.45 million salary while also giving up a player in return.

The Diamondbacks were reportedly inching closer to the Competitive Balance Tax threshold, coming in somewhere in the range of $5-10 million below for the time being. If the D-backs did surpass that threshold, it would be the first time in franchise history.

While the CBT is not necessarily a totally-limiting factor, as owner Ken Kendrick and team president Derrick Hall could still, theoretically, approve the overages, getting a bit of salary relief on Thomas' contract does provide a bit more flexibility for Hazen with which to potentially add at the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline.

"I don't know what it's going to look like when we get to the Trade Deadline," Hazen told Gilbert.

"It's the first time I've ever been kind of around [the CBT], and I just want to make sure that we maximize our financial flexibility leading up to the Deadline. ... The more [financial] space that you create, the more aggressive you can be, the more players you can add, theoretically."

It's not as if the deal was made purely out of desire to stay away from the CBT, but the Dodgers appeared to be the only avenue available to Hazen in that regard, while also including a lottery-ticket prospect.

While Thomas could have, in theory, been placed on waivers if no trade partner was found, Hazen and the D-backs seem to have already made their decision with regard to the future of their outfield, so a trade for salary relief and a prospect ultimately provided more value than simply allowing Thomas to be claimed off waivers.

Waldschmidt, Corbin Carroll and Jordan Lawlar are the three young outfielders the D-backs have chosen to put their stock in, while Thomas' struggles continued despite multiple attempts to make offensive adjustments.

Hazen also told Gilbert that Requena had been on Arizona's radar previously. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound teenage outfielder will start in the Dominican Summer League, with some potential to develop into a powerful right fielder.

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