The Arizona Diamondbacks may not be done making deals, this time exploring trade possibilities for second baseman Aaron Hill.
According to MLB Network's Jon Heyman, the Diamondbacks are "trying to trade" Hill.
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Uncertain Market for Hill
Sunday, Jan. 24
One problem the Diamondbacks could run into trying to deal Hill, as Heyman mentioned, is the surplus of free-agent middle infielders available like Jimmy Rollins, Howie Kendrick and Ian Desmond.
Another issue that the Diamondbacks will have to figure out is Hill's salary. He's due to make $12 million in the final year of his three-year, $35 million deal signed in 2013, per Spotrac.
The 33-year-old is being paid like a star, but his on-base percentage has been under .300 the past two seasons and his slugging percentage has gone from .522 in 2012 to .345 in 2015. The Diamondbacks will presumably have to pay a lot of the money he's owed in order to make a deal happen.
As Matthew Trueblood of Baseball Prospectus said, Hill is dead money right now and "modest salary relief" would be the biggest victory Arizona can hope for.
Arizona's situation at second base is a mess right now. In addition to Hill's struggles, Chris Owings was a disappointment with a .587 OPS in 147 games last season. The Diamondbacks have made a lot of big moves to upgrade their pitching staff this offseason, but they still have offensive holes to plug.
Exploring any potential market for Hill does open things up for Arizona's front office, which has found ways to get creative this offseason. He's not going to net any sort of valuable return, but being able to save $2-3 million in salary may help the Diamondbacks make one more move before spring training begins.
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