Diamondbacks trade rumors 2013: Teams interested in Ian Kennedy

Jul 4, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Ian Kennedy (31) pitches during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

With the MLB trade deadline ending tomorrow at 4:00 pm ET/1:oo pm PT, the Arizona Diamondbacks have been gauging interest around the league for starting pitcher Ian Kennedy. This season, Kennedy is 3-7 and has a 5.22 ERA which isn’t appealing to a contending team but it is appealing to teams that are selling. Teams such as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have expressed interest in the pitcher according to FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal and CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman.

If the Diamondbacks can move  Kennedy to the Angels or another team, that opens the door for them to acquire a starting pitcher before the deadline. The starting pitchers that the Diamondbacks are interested in are Jake Peavy of the Chicago White Sox and Jeff Samardzija of the Chicago Cubs. Interestingly enough, Jake Peavy was a healthy scratched from his start tonight.

So far this season, Peavy is 8-4 with a 4.28 ERA which is an upgrade over Kennedy and could be a number two starter in the Diamondbacks rotation. Samardzija, on the other hand, has a 6-9 record with a 3.75 ERA. Both starting pitchers could help the Diamondbacks as ace Patrick Corbin needs help.

The combination of Tyler Skaggs, Randall Delgado, and Wade Miley isn’t cutting it. But if they can acquire one of these two pitchers with both Brandon McCarthy and Trevor Cahill coming off of the disabled list then the Diamondbacks will be serious contenders to win the NL West.