Angels could cash in on Reid Detmers, José Soriano trades with contender nobody's talking about

The Los Angeles Angels kickstarted the MLB trade deadline earlier this week by shipping Logan O'Hoppe and Chase Silseth to their AL West rivals in Arlington. Now the focus shifts to two of the Halos' top arms, with Reid Detmers and José Soriano likely to be moved before Monday's deadline.

Several experts and pundits are connecting the dots, and teams like the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Chicago White Sox have all been named as likely destinations for the Angels' lefty. Soriano is attracting the same crowd of contenders, and one might even add clubs like the Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays, and even the Houston Astros to the list.

But one team that's not getting a lot of love — at least in terms of trade speculation — is the Arizona Diamondbacks. Could the Snakes be a sneaky contender for one of the Angels' starters as the trade deadline nears?

Could the Diamondbacks slither their way into a deadline deal with the Angels?

The D-backs are very much alive in the race for a playoff spot in the hotly contested National League. Obviously the Dodgers have a stranglehold on the NL West, and have outpaced Arizona by 12 games. But according to FanGraphs, the Diamondbacks still have a 46.5% chance to make the postseason, and are ranked ahead of the San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates in the chase for the final spot in NL.

Both Eduardo Rodriguez and Michael Soroka have exceeded expectations in the desert this season, but Zac Gallen is on the injured list, Merrill Kelly has an ERA near 5.00, and Brandon Pfaadt has been in and out of the starting rotation all season. In short, the D-backs need another starter if they hope to make some noise in the playoffs.

Don't look for Arizona to enter the Tarik Skubal sweepstakes; the Diamondbacks aren't going to pay a premium for a rental. But with both Detmers and Soriano offering multiple years of team control, Arizona's GM Mike Hazen might be swayed to make deal.

So while the Dodgers, Cubs, White Sox, and others look like logical destinations for one of Detmers or Soriano, don't count out the D-backs. They have a tendency to strike when nobody's looking.

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