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Blaze Alexander is headed to the Orioles after the Diamondbacks traded him for a high-upside reliever.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have swung a trade with the Baltimore Orioles. Steve Gilbert, who covers the Diamondbacks for MLB.com, reports that young infielder Blaze Alexander is headed to the Orioles. Coming back to Arizona is right-handed reliever Kade Strowd, plus two prospects.
The @Dbacks are trading Blaze Alexander to the Orioles for Kade Strowd and a pair of Minor Leaguers.
The two minor leaguers in the deal were later reported to be right-hander Wellington Aracena and infielder Jose Mejia. Aracena ranks as the Orioles’ No. 26 prospect on MLB.
This is hardly a surprising move for those closely following the Diamondbacks’ offseason moves. Arizona chose to spend the majority of its resources on a crumbling rotation, signing Merrill Kelly and Michael Soroka in free agency.
Arizona’s Sports John Gambadoro first reported the possibility of a reliever trade as far back as January 22. Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen also hinted at a trade when speaking to Gilbert.
The Diamondbacks’ offseason is mostly complete at this stage. This trade, plus the signing of 16-year veteran Carlos Santana, addressed the bullpen and “complementary first baseman” needs.
The acquisitions of Santana and Nolan Arenado signal that infield defense was a priority to address. Using park-adjusted run prevention metrics, Arizona ranks 24th with a team ERA- of 108 since 2024. The Diamondbacks hope that better infield defense leads to better pitching outcomes in 2026.
Diamondbacks Say Goodbye to Blaze Alexander
The trade signals the end of Blaze Alexander’s time in Arizona. Alexander was drafted in the 11th round of the 2018 MLB Draft, signing a $500K bonus. While it was a slow grind to the majors, he debuted on Opening Day 2024.
Alexander got off to a hot start, but his poor glove started costing him opportunities. That resulted in a demotion to the minors. He didn’t get another opportunity for regular playing time again until the tail-end of 2025.
Following the Eugenio Suarez deal to the Mariners at the deadline, Alexander was the Diamondbacks’ primary third baseman. He graded out well defensively, but his platoon splits suggested a part-time player moving forward.
The 26-year-old infielder was slated for a super utility role in 2026, spending time in both the infield and outfield. But with Alexander going to Baltimore for bullpen help, the Diamondbacks will have to find a replacement. Gambadoro reported that the team could seek an infield option that can play second or third base, or target help for left field.
Diamondbacks will be looking trade/free agency for a Blaze Alexander replacement – someone who can play 3B/2B. Could also be looking for LF help with Blaze’s departure – as of now have Jordan Lawlar, Tim Tawa, Alex Thomas and Jorge Barrosa to man outfield positions with Corbin
Another possibility is the Diamondbacks turn to former top prospect Jordan Lawlar for the role. He’s currently blocked from an infield role, but could battle Alek Thomas for the starting center fielder role. Top prospect Ryan Waldschmidt was one of the non-roster players Arizona invited to big league Spring Training. Waldschmidt could be a dark horse for the left field job with a strong spring.
Kade Strowd Bolsters Diamondbacks Bullpen
While Diamondbacks fans have never heard of Kade Strowd, he is a player to watch in the bullpen competition. The 28-year-old debuted with the Orioles in 2025, pitching to a 1.71 ERA in 26.1 innings.
More impressive than his numbers are the stuff and underlying metrics. MLB Senior Director of Content and Strategy Alex Fast tweeted that Strowd had the best Stuff+ value for a four-seamer, sweeper, and curveball on the Orioles pitching staff.
For D-backs fans: Last year, Kade Strowd had the Orioles best four-seamer (116), slider/sweeper (137), and curveball (133) by Stuff+. https://t.co/80pFdk0QNP
— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) February 5, 2026
Strowd utilizes a five-pitch mix: four-seamer, sinker, cutter, sweeper, and curveball. His four-seamer and sinker average around 96 MPH. With that deep an arsenal, he has the makings of a potential backend reliever rather than a matchup arm.
The next step in his development as a reliever is to turn more chases and whiffs into strikeouts. Despite strong marks in both metrics (30.6% chase rate and 26.8% whiff rate), Strowd recorded just a 22.9% strikeout rate. It may be more of a command issue, as the right-hander posted a 12.4% walk rate.
While he’s still green as a major league reliever, Strowd gives the Diamondbacks a high-upside arm that moves the needle more than Alexander.
Michael McDermott Michael McDermott is a writer at Heavy Sports covering the Arizona Diamondbacks and Major League Baseball. Michael has 10 years experience writing about the D-backs and their farm system for AZ Snake Pit, Burn City Sports, and Diamondbacks On SI. More about Michael McDermott
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