"Before the season, Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers figured he would be active at the trade deadline - but he imagined it might be as a seller rather than a buyer.

Instead, nearly four months into baseball's marathon season and fewer than 72 hours away from Sunday's non-waiver trade deadline, Towers is trying to weigh the pros and cons of being what he called a "small buyer."

And while doing so, he says the organization has the big picture in mind.

That picture looks pretty good. At the big-league level, they are playing surprisingly well, particularly because they are coming off back-to-back seasons with 90-plus losses.

They have several young pitchers who not only are having good seasons but who are under club control for years to come. Two of their better position players, Justin Upton and Chris Young, are signed to long-term deals.

They have an enviable collection of potential frontline starting pitchers in the minor leagues, namely Jarrod Parker, Tyler Skaggs and newly signed Trevor Bauer.

And with other attractive prospects in the system and a complete lack of bad contracts, they should have the resources available to plug whatever holes might exist."