Beat reporter Steve Gilbert answers fans' questions

By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com

06/29/09 8:59 PM ET

Are the D-backs going to make any moves before the Trade Deadline? With this team we have now, it's clear we aren't heading to the playoffs any time soon. Let's clean house!
-- Paul S., Phoenix

Paul, I do think the D-backs will try and make some moves here in the next five weeks or so. Whether they will be able to pull something off remains to be seen. With so many teams seemingly in contention right now, there's still a lot of sorting out going on between buyers and sellers. Certainly the D-backs are going to be sellers. It's been clear for weeks that this is not a team headed for the postseason. Reading Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash's comments Sunday, it would seem like the market favors the D-backs at the moment in terms of supply and demand. This might be a year where it's better to sell early than wait until just before the Deadline.

Who besides Doug Davis and Felipe Lopez might get traded before the Deadline? Chris Young has not been the same since he signed his big contract, I have to think he's going to be on the block as well, no?
-- Justin P., Tempe, Ariz.

No, Chris Young is not going anywhere at the moment. There's no getting around the fact that he has been disappointing this year, but I think it's too early to totally write him off. He did start to show signs of pulling out of his slump just before he was hurt and there's still a ton of potential there. Dealing him now, unless you are overwhelmed with an offer, doesn't seem to make sense. As for who else might get traded, I'm sure the team would look to deal veterans like Jon Garland and Chad Tracy. Hard to see a big market for either of those two at the moment, though Garland has not pitched quite as poorly as his numbers might suggest. If Chad Qualls proves to be healthy and pitches well there's a chance he would have the most trade value of anyone, but it's not clear whether they would be willing to part with him.

Have a question about the Diamondbacks?
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I thought A.J. Hinch was supposed to be the answer that this team needed. Yet last time I looked, the team had a better record under Bob Melvin than they do under Hinch. How much longer will we have to watch Hinch mismanage this team?
-- Brett W., Phoenix

How does 2012 sound, Brett? Seriously, that's how long Hinch's contract runs through and while every manager is hired to be fired and doesn't necessarily finish out his contract, I wouldn't count on Hinch going anywhere for a while. GM Josh Byrnes is going to give Hinch every chance possible to get things going in the right direction because make no mistake about it, Byrnes' reputation is on the line here as well. Like it or not, and judging by the question I'm going with "not," Hinch is going to be around for a while.