Revisiting the Blaze Alexander Trade Way Too Early

Okay, that’s cool, but what about the players the D’Backs acquired?

First up, there’s Kade Strowd, who was assigned to the AAA affiliate Reno Aces after not making the MLB Roster out of spring. Strowd has been an effective reliever for the Aces so far in the 14 games he’s appeared in. He’s put up a 2.40 ERA, though that does come with a significantly higher 4.17 FIP and xFIP, so I would expect that ERA to go up. Strowd seems like a solid candidate to be called up eventually this season, especially if there are any injuries in the bullpen. RHP Wellington Aracena was assigned to the A+ Level Hillsboro Hops. There he’s started 5 games, but appeared in 6, pitching 18 ⅓ IP with a 2.95 ERA, a 3.58 FIP, 3.61 xFIP, and a 64 ERA-. In other words, he’s been above average pitcher so far. Aracena has particularly stood out thanks to an insane 32.4 strikeout percentage. Finally, there’s 2nd baseman Jose Mejia, who has stood out the most to me with his performance in 2026. In 32 games and 132 plate appearances for the A ball level Visalia Rawhide, Mejia is hitting .308/.455/.500 with a .442 wOBA and 152 wRC+. Mejia is sporting an excellent 19.5 walk percentage, along with a more than acceptable 15.9 strikeout percentage. Mejia has been an above average hitter throughout his minor league career, ans hiis .363 BABIP is well in line with his career norms, so this isn’t a case of a fluke hot streak. Mejia appears to legitimately be one of the better hitters in the Diamondbacks farm system.

Conclusion

While none of the players acquired are currently on the MLB roster for the Dbacks, the results so far in 2026 from each player make this trade look more and more promising as time goes by. Kade Strowd should be a useful bullpen piece in the very near future, with Aracena hopefully doing the same a few seasons down the line. Mejia looks like a guy who should climb the Dbacks top prospect list, though he plays a position that the Dbacks are absolutely stacked at currently. Meanwhile Blaze Alexander is currently struggling for the Orioles and may be sent down to the Minors sooner rather than later if his struggles continue. It’s still way too early, but right now this looks like one of the better long term moves that GM Mike Hazen made over the offseason.