RSS Diamondbacks Team Notes

The Red Sox began the offseason looking to add to the rotation. They’ve added a couple of arms and might now have enough rotation depth to trade some away. “We’ve got pitching depth, based on some of the inbound calls that we’ve received over the last couple of weeks,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said this week, per Sean McAdam of MassLive. “I think teams have recognized there’s appeal to controllable starting pitching. If there are opportunities to use some of that depth in order to address other areas of the roster, we’d be willing to do it.”

The Sox have already made a couple of notable trades to bolster the rotation. They acquired Sonny Gray from the Cardinals and Johan Oviedo from the Pirates. Those two now slot into the rotation with Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello. That only leaves one spot for a group that includes Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, Hunter Dobbins, Patrick Sandoval, Kutter Crawford, Kyle Harrison and others.

No team gets through a full season using just five pitchers these days, so the Sox should want to hold onto some depth. But it’s possible the right trade emerges where the Sox feel they can move someone out of this group in order to upgrade another part of the roster while leaving the rotation picture still in decent shape.

It’s been reported that the Astros have interest in Early and Tolle. McAdams notes that the Sox have also fielded some interest in Crawford, Sandoval and Dobbins, though he doesn’t specify which teams made those calls. Crawford and Sandoval are in somewhat analogous situations, as both missed the 2025 season due to injuries. Though both pitchers have some major league success, it’s possible the Sox didn’t want to rely on them in 2026. Now that they have each been bumped down the depth chart in Boston, they could make more sense on another roster.

Crawford has thrown 392 1/3 innings for the Sox, allowing 4.57 earned runs per nine. His 23.8% strikeout rate and 7.2% walk rate are both a bit better than league average. He began 2025 on the injured list due to patellar tendinopathy in his right knee. Then right wrist pain led to surgery in June.

Missing the entire season obviously tamps down his trade value but his cost and control should help. He qualified for arbitration a year ago as a Super Two player and made $2.75MM in 2025. Arb-eligible players who miss an entire season often make the same salary the following year, so that could happen with Crawford in 2026. He could then be retained via arbitration through 2028.

Sandoval isn’t as cheap or controllable but his major league track record is longer. He required UCL surgery while with the Angels in 2024. He was non-tendered and then signed a two-year, $18.25MM deal with the Red Sox. He tried to get back on a big league mound late in 2025 but wasn’t able to do so. His deal was backloaded, so he is owed $12.75MM in 2026 and will be a free agent after that.

That’s a less appealing contractual situation than Crawford but Sandoval’s pre-injury track record is strong. He gave the Angels 536 innings with a 4.01 ERA. His 22.7% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk rate are a bit worse than Crawford’s but Sandoval also got ground balls at a strong 47.9% clip.

Dobbins is a different situation, as he has a much smaller track record but is therefore cheaper and more controllable. He has just 61 big league innings under his belt, with a 4.13 ERA. His 2025 season was ended by an ACL tear in July. He has less than a year of service time, meaning he’s still years away from even qualifying for arbitration and even farther from free agency. He also has options and can be kept in the minors as depth.

Given his limited big league action, an interested club would have to bet on his minor league track record. Across 2023 and 2024, he tossed 238 1/3 innings on the farm with a 3.36 ERA, 24.4% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate.

Given the chatter around Crawford, Sandoval, Dobbins, Tolle and Early, there are many ways the Red Sox could go. Many expect the Sox to also trade one of Jarren Duran , Wilyer Abreu or Masataka Yoshida. They could also trade Triston Casas if they add a first baseman. Their outfield seems set but they have lots of ways they could upgrade the infield, with shortstop the only spot that seems locked down right now. Given all the possible permutations, there are infinite paths ahead.

One possibility that keeps coming up is Ketel Marte of the Diamondbacks. He has already been in plenty of rumors, including a connection to the Sox. McAdam and Chris Cotillo of MassLive write that the two clubs have had some talks about Marte, with the Snakes focused on controllable starting pitching as the return.

It’s a sensible enough framework. Arizona traded Merrill Kelly at last year’s deadline and lost Zac Gallen to free agency. They recently signed Michael Soroka but that’s not enough to satisfy their needs. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix reported after the Soroka deal that the Diamondbacks are still looking for more arms. Owner Ken Kendrick has suggested the payroll should be dropping a bit relative to 2025, so turning to the trade market is logical.

That doesn’t mean a Marte-for-pitching deal is likely. Arizona’s general manager Mike Hazen has repeatedly tried to downplay the Marte rumors and did so again this week on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM. He said that the Diamondbacks have been receiving trade interest in Marte annually for years. He attributed the interest and rumors to Marte’s superstar abilities and relatively team-friendly contract.

Over the past three years, Marte has slashed .283/.368/.519 for a 140 wRC+. His 11.2% walk rate an 16.7% strikeout rate are both strong figures. His glovework at second base is generally considered solid. FanGraphs credited him with 15.3 wins above replacement over that three-year span, making him one of the top 15 position players in the league.

Relative to other superstars, he is underpaid. He is guaranteed $102.5MM over the next six years, an average annual value of just over $17MM, in an age where most star players are earning more than double that on an annual basis. There are also notable deferrals in Marte’s deal, making it even more attractive.

Time will tell if anyone blows away the Snakes with a strong enough offer to pluck Marte away. The Sox are a possibility, given the arms they have on hand, though Marte has also been connected to the Mariners, Pirates, Rays, Tigers, Phillies and Blue Jays. If Boston can’t land Marte, they should have plenty of other options since starting pitching is in high demand around the league. McAdam reports that the Sox have had talks with at least three teams aside from the Diamondbacks.

Photo courtesy of Dale Zanine, Imagn Images
 
The Rays are among a number of teams that have been tied to Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte. Arizona general manager Mike Hazen has consistently downplayed the chance of a deal coming together on their MVP-caliber second baseman, but he hasn’t slammed the door shut given the team’s need for starting pitching.

Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports that conversations with the Rays have kicked around a framework that would send both Ryan Pepiot and Shane Baz to the desert. Piecoro writes that nothing is believed to be close on that front and the Rays are not necessarily any kind of frontrunner. Indeed, he adds that the Diamondbacks have had conversations with another team interested in Marte that would be built around a bigger-name starting pitcher.

Whether or not talks with Tampa Bay progress, the mention of multiple controllable starters hammers home the high asking price which the Diamondbacks have set. Pepiot landed in Tampa Bay as the centerpiece of the Tyler Glasnow return two offseasons ago. He’s the team leader with 297 2/3 innings pitched since the start of 2024.

The former third-round pick owns a 3.75 earned run average while striking out a little more than a quarter of opposing hitters. He’s a decent strike-thrower who sits around 95 MPH with his heater and has a plus changeup. Pepiot’s slider is a distant third offering, and the changeup has made him a reverse splits pitcher. He has held left-handed hitters to a .192/.287/.354 batting line with a near-28% strikeout rate over the past two seasons. Righties have hit .243/.303/.420 while punching out at a 23% clip.

Pepiot is unlikely to develop into an ace, but he’s an established mid-rotation starter who turned 28 in August. He has a little over three years of service time, so he’s under arbitration control through 2028. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for a $3.7MM salary. Teams place a premium on an affordable #3-type starter. The Rays presumably aren’t shopping Pepiot, but it’s a testament to Marte’s offensive impact that the righty would be on the table in those conversations.

Baz, 26, has also come up in trade talks with the Astros. The 6’3″ righty is a former top prospect who has yet to reach his upper mid-rotation ceiling. That’s partially due to some early-career injuries, including Tommy John surgery that wiped out his 2023 season. He posted a 3.06 ERA across 14 starts when he returned in ’24. That earned him a spot in Kevin Cash’s rotation this year, but Baz had an up-and-down performance. He concluded with a 4.87 ERA across 166 1/3 innings. That’s despite a solid 24.8% strikeout percentage and 11.6% swinging strike rate.

The pure upside might be higher with Baz than it is with Pepiot. He sits 97 MPH and gets above-average movement on an 85 MPH knuckle-curve and 90 MPH cutter. Baz has plus stuff and is a decent enough strike thrower. He has been held back by a lack of start-to-start consistency. He allowed one run or fewer 10 times (including seven scoreless appearances) but also had 10 outings in which he gave up five or more runs.

Baz also has between three and four service years and is eligible for arbitration through 2028. He’s projected for a $3.1MM salary. Teams are probably divided as to whether they’d prefer Pepiot’s stability or Baz’s raw stuff, but both pitchers have significant trade value. They’re two of the three returning Tampa Bay pitchers (alongside Drew Rasmussen) who topped 100 innings. The Rays are likely to give Steven Matz a starting opportunity, but they’d certainly need to backfill the rotation if they traded two starters. Shane McClanahan hasn’t pitched since 2023. Joe Boyle and Ian Seymour have limited track records.

The Diamondbacks would require a monster return built around MLB starting pitching to move Marte. He’s coming off a .283/.376/.517 showing with 28 home runs. Marte is the best second baseman in the league and is signed for a bargain $102.5MM over the next six seasons (the final of which is a player option year).

“I think it’s a risky deal when you’re talking about trading really, really good players at all,” Hazen told Piecoro. “It’s something that we have to at least listen to in our job. It’s not something that you really look forward to, necessarily, when you have the players that we do. But it’s also the reality of our team and where we are that I have to consider some things.”

Arizona agreed to terms with Michael Soroka on a one-year deal this week. He’ll be in the rotation alongside Ryne Nelson, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt. (They’re unlikely to get Corbin Burnes back from Tommy John surgery before August.) Nelson was the only one of that trio who found much success this year. The D-Backs need to add another two starters and don’t have a ton of payroll space to address that via free agency. They’re also looking for bullpen help and could upgrade at third base or in the outfield.

While Marte is the best second baseman at least loosely available on the trade market, the Rays ironically have the second-best such option. Brandon Lowe is coming off a 31-homer season in which he hit .256/.307/.477 over 553 plate appearances. Lowe is entering the final season of his contract and is set to make $11.5MM. The Rays have reportedly gotten hits from the Pirates and Reds (surely among others) about his availability.

President of baseball operations Erik Neander touched on Lowe’s trade candidacy from the Winter Meetings (link via Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times). He called the two-time All-Star an “important, impactful player who provides power at a position that is hard to find.” Neander acknowledged the Rays’ history of shopping players whose control windows were closing but praised both Lowe and Yandy Díaz as longtime contributors.

“Our history is our history. We’ve made (trades) with players that are established, that are impactful contributors that as they get their way closer to free agency, we’ve made plenty of those decisions. But we’ve also made decisions the last few years to kind of continue to roll forward with these guys. We greatly appreciate them and are more than happy to ride in the next year and see what this team can do.”

Both clubs could go in a few different directions over the coming weeks. There’s no guarantee either will end up moving their star second baseman, but the trade market has yet to really pick up as most of the top free agent hitters continue weighing their options.
 
The Diamondbacks announced that right-hander Bryce Jarvis has been designated for assignment. That’s the corresponding 40-man move for their signing of Michael Soroka, which is now official.

Jarvis, 28 this month, was Arizona’s first-round pick in the 2020 draft. The Snakes took him with the 18th overall pick and signed him with a $2.65MM bonus. He was a notable prospect for a bit but his stock has been dropping effectively since he was drafted.

He posted lackluster results as he worked his way up the minor league ladder, working mostly as a starter. In 2022, he made 25 Double-A starts but allowed 8.28 earned runs per nine in the process.

In 2023, he had a 5.08 ERA on the farm, slightly better but obviously still not ideal. Nonetheless, the Diamondbacks called him up to work out of the big league bullpen. He posted a 3.04 ERA there, although that number was misleading. His 9.8% walk rate was subpar and his 13% strikeout rate well below average. A tiny .162 batting average on balls in play and a high strand rate of 74.5% helped him out.

It was a similar story in 2024. Jarvis posted a 3.19 ERA but with subpar numbers under the hood. In 2025, his luck corrected, as he had a 5.73 ERA. He also continued to make starts at the Triple-A level, but with an 8.47 ERA in those.

Over the past three years, Jarvis has logged 105 big league innings. His 3.69 ERA doesn’t look bad but his 15.8% strikeout rate and 11.8% walk rate are both poor figures. He would have allowed more runs if not for a .251 BABIP and 76% strand rate. His 4.97 FIP and 5.11 SIERA are likely more accurate representations of the work he has done so far.

Jarvis has now been bumped off the roster in Arizona and will be in DFA limbo for a week at most. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Snakes could take five days to explore trades. Jarvis does have an option remaining, so it’s possible some club takes a shot on his draft pedigree and hopes for a breakout.

Photo courtesy of Joe Rondone, Imagn Images
 
The Diamondbacks are finalizing a contract with right-hander Merrill Kelly, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Rosenthal adds that it’s a two-year, $40MM pact. Jon Heyman of The New York Post adds that the deal is pending a physical.

Kelly, 37, returns to the team with which he has spent nearly his entire major league career. Though initially drafted by the Rays in the eighth-round of the 2010 draft, Kelly made his big league debut with the Diamondbacks back in 2019 after a four-season stay in Korea as a member of the KBO’s SK Wyverns (now known as the SSG Landers). After a pedestrian rookie campaign in the majors where he pitched to a league-average ERA in 32 starts, Kelly managed to fashion a role for himself as one of the better mid-rotation arms in the majors.

Since the start of the 2022 campaign, Kelly has pitched to a 3.47 ERA (120 ERA+) in 108 starts. He’s struck out 23.1% of his opponents while walking 7.7% in that time, leaving him with a 3.81 FIP. While Kelly’s peripherals (including a 4.03 SIERA) cast him as a step down from your prototypical front-end starter, the veteran has managed to remain a quality rotation piece eating innings at a high level (with at least 175 innings of work in three of the last four seasons) and endeared himself to fans in Arizona when he delivered a brilliant 2.25 ERA during the club’s run to the World Series in 2023.

More to come.
 
The Mariners and Giants have emerged as front-runners in the sweepstakes for super-utility man Brendan Donovan, according to a report from Katie Woo of The Athletic. Woo added that both clubs are also engaged with the Diamondbacks on Ketel Marte.

Both Seattle and San Francisco have previously been reported to have interest in Donovan’s services, which Woo notes the Cardinals are seeking multiple top prospects in exchange for. With that being said, they were often mentioned as just two of many teams interested in the versatile infielder; Donovan’s market has been said to encompass more than half the league, with the Pirates, Royals, Guardians, and Astros standing among the other teams that have been connected to him this winter.

That makes the Mariners’ and Giants’ “front-runner” status a notable shift in the status quo, and Woo goes as far as to mention specific prospect names being discussed with both clubs. In talks with Seattle, Woo reports that the Cardinals have discussed top pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje and outfielder Lazaro Montes. The pair are Seattle’s #7 and #3 prospects, respectively, according to MLB Pipeline. In talks with the Giants, Woo writes that the names of infielder Gavin Kilen and southpaw Carson Whisenhunt have come up. Kilen is San Francisco’s #2 prospect per Pipeline, while Whisenhunt ranks #7.

Cijntje has garnered some buzz around the baseball industry due to his status as a switch pitcher who throws from both the right and left sides. He’s a more well-regarded pitcher from the right-hand side, touching the upper 90s with his right arm but being relegated to the low 90s with his left. In his pro debut in 2025, Cijntje pitched to a 3.99 ERA overall across the High-A and Double-A levels but actually got better after his promotion. In seven starts at Double-A, Cijntje turned in a 2.67 ERA across 33 2/3 innings of work with a 25.5% strikeout rate and an 11.0% walk rate.

Montes entered the 2025 season as a consensus top-100 prospect in the sport but scuffled a bit after being promoted to the Double-A level. He hit a solid but unspectacular .213/.319/.433 in 64 games at the level with a 30.5% strikeout rate. That’s hardly exciting production, but some of those struggles can be forgiven considering he was one of just four hitters under the age of 21 to reach 200 plate appearances in the Texas League last year, joined by Sebastian Walcott, Walker Jenkins, and teammate Michael Arroyo.

Kilen was San Francisco’s first-round pick in the 2025 draft. As a result, he has just ten professional games under his belt where he hit a lackluster .205/.279/.282. With that said, the University of Tennessee product hit an incredible .357/.441/.671 in his final collegiate season and was roundly viewed as a plus contact hitter despite questions about his power potential and ability to handle shortstop at the big league level.

As for Whisenhunt, the 25-year-old already made his big league debut earlier this year with a 5.01 ERA across five starts. While it was hardly an exciting pro debut, Whisenhunt did manage to post a 4.41 ERA in 21 starts in Triple-A’s Pacific Coast League despite the extremely unfriendly environment for pitchers at that level. He profiles as a possible mid-rotation arm with a profile carried by a plus-plus changeup.

Of course, it’s possible that these are only a handful of prospects St. Louis is discussing with the two suitors. It should also be noted that Donovan is far from the only avenue either club is pursuing for their vacancy at second base. The Mariners had been in rather public pursuit of a reunion with Jorge Polanco until he signed with the Mets yesterday, but they’ve still be connected to Marte in addition to Donovan. Woo suggests that Polanco’s departure could leave the Mariners more motivated to make a deal in the coming days, and perhaps that could indicate that Seattle is the more aggressive suitor of the two.

Woo describes the Giants, by contrast, as “exploring all options” as they look to upgrade over Casey Schmitt and Tyler Fitzgerald at second base. In addition to Marte, Brandon Lowe is also known to be available on the trade market while teams have also inquired after Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner. The infield market in free agency is tilted more towards the left side, but Alex Bregman has expressed a willingness to play second base in the past, shortstop Ha-Seong Kim has experience at the position, and Bo Bichette has long been viewed as a potential candidate to move off shortstop at some point. San Francisco hasn’t been directly tied to any of those players, of course, but all stand out as at least plausible acquisitions to be made by a team searching for second base help.
 
The Diamondbacks have signed right-hander Isaiah Campbell to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The ACES client has been assigned to the Triple-A Reno Aces but will presumably receive an invite to big league camp in spring training.

Campbell, 28, has appeared in each of the past three big league seasons. Suiting up for the Mariners and Red Sox, the righty has thrown 43 innings in the majors, allowing 5.65 earned runs per nine. His 21.9% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate are close to average while his 47.7% grounder rate is a few ticks better than par. His .341 batting average on balls in play and 66.6% strand rate are both to the unfortunate side, so metrics like his 4.34 FIP and 3.89 SIERA are a bit more optimistic than his ERA.

Only 7 2/3 of those innings came in 2025, as he spent most of the season with Triple-A Worcester. He logged 57 2/3 at that level this year with a 3.90 ERA. His 18.1% strikeout was a bit on the low side but he got grounders on 50.5% of balls in play. He averages in the mid-90s with his four-seamer and sinker but throws his slider more than half the time. He added a curveball in 2025 and mixed that in sporadically.

Campbell exhausted his final option season this year and will be out of options going forward, which will make it harder for him to hold a roster spot. The Sox outrighted him off their 40-man in October and he was able to elect free agency.

The bullpen was a big problem for the Snakes in 2025. They had planned for A.J. Puk and Justin Martínez but both were felled by UCL surgeries and other guys dealt with injury problems as well. Their relief corps had a collective 4.82 ERA this past season, which was better than just the Angels, Rockies and Nationals.

They will surely make some more moves to upgrade their bullpen before Opening Day but Campbell gives them some extra non-roster depth for now. He has just over a year of MLB service time. If he can earn a roster spot and hold it, he can be cheaply retained beyond the 2026 season.

Photo courtesy of Bob DeChiara, Imagn Images
 
The D-Backs are among the teams that have expressed interest in Alex Bregman, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today was among those to report. Arizona seems to be a long shot to spend at this level but has a vacancy at third base.

Bregman is known to be a priority for the Red Sox. He opted out of his three-year deal with Boston after hitting .273/.360/.462 over 495 plate appearances. He made his third All-Star team despite suffering a quad strain that sidelined him between late May and the middle of July. That’s a testament to the strength of his first half. Bregman slashed .298/.380/.546 with 11 home runs over 53 games before the Break. His numbers dropped in the second half, as he hit .250/.341/.386 in his final 261 trips to the plate.

While Bregman’s power dropped late in the season, he showed his typically excellent plate discipline. He walked more often than he struck out even in his less impressive final few months. Bregman narrowly established a career mark with a 44.4% hard contact rate and remained the above-average hitter he was throughout his time in Houston. He’s no longer an MVP contender as he was at his 2018-19 peak, but Bregman is an annual threat for 25 homers with a .360 on-base percentage. He remains an above-average defensive third baseman and is revered for his clubhouse presence.

The D-Backs don’t have a clear answer at the hot corner. They traded Eugenio Suárez at the deadline. That theoretically opened the position for top prospect Jordan Lawlar, but his performance down the stretch was concerning. Lawlar hit .182 without a home run in 74 plate appearances. He also committed four errors (three on bad throws) over 76 innings. The D-Backs didn’t trust him defensively and limited him to mostly DH work in September until they’d been eliminated from playoff contention.

Lawlar came up as a shortstop but isn’t going to play there on a team with Geraldo Perdomo. He doesn’t have a path to second base playing time right now, though the D-Backs have fielded plenty of calls on Ketel Marte. They could give Lawlar a look in the outfield or dangle him as a trade chip for a young starter. For now, the likeliest course of action is to keep him at third base and hope that they can iron out his throwing woes in Spring Training.

It’d be very surprising to see Bregman wind up in the desert. The D-Backs are prioritizing the rotation even after agreeing to bring back Merrill Kelly on a two-year contract. Owner Ken Kendrick has already said payroll will come down from the approximate $195MM mark at which they opened the ’25 season.

RosterResource projects them for a $171MM payroll next season, so they’d either need to make an exception for Bregman or offload money in a trade. (They’d save $15MM in 2026 if they trade Marte for players making the league minimum.) The Diamondbacks are only one offseason removed from pulling off a free agent shocker, as almost no one saw them signing Corbin Burnes — who, like Bregman, is a client of the Boras Corporation — to a $210MM contract before it happened.

Burnes, who lives in Arizona, signed with the Diamondbacks largely because of family considerations. Bregman is a New Mexico native who grew up as a Diamondbacks fan, notes Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. As Piecoro points out, the D-Backs (under the previous front office) had an opportunity to draft Bregman with the first pick in 2015. They went with Dansby Swanson instead, allowing the Astros to grab Bregman at #2 overall.
 
The Phillies announced that they have acquired left-hander Kyle Backhus from the Diamondbacks. Minor league outfielder Avery Owusu-Asiedu goes in the other direction. The move opens a 40-man spot for Arizona, which should allow them to make their agreement with Merrill Kelly official. Philly’s 40-man count goes from 37 to 38.

Backhus debuted for the Diamondbacks this past season. The 27-year-old scuffled to a 4.62 ERA across 32 appearances. Arizona’s ever-changing mix of late-inning options allowed Backhus to factor into high-leverage situations, and he recorded a pair of saves and 10 holds. He notched a one-out save in his final appearance with the big-league club, coaxing a flyout with the bases loaded to finish off a 6-4 victory in mid-September. He was sent back to Triple-A Reno shortly after.

Arizona added Backhus as an undrafted free agent in 2021. After posting middling results in a half-season of professional ball, he began to gain traction as a backend reliever. Backhus posted a hefty 34.5% strikeout rate between High-A and Double-A in 2022, earning three saves at each level. He locked down 10 more saves at Double-A the following season, leading to a promotion to Triple-A. Injuries limited Backhus to 35 2/3 innings in 2024. He received an invite to Spring Training this year, and while he didn’t break camp with the club, a strong couple of months at Reno saw Backhus get the call to Arizona.

Backhus is a sinkerballer who doesn’t light up the radar gun, but comes from a unique slot. Statcast had his arm angle at nine degrees, which was among the lowest in the league. Backhus also ranked in the 96th percentile for extension. Interestingly, the low arm slot and sinker-heavy approach didn’t lead to many ground balls. Backhus had a below-average 37.8% ground ball rate. He did a decent job limiting hard hits, but gave up an elevated amount of contact in the air to the pull side.

The Backhus addition comes on the heels of a trade that sent fellow lefty Matt Strahm to Kansas City. Strahm led the Phillies with 22 holds in 2025. Jose Alvarado will likely step into the lefty setup role vacated by Strahm, with Tanner Banks on hand as a lower-leverage southpaw option. Backhus will serve as a depth option who could step in if injuries or poor performance afflict Philly’s bullpen.

Philadelphia took Owusu-Asiedu in the ninth round of the 2023 draft. He delivered nine home runs and 17 stolen bases at Single-A in 2024, but it came with a .192 batting average and a 36.1% strikeout rate. Owusu-Asiedu was able to trim his strikeout rate to 24% between Single-A and High-A this past season. He also racked up 33 steals in 107 games.

The 22-year-old Owusu-Asiedu has experience at all three outfield positions. He made at least six starts in left field, center field, right field, and DH with High-A Hillsboro.
 
The Diamondbacks are in agreement on a new minor league contract with infielder Ildemaro Vargas, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The MAS+ Agency client returns to the organization after being outrighted off the roster at the end of the season.

Vargas has plenty of familiarity with the D-Backs. The veteran utilityman has played three separate big league stints and parts of six seasons in the desert. He got into 38 games this past season. Vargas hit .270 but only walked twice in 121 plate appearances, leading to a modest .292 on-base percentage. He’s a .249/.289/.357 hitter over parts of nine MLB seasons.

Defensive versatility has been Vargas’ calling card. The majority of his experience has been at shortstop, but he saw more action between second and third base this year. He’s entering his age-34 season and likely headed to Triple-A Reno. The D-Backs also added glove-first shortstop Jacob Amaya as non-roster infield depth earlier this offseason.
 
The seven-year contract extension Ketel Marte signed with the Diamondbacks last April included a five-team no-trade clause, which adds an interesting wrinkle to the trade rumors that have swirled around the former NLCS MVP in recent weeks. As reported by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Athletics, Cardinals, Giants, Pirates, and Yankees are the five teams included on Marte’s current list, which can be updated every offseason.

There are any number of reasons why a player may include a particular team on a no-trade list, and it is worth noting that Marte could still ultimately approve a deal to any of these clubs. There is no obvious geographic link between the five teams, and while the Yankees were the only member of the group to reach the 2025 playoffs, the Giants, Pirates, and even the A’s are all looking to compete in 2026. The Cardinals are in rebuild mode, so it is safe to say they weren’t in the running to acquire Marte anyway.

Interestingly, the Pirates and Giants have been linked to Marte’s trade market. Now that Pittsburgh has landed Brandon Lowe from the Rays in yesterday’s big three-team swap, the Bucs may feel their second base needs have been addressed, though there is a world where Lowe could be a primary DH and Marte could still be brought aboard. Still, there’s such a hefty amount of money remaining on Marte’s contract that a trade to the budget-conscious Pirates always seemed like an imperfect fit, and Marte’s no-trade list might well underline his own reservations about joining a team with just one winning season in the last decade.

San Francisco has also topped the .500 mark only once in the last nine seasons, but the Giants have been much more willing to spend in their bid to return to consistent contention. While ownership is wary about making another long-term financial commitment, Marte’s deal could be viewed as a relative bargain, since he would land way more than $102.5MM on a six-year deal if he was a free agent this winter.

Second base is a need position for the Giants, though perhaps not as pressing as the club’s need for more rotation help. Making a big splash in acquiring Marte might not be as big a priority, in that case, plus there are the added obstacles of Marte’s no-trade protection and the Diamondbacks’ probable reluctance to move the All-Star to a division rival. San Francisco is considered to be one of the favorites to pry Brendan Donovan away from the Cardinals, so that might end up being the Giants’ big move to address the keystone.

The Giants and Pirates each play in pitcher-friendly ballparks, which might factor into Marte’s reasoning for including the teams on his list. Sutter Health Park is extremely hitter-friendly, yet it is fair to wonder if Marte just doesn’t want to play in a minor league stadium for at least the next two seasons while the A’s await the construction of their new ballpark in Las Vegas.

The A’s have a big hole at second base, and acquiring Marte would add another top-tier bat to a lineup that already includes Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom, Jacob Wilson, and Shea Langeliers. While the A’s have been a bit more willing to spend over the last year, Marte’s remaining salary would represent a new spending frontier for the traditionally low-payroll team. Hypothetically, Luis Severino could be included in a Marte trade as salary offset, but that assumes Arizona (who needs rotation help) has any interest in Severino in the wake of his uninspiring 2025 season.

The Yankees are the most interesting inclusion on Marte’s list, as one would think he would welcome a chance to join a perennial contender. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is already playing second base in the Bronx, but Chisholm is a free agent next winter, so Marte would represent a longer-term answer at the position. Purely speculatively, any kind of Diamondbacks/Yankees trade involving Marte could see Chisholm going the other way, to give Arizona a one-year stopgap at second or third base.

Re-signing Cody Bellinger is thought be the Yankees’ top offseason priority, though New York might pivot to other backup plans should Bellinger sign elsewhere. Landing Marte would certainly qualify as a substantial Plan B, yet his no-trade clause might make any potential trade a moot point.

Amidst all of the reports and speculation, it remains unclear if the Diamondbacks actually will trade away a star player who received such a lengthy contract extension less than a year ago. With Lowe now in Pittsburgh, however, one big second-base trade chip has been removed from the board, leaving other teams in need of keystone help perhaps more open to meeting Arizona’s demands for Marte. Beyond the Pirates and Giants, such teams as the Mariners, Rays, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Phillies, and Tigers have all reportedly shown some degree of interest in a Marte trade this winter.
 
The Diamondbacks have signed first baseman Luken Baker to a minors deal, Just Baseball Media’s Aram Leighton reports. Baker qualified for minor league free agency at the end of the season, and he chose to test the open market rather than stick in the Dodgers’ organization.

A second-round pick for the Cardinals in the 2018 draft, Baker spent most of his career in the St. Louis organization before he was claimed off the waiver wire by the Dodgers in early August. Baker never saw any MLB playing time in Los Angeles, so his big league resume remains his 73 games played with the Cardinals over the 2023-25 seasons, with a .206/.317/.338 slash line and four home runs to show for 189 plate appearances.

This lack of production didn’t exactly merit more playing time, yet Baker was also blocked to some extent by the presence of Paul Goldschmidt, Willson Contreras, Alec Burleson, and others at first base. Baker is limited by his lack of defensive versatility, as he has played only first base and DH during his pro career. This made him an expendable piece even on a Cardinals team that is turning into a rebuild, as Baker is entering his age-29 season.

Baker got his first call-up to the majors on the strength of a huge season with Triple-A Memphis in 2023, when he hit .334/.439/.720 with 33 home runs over 380 PA. He followed that year up with a 32-homer campaign and a lesser (.231/.345/.535) slash line in Memphis in 2024, but his numbers continued to tail off, as Baker hit only .223/.335/.441 with 18 homers over 409 combined PA with the Cardinals’ and Dodgers’ top affiliates in 2025. While Baker’s numbers improved greatly after his move from Memphis to Oklahoma City, this may have had less to do with a change of scenery and more to do with the move to the pitcher-friendly Pacific Coast League.

The Diamondbacks’ Triple-A Reno club is also in the PCL, so it wouldn’t be a shock if Baker posts some numbers in 2026 that look pretty gaudy on paper. There’s no risk for the Snakes in seeing what Baker can do in at least a depth capacity, and if he can turn his raw power into any sort of consistent production at the big league level. In terms of the MLB roster, the right-handed hitting Baker could be a fit in a platoon situation with the lefty-swinging Pavin Smith at first base and DH, and the D’Backs may be hoping that Baker can follow Smith’s example as a late bloomer who didn’t start to break out in the majors until his late 20’s.

Signing Baker to a non-guaranteed deal shouldn’t prevent the D’Backs from exploring more prominent right-handed bats for this role, such as former Arizona star Paul Goldschmidt. The Diamondbacks’ infield situation in general remains in something of a state of flux, as rumors continue to swirl that Ketel Marte could be traded, and that the D’Backs could be a dark horse suitor for Alex Bregman. Such moves wouldn’t necessarily impact the first base role, unless another first base candidate or right-handed bat was potentially brought on board as part of a Marte trade package.
 
Munetaka Murakami came into the offseason as one of the more intriguing names on the free agent market. He slotted in at No. 4 on our annual Top 50 MLB Free Agents list. Despite Murakami’s prolific power in NPB, the reported interest around the young slugger was minimal as the winter progressed. The White Sox and Red Sox were among the only known suitors. Murakami ultimately went to Chicago on a modest two-year, $34MM deal.

The Diamondbacks were among the teams interested in Murakami, reports John Gambadoro of 98.7 Arizona Sports. Gambadoro added that the former Japanese star was “one of a few of the Asian players” the Diamondbacks were considering. He didn’t mention any other names, but the free agent market includes several notable players making the jump stateside, including Tatsuya Imai and Kazuma Okamoto. MLBTR’s Anthony Franco predicted Okamoto would sign with Arizona in the aforementioned Top 50 FAs piece.

Arizona’s connection to Murakami makes sense given the state of the club’s corner infield spots. First baseman Josh Naylor and third baseman Eugenio Suarez were dealt to Seattle in separate deals at the trade deadline. That left Pavin Smith and Tyler Locklear (who came over in the Suarez trade) to handle the majority of the first base reps. Blaze Alexander stepped in as the primary third baseman.

Top prospect Jordan Lawlar is slated to step in at the hot corner in 2026, but first base is a question mark. Locklear had surgery on both his left elbow and shoulder in October. He’s a candidate to begin the season on the injured list. That leaves Smith and utilityman Tim Tawa as the current options at first base. Arizona finished with the 5th-lowest OPS at the position last season. With Murakami off the board, the club could look to pursue at least a right-handed complement to Smith, and perhaps an upgrade altogether.

On the pitching side, Gambadoro mentioned he expects the team to look into the closer market. Arizona will be without top closers Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk for the majority of the season. Both relievers had Tommy John surgery in June. The current closer mix is an uninspiring group that includes Andrew Saalfrank, Ryan Thompson, and Kevin Ginkel.

Arizona’s bullpen ranked 25th in xFIP and 28th in SIERA last season. The club had a whopping 17 pitchers record saves in 2025. Shelby Miller led the way with 10 saves. He was dealt to Milwaukee at the trade deadline. The Diamondbacks had four saves in the final month of the season, and they went to four different pitchers (Jake Woodford, Taylor Rashi, Kyle Backhus, John Curtiss).

Martinez and Puk won’t be out forever, so Arizona doesn’t need a long-term solution. The reliever market is beginning to thin out, but there are still a handful of options with closing experience available. Seranthony Dominguez, Ryan Pressly, or Chad Green could make sense as short-term closers who have been setup men in the past. Arizona’s Opening Day closer will likely slot in behind Martinez and Puk once they return, so experience in the 7th and 8th innings would be useful.

Elsewhere in the NL West, former Giants infielder Jae-gyun Hwang announced his retirement (h/t to J.P. Hoornstra of The Big Lead). Hwang had spent the last eight seasons with the KT Wiz of KBO. He’d been in professional baseball since 2007.

Hwang made the jump to MLB in 2017 after a decade in KBO. He signed a split contract with the Giants in January that year. Hwang posted decent results in Triple-A, hitting .285 with 10 home runs and seven steals across 98 games. He was up and down a couple of times with the big-league club, with unimpressive results. Hwang went 8-for-52 in 18 games with the Giants. He did launch a home run for his first MLB hit, taking Kyle Freeland deep in his third career at-bat.

Hwang was outrighted off the 40-man roster in September 2017. After his lone season with the Giants, the Wiz lured him back to KBO with a four-year, $7.9MM deal. He was a well-above-average hitter for the duration of the agreement and remained productive at the plate for the rest of his career, including a 94 wRC+ as a 37-year-old in his final season.

We at MLBTR wish Hwang the best in his future endeavours beyond baseball.

Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images
 
The Mariners are still hoping to make at least one more notable splash between now and Opening Day, but Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times suggests that they’re reluctant to deal anyone from their big league roster to make it happen. Divish writes that the M’s are willing to move top pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje in a package for Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan but are less inclined to trade anyone from the big league roster to get him. He adds that president of baseball ops Jerry Dipoto and GM Justin Hollander have both “been adamant” about not wanting to trade an established big league starter as they look to bolster the lineup.

It’s a fairly similar approach to the one taken by Dipoto, Hollander & Co. last offseason. In the winter of 2024-25, the Mariners pursued multiple big-ticket trade items but found many clubs with players available in trade were seeking young big leaguers — not the top prospects that proliferate the top of a stacked Seattle farm system. There are more pure rebuilding clubs this winter, at least on paper, but the Cardinals have prioritized MLB-ready pitching in trades of Sonny Gray (Richard Fitts) and Willson Contreras (Hunter Dobbins). The D-backs reportedly want to add major league pitching (presumably multiple rotation candidates) in any deal for star infielder Ketel Marte.

While Seattle’s system is deep in high-end prospects — the M’s had eight players on Baseball America’s end-of-season top-100 prospect list, though they’ve since traded Harry Ford — the actual depth beyond the big league rotation is relatively thin. Each of Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo and George Kirby started at least 23 games in 2025. All pitched well — Kirby had a couple brutal outings but was largely strong — but only Castillo did so while avoiding an IL stint. Bryce Miller missed more than half the season due to elbow inflammation. The options beyond that pair are less encouraging.

Emerson Hancock is a former No. 6 overall pick but spent the latter part of the season as a reliever. He’ll head into camp as a starter but has been viewed as a more of a fifth starter candidate than one would expect based on that lofty draft billing. He’ll turn 27 in May and has a career 4.81 ERA with a poor 15.6% strikeout rate in 162 MLB innings. Twenty-four-year-old Logan Evans tossed 81 1/3 innings with a 4.32 ERA as a rookie this past season and briefly drew some top-100 fanfare before his own promotion to the majors. Like Hancock, he struggled to miss bats in the big leagues (16.9 K%, 7.8% swinging-strike rate). He also was hit hard in 11 Triple-A starts last year.

Depth options beyond those seven are thin. Jhonathan Diaz and Blas Castano are both on the 40-man roster but are already in their late 20s with no MLB track record of which to speak. The Mariners have plenty of notable pitching prospects, including Cijntje, Ryan Sloan and 2025 No. 3 overall pick Kade Anderson. Cijntje has all of seven Double-A starts under his belt, though, and could require more development time than most prospects given his status as an extremely uncommon switch-pitcher. Sloan hasn’t pitched above A-ball. Anderson didn’t pitch for a Mariners affiliate after last summer’s draft. Former prospects like Taylor Dollard and Michael Morales went unselected in this year’s Rule 5 Draft despite being eligible. The former has battled injury troubles. The latter was hit fairly hard and notched just a 16% strikeout rate in Double-A this season.

The Mariners could certainly deal from their rotation to improve the lineup and backfill with a lower-cost free agent signing, but it’s understandable if the front office is reluctant to at all jeopardize the team’s depth, given the shaky performances of Miller, Hancock and (to a lesser extent) Evans in 2025. If anything, one could argue that it’d be prudent to add to the current group by signing/acquiring some optionable depth or a swingman/sixth starter to plug into a long relief role to begin the year.
 
The Diamondbacks re-signed reliever John Curtiss to a minor league contract last week (link via Arizona Sports). The righty will presumably get a non-roster invitation to Spring Training.

Curtiss returns to the desert for a second season. He’d elected free agency when the D-Backs waived him at the beginning of the offseason. The 32-year-old spent the second half of the year on the MLB roster. Arizona selected his minor league contract at the end of June. Curtiss went on to toss 36 2/3 innings of 3.93 ERA ball. He picked up three holds and even secured a late-season save, his first in the big leagues since 2020.

That marked Curtiss’ heaviest MLB workload in four years. Although the results were solid enough, he only managed a 17% strikeout rate with a 9% swinging strike mark. His fastball sat in the 94 MPH range and he leaned on a low-90s cutter as his main secondary pitch.

Curtiss was miscast for some of the high-leverage spots in which the Diamondbacks were forced to use him late in the season. He has a decent path to winning a middle relief role if he pitches well during camp. A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez will be on the injured list. They’ve yet to make any MLB additions to a bullpen that needs at least two new leverage arms. They’ve brought in Isaiah Campbell and Junior Fernández on minor league deals this winter.
 
The big question of the D-Backs offseason has been whether to trade Ketel Marte. They’ve reportedly fielded calls from upwards of a third of the league with teams like the Mariners, Red Sox and Reds most prominently linked. Although general manager Mike Hazen called a trade of a star hitter “mostly unlikely” at the GM Meetings in early November, they’ve kept the line of communication open given their needs around the roster.

According to Hazen, they’re not going to maintain that posture for the entire offseason. “We’re very likely to put an end to (Marte trade talks) shortly,” the GM told Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. When pressed for specifics on the timeline, Hazen said that he “(hasn’t) figured that out yet” but said they can’t afford to remain in a holding pattern for much longer. He implied they were likelier to take Marte firmly off the table rather than nearing agreement on a deal.

“We need to focus our offseason. Again, my gut this whole time was that (a trade) wasn’t going to happen, and I think it seems likely that that’s the case and we want to focus on other things we need to do,” Hazen said. The GM added that talks to date haven’t gotten “anywhere near” the significant asking price they’ve set to move their star second baseman.

On one hand, it’s easy enough to write this off as a general manager trying to pressure interested clubs to raise their offers. Even if Hazen isn’t setting a public deadline, the Snakes could do so internally to get teams to make their best and final trade proposals. At the same time, this generally aligns with the GM’s stance on Marte trade rumors dating back to the summer. Speculation has abounded since August when multiple reports emerged about some of Marte’s teammates being frustrated with the number of off days that he took.

Hazen spoke with Wolf & Luke of Arizona Sports at the time and was naturally asked about the possibility of a trade. “Ketel is one of, if not our best player,” the GM said then. “He’s a superstar in this league. You win with superstars in this league. Yes, I do know it’s a team game and putting a team together to win baseball games is also equally important. That’s on us to figure out what the right mix of players is.

We went to the World Series with this player on our team (in 2023). … So this mindset of where he is on our team and his inability or ability to help us win is hard for me to just take that. … Where this lays down at his feet and where it’s coming from now is a little bizarre to me. I’m not ignoring the inconsistencies with some of the things that have happened. He’s addressed those things. We’ve addressed those things with him.

We’re not blind to having an imperfect clubhouse and an imperfect roster. … I’m also in a job and position to put players on the field that can win you baseball games, because ultimately that’s what this comes down to. We are going to put the best team on the field every single day we can.”

The D-Backs have nevertheless heard teams out as the clearest way to acquire controllable starting pitching. They’re expected to scale back payroll from this past season’s franchise-record $195MM mark. RosterResource currently projects them for $168MM in spending. Marte is set for a $15MM salary next season, but $6MM of that is deferred until 2036. They’re not under any financial pressure to move him, nor are they entering even a soft rebuild. The goal in trade talks would be to acquire multiple MLB or near-ready pieces who could deepen the overall roster.

Despite the payroll limitations, Arizona has addressed the rotation with a pair of free agent pickups. They brought back Merrill Kelly on a two-year, $40MM deal and added swingman Michael Soroka for a $7.5MM guarantee. They could certainly still upgrade a rotation comprising Kelly, Ryne Nelson, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt and Soroka. It’s not as pressing a need as it was two months ago, however.

The bigger focus now should be the bullpen, which was decimated by injuries last summer and is still without top two arms Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk. The Snakes also need to decide whether they’re content with Jordan Lawlar as an everyday player (either at third base or in the outfield) and could upgrade in center field or at first base. The Marte trade rumors have come alongside reporting that the Snakes could make a surprise run at Alex Bregman.

“We’re going to need to start focusing on our position player group at some point a little more specifically,” Hazen noted to Gilbert. “That’s the other reason to finalize what we’re doing with other players, so we have a little more direction on what we can do and what it might look like.” Readers are encouraged to check out the MLB.com column for the full scope of Hazen’s comments.
 
Star Diamondbacks infielder Ketel Marte has dominated trade rumblings over the past month-plus. Despite frequently stating that he doesn't consider a trade likely, general manager Mike Hazen has been hammered by calls from opposing teams hoping to pry the All-Star slugger away from Arizona.

Marte is enough of a known commodity that we needn't run through an extensive breakdown of his résumé here, but it bears spelling out some of the basics. The three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner has steadily produced anywhere from above-average to elite offense dating back to 2018. He's a switch-hitter who touts a massive .283/.368/.519 slash (140 wRC+) over the past three seasons. Marte is a superstar talent who's signed to a contract more commensurate with a freshly extended arbitration player. He's owed $102.5MM over the next six seasons, with the final year of that being an $11.5MM player option. He'll be paid $15MM in 2026, $12MM in 2027, $20MM in 2028 and $22MM in 2029-30.

Arizona has reportedly been seeking multiple major league-ready starting pitchers to even consider parting with Marte. Specifically, they're targeting controllable arms who can be long-term cogs in the starting staff. They reportedly talked with the Rays about a deal including both Ryan Pepiot and Shane Baz before the latter was traded to Baltimore, for instance.

Hazen has been relatively open about listening to offers and his reluctance to actually move Marte throughout the winter. He indicated last week that one way or another, he'd like to wrap up this situation soon. That was understandably viewed by many as something of a call for best and final offers.

With resolution on the situation seemingly nigh, one way or another, it feels worth running through the league to find the best fits for Marte, some viable dark-horse spots, and also lay out the clubs that don't feel like they'll be much of a factor at all. Let's run through it all.

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Alex Bregman’s market appears more muddled after the Blue Jays signed NPB third baseman Kazuma Okamoto. Toronto had been tied to the three-time All-Star but no longer seems to have room for an infielder (barring a reunion with Bo Bichette).

The Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Cubs and Tigers have been the remaining most frequently speculated landing spots. ESPN’s Buster Olney suggested last week that Boston has an offer on the table. In a column at ESPN this morning, Olney floated the possibility that the Red Sox might be willing to do something similar to the six-year, $171.5MM offer which the Tigers reportedly made to Bregman last winter. There’s no firm reporting about what the Red Sox have put on the table, to be clear, so the notion that the Red Sox could go long term seems mostly to be informed speculation on Olney’s part.

Boston landed Bregman on a three-year deal with opt-outs last winter. They juiced the average annual value to $40MM, albeit with significant deferrals that dropped the actual value closer to $30MM annually. Bregman is no longer attached to a qualifying offer and coming off a better season on a rate basis than he had in 2024. He’s also entering his age-32 season, so he may be more incentivized to secure the longest deal and maximum guarantee. The upside of taking short-term deals with opt-outs decreases as a player approaches his mid-30s.

ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and Mark Feinsand of MLB.com each wrote on Tuesday that many within the industry considered Arizona and Toronto the top threats to a Boston reunion before the Jays added Okamoto. That’d naturally point to the Diamondbacks as the strongest challengers now, yet most chatter on the Bregman/Arizona tie has been connected to a potential Ketel Marte trade. With D-Backs general manager Mike Hazen implying they could soon pull Marte from the market entirely, that could have a trickle-down impact on Bregman.

Arizona could certainly fit Marte and Bregman on the roster. The latter would step in as the everyday third baseman. The bigger question is whether ownership would sign off on another nine-figure infield investment after extending Marte for $102.5MM last spring. The long-term payroll would be a bigger stumbling block than this year’s outlook. Marte agreed to defer $6MM of his $15MM salary in 2026, so trading him would only free up a fraction of the first-year salary that Bregman would command.

Meanwhile, two of last year’s finalists appear to be less involved this time around. Detroit has reportedly thus far shied away from making another long-term offer. Top shortstop prospect Kevin McGonigle is on the doorstep of the majors. Bregman would be a significant upgrade over the current third base grouping of Colt Keith, Zach McKinstry and potentially Javier Báez once McGonigle arrives.

Manager A.J. Hinch gave a vote of confidence to McKinstry in response to speculation about a third base acquisition. “I get asked about third base all the time. I’m like, ’Our guy made the All-Star team,'” Detroit’s skipper told Audacy’s 97.1 The Ticket (h/t to Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press).

McKinstry was indeed an All-Star behind an excellent first half, but he has been a career utility player and hit .213/.278/.378 after the Break. It’s hard to believe he’s truly standing in the way of the Tigers signing Bregman — though it’s understandable that Hinch would publicly defend his player. Detroit’s $165MM payroll projection is already more than $20MM above where they opened the 2025 season, which seems a bigger obstacle to a significant free agent move.

The Cubs proposed a four-year, $115MM deal last winter. They’ve been positioned on the periphery of the market this time around. Matt Shaw had an encouraging second half of his rookie season. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and GM Carter Hawkins spoke at the Winter Meetings about their confidence in the 24-year-old infielder. It doesn’t appear that much has changed in the past month on that end. Feinsand reports that while the Cubs continue to have some level of interest in Bregman, they’re not expected to make the highest offer.
 
The D-backs and free agent righty Thomas Hatch are in agreement on a minor league contract, reports MLBTR’s Anthony Franco. Hatch, a client of Moye Sports Associates, will be in major league camp as a non-roster invitee this spring.

Hatch turned 31 just a couple days after the season ended. He’s pitched in parts of five big league seasons between the Blue Jays, Pirates, Royals and Twins, ending the 2025 campaign with the latter of that quartet. In 103 MLB frames, the former third-round pick (Cubs, 2016) has a 5.24 ERA, 18% strikeout rate, 10.8% walk rate and 46.3% ground-ball rate.

Though he hasn’t found much in the way of consistent big league success, Hatch has been a solid starter in four Triple-A campaigns. He’s pitched 334 innings at the top minor league level and logged a serviceable 4.42 earned run average while punching out 22.3% of his opponents against a tidy 7.5% walk rate. Hatch also has brief experience pitching overseas in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, though he only made five appearances for the Hiroshima Carp during that 2024 stint.

Hatch has split his time in pro ball fairly evenly between starting and relieving. He’ll compete for a job this spring but would presumably be ticketed for a swingman role even if he secured a roster spot. Arizona’s rotation currently includes Merrill Kelly, Ryne Nelson, Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodriguez and Michael Soroka. Kelly and Soroka signed as free agents this winter. Depth options beyond that group include Yilber Diaz, Cristian Mena, Kohl Drake, Mitch Bratt and Dylan Ray. All five are 25 years old or younger, but no one from that quintet has proven himself in the big leagues yet; the latter three have yet to even make their major league debuts.
 
Second baseman Ketel Marte has been in trade rumors all winter but is going to stay in Arizona. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that Marte will not be traded. Marte will therefore open the season at the keystone with the Diamondbacks.

This always seemed to be the most likely outcome. Very early in the offseason, general manager Mike Hazen said that other teams would call about Marte and he would listen to their offers but he considered it unlikely that anything would come together.

It’s perfectly understandable why teams would try, as Marte is one of the better players in the game today. Over the past three years, he’s hit 89 home runs. His 11.2% walk rate and 16.7% strikeout rate are both strong figures. His combined line of .283/.368/.519 translates to a 140 wRC+, one of the ten best figures among qualified hitters for that span.

On top of the performance, his contract is team-friendly, relatively speaking. He is owed $102.5MM over the next six seasons, barely over $17MM per year. That’s a decent chunk of change but many other superstar players make between $30 to $50MM annually, which makes the Marte deal a bargain.

That makes him incredibly valuable for the Diamondbacks but there were still reasons to think they might be open to a deal. For one, Marte is on the cusp of ten-and-five rights. A player gets full no-trade protection when they have ten years of service time and have spent the past five seasons with the same club. Marte has been with the Diamondbacks for nine years and is just ten days away from hitting the ten-year service mark. His current deal only allows him to block deals to five clubs. If there was a time for the Snakes to trade Marte, it would be now, as it will be harder in the future.

On top of that, Arizona needs pitching and appears to have a tight budget. There was also some reported clubhouse discord during the 2025 season, as some fellow Snakes appeared disgruntled at Marte’s penchant for missing games. Put it all together and it was at least possible to see the Diamondbacks going down a path where they traded Marte for pitching, while also freeing up some cash for other pursuits, such as their reported interest in Alex Bregman.

Regardless, Hazen would downplay the possibility whenever asked, highlighting that Marte is one of the club’s best players and a key part of their plans to contend. Though he dutifully listened to other clubs, he said a little over a week ago that the club would have to shut the door at some point in order to narrow their focus on building out the 2026 roster. It seems that they never got an offer they considered viable and have officially taken Marte off the market.

Though this is a story about the lack of a move, there are sure to be ripple effects regardless. Teams such as the Pirates, Giants, Mariners, Rays, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Phillies, and Tigers all reportedly showed some degree of interest in Marte this offseason. Those clubs will have pivot to other options, if they haven’t already. Bregman and Bo Bichette are prominent free agent infielders and some of those clubs have been connected to one or both of that duo. Others could perhaps intensify their pursuits of Brendan Donovan, who is still with the Cardinals.

It also likely removes one suitor from Bregman’s market, as Arizona’s interest in him seemed contingent on them also lining up a Marte trade. Rosenthal reports that it’s still somewhat possible for Arizona to pursue Bregman but not probable. That’s not great for Bregman but the flip side is that a team such as the the Red Sox, who were prominently tied to Marte, might now have to more seriously consider Bregman.

As for the Diamondbacks, they could still use some more pitching, some help in the outfield and/or at first base. With Marte staying put, they are presumably more likely to go after free agents in the coming weeks. RosterResource projects them for a payroll about $20MM below where they finished last year. They are expected to scale back a bit but it’s unclear exactly how much dry powder they have for making additions.

Photo courtesy of Denis Poroy, Imagn Images
 
The Rockies have acquired outfielder Jake McCarthy from the Diamondbacks in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Josh Grosz. Both teams have officially announced the trade.

Selected 39th overall by the D’Backs in the 2018 draft, McCarthy’s tenure in Arizona has been marked by trade rumors and flashes of potential. McCarthy’s first full MLB season in 2022 saw him finish fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting, off a .283/.342/.427 slash line, eight homers, and 23 steals in 26 attempts over 354 trips to the plate. This translated to a 116 wRC+, but McCarthy’s production then drastically tailed off to a 78 wRC+ during the 2023 season, and he wasn’t involved in any of Arizona’s playoff rosters during the team’s run to the NL pennant.

The pendulum swung again in 2024 when McCarthy played in a career-high 142 games, and hit .285/.349/.400 with eight homers and 25 stolen bases over 495 PA. This past season, McCarthy had only a 60 wRC+ from a slash line of .204/.247/.345 over 222 PA, and he spent two months in Triple-A in a fruitless attempt to get his bat on track.

With a 431-game sample size to work with, McCarthy’s strengths and weaknesses are clear. He can play all three outfield positions at least passably well, and he is one of the very fastest players in baseball, ranking in no lower than the 98th percentile of speed since his debut in the Show. McCarthy makes a lot of contact, yet with very little hard contact or power, leaving him somewhat at the mercy of batted-ball luck.

Coming up as one of several left-handed hitting outfielders in the Diamondbacks farm system, McCarthy has been a trade candidate for years. During the 2023-24 offseason, the White Sox were reportedly given the option of acquiring either McCarthy or Dominic Fletcher in exchange for Cristian Mena, and Chicago opted to go with Fletcher. It is easy to second-guess the D’Backs by arguing that McCarthy could’ve garnered more of a return if they’d moved him much earlier than January 2026, though McCarthy’s up-and-down performance made him something of a difficult player for the Diamondbacks to gauge, let alone shop to trade suitors.

Even with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. set to miss most or all of the 2026 season recovering from a torn ACL, the Diamondbacks still felt comfortable moving McCarthy out of their outfield mix. McCarthy is out of minor league options, so sending him back to Triple-A again would’ve first required a trip through the waiver wire. Today’s trade allows the D’Backs to get something back in return for a player who simply no longer seemed to be in their plans.

Corbin Carroll is locked into right field and Alek Thomas will probably get the bulk of center field work. Any of Blaze Alexander, Jorge Barrosa, or utilityman Tim Tawa could be utilized in left field, plus former top prospect Jordan Lawlar played some center field in winter ball action and might also eventually get some looks in left field. The Diamondbacks could also explore adding another outfielder over the course of the offseason.

The 28-year-old McCarthy now heads to the Mile High City for a fresh start, though he’ll be joining another somewhat crowded outfield picture. If anything, there had been an expectation that the Rockies might deal from their outfield rather than add, given that it is perhaps the only real position of depth within the organization. That said, acquiring McCarthy could be the Rockies’ way of retaining their outfield depth in advance of another trade later this winter. For now, McCarthy joins Mickey Moniak, Brenton Doyle, Zac Veen, and Jordan Beck in Colorado’s outfield mix, with McCarthy probably lined up as the fifth outfielder.

Since being hired as the Rockies’ president of baseball operations in November, Paul DePodesta has swung two other trades, but this is the first that brought a brought a big league player back to Colorado in return. DePodesta has a long road ahead of him in trying to bring the Rox back to respectability, but adding a former well-regarded prospect like McCarthy is a way of both raising the talent floor, and seeing what McCarthy can perhaps do with a change of scenery. McCarthy is arbitration-controlled through the 2028 season, and is earning $1.525MM in 2026.

Grosz is on the move for the second time in less than six months, as the righty was one of the two pitching prospects the Yankees sent to the Rockies for Ryan McMahon at the last trade deadline. Grosz was an 11th-round pick for the Yankees in the 2023 draft, and he posted a 4.67 ERA, 25.2% strikeout rate, and 10.3% walk rate over 125 1/3 innings at the high-A level in 2025 (87 IP with the Yankees’ high-A affiliate, and the rest with the Rockies’ affiliate).

MLB Pipeline ranked Grosz as the 20th-best prospect in Colorado’s farm system, projecting him as a multi-inning reliever or perhaps a back-end starter. Grosz’s fastball (which sits 93-95mph with a good spin rate) is his best pitch but also “his lone better-than-average offering,” as per Pipeline’s scouting report. The 23-year-old is something of lottery ticket that the Diamondbacks can continue developing as a possible rotation piece.
 
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