Dbacks Offseason Plan Step by Step

It is November 2025 in some other alternate universe where everything else stands exactly as it does now with the only difference being that I am in fact the GM of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Here is the “Top Secret Offseason Plan” that is sitting on my desk in front of me.

As you may, but probably don’t recall, I did a previous offseason plan article in which I detailed out a decision tree that basically landed on pitching as being the biggest focus of the offseason for me (surprise surprise!). In

this article, I wanted to get specific with you all and detail what that plan would actually look like.

First lets set the stage however, according to recent reporting from Nick Piecoro, the Dbacks’ current financial commitments to the 2026 roster currently sits at around $145 million dollars or about $55 million less than their payroll for the 2025 season. There have been multiple reports that payroll is going to be less than it was in 2025, however there is no way of knowing now how much less. In an interview at the GM meetings this week, Mike Hazen addressed the notion that they were going to be cash strapped by saying, “I don’t really feel that way, honestly,” he said. “That’s not the impression I have. Are we going to be doing what we did last offseason? Probably not. But I don’t think I have zero wiggle room or avenues to pursue players.”

So what does that mean? My interpretation is that when he said ‘are we going to be doing what we did last offseason’ he is referring to signing the biggest free agent SP name of the offseason in which they stunned last year with Corbin Burnes. And this makes complete sense as the Dbacks have more holes than last offseason so it really doesn’t make sense for them to tie up so much into a single player.

I also believe that both Hazen and Lovullo’s jobs are on the line in 2026 so they are going to try and be competitive. This is also consistent with messaging from Ken Kendrick saying that he wants to see another World Series Championship in AZ in his time as an owner. One that is certainly fading quickly as Kendrick is 82 years old. This is also consistent with Hazen’s track record of ‘going for it’.

So because time is of the essence and you still have 3 of the best players in the national league, I expect Hazen to use as much of his payroll flexibility as possible so lets for the sake of this exercise say Hazen has $50 million to spend this offseason putting them right up against last season’s payroll. For the sake of this exercise, I am also going to attempt to suggest trade candidates that are at least considered likely to be traded or I can find mentioned in other trade rumors. So without any more delay, here are the moves I am making if I am Mike Hazen!

Sign Merrill Kelly to a 2 yr $28 million dollar deal- I wanted to get this one out of the way since it is evident Merrill Kelly would like to return to AZ since he all but said so following the trade last season to the Rangers. Kelly lives in AZ with his family and so I would love to see Hazen work out some sort of an agreement with the veteran righty where Kelly could get fair market value, but also make some concessions to come back to where he wants to be and be with his family. What kind of concessions? What about some salary deferral over the coming years to give him some stability as he nears retirement. I’m thinking something like $12 mil in 2026 and 12 mil in 2027 with 4 million deferred to future years bringing the total that counts against the 50 million dollar budget of $12 million dollars.

Sign Devin Williams to a 3 year $30 million dollar deal- Snakes Territory did a great job analyzing the available closers on the free agent market, and I think they were spot on. Williams brings the best mix of past performance with future projection given his age and his underlying metrics in 2025. When spending significant capital on a position that is so volatile, Williams is the closer I am most comfortable with. The question is, how much is he going to cost? Spotrac has his projected contract being pretty low at just $5.7 million which seems way too low. Especially considering Raisel Iglesias just got 16 million. However, if im the Dbacks and I need a real closer as bad as I do, I am willing to take the risk and give Williams the 3^rd year and I am willing to go up to 10 million dollars annually. Heck I may even be willing to go higher given how much of a priority it should be for this team to sign a closer. And with any luck, the 3^rd year is a differentiator for the Dbacks and Williams wants to get back to more of a mid market team and get out of the spotlight in New York and he comes here and the Dbacks finally solve their 9^th inning dilemma.

Trade Jordan Lawlar to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Bubba Chandler– This one may also be a stretch, however I am basing this off of a report from RumBunter.com. The article highlights the Pirates need for offense and the rare opportunity to be able to acquire a young top prospect SS like Lawlar who is MLB ready. This would be a great trade partner for the Dbacks given the Pirates surplus of young MLB ready arms. This would be a deal similar to the one they completed trading their top SS prospect at the time, Jazz Chisholm, to the Marlins for Zac Gallen, and Hazen has already stated that his goal is to acquire young controllable starting pitching. So there is precedence for this type of prospect for prospect type move in the organization and a need. The question would be however is if the Pirates would be willing to move someone like Chandler. Chandler certainly doesn’t come without his own risks however being 1. He is a young pitcher, 2. He throws crazy hard, and 3. He gave up some hard contact in his 31 innings at the major league level last season because hitters hit .292 against his high octane fastball. He also hasn’t been exceptionally dominant in the minor leagues with a 3.73 career ERA. But he is exactly the type of high upside SP this team needs to target in my opinion and this team has depth in the middle infield especially with the emergence of Blaze last season making a Lawlar for young starting pitcher move more palatable. Unfortunately there have been some reports out there regarding the Pirates being willing to give Konnor Griffin a shot at the big league job in 2026. However if I’m the Bucos Im doubling down on one of the most important positions on the diamond with another young stud prospect.
Acquire Christian Walker from the Houston Astros- What if I told you you could sign a free agent gold glove 1B with pop for 15 million dollars in 2026? What if I told you that that same player would fill the leadership void left by Christian Walker? What if I told you it was Christian Walker?! For me in 2025, there was no player whose absence was felt more than Christian Walker. How many times during the season did we say the all too familiar line ‘Walker would’ve made that play’. This fits the Dbacks defense and first base needs perfectly. Walker has been featured on several players likely to traded this offseason lists due to the Astros reacquiring Carlos Correa at the trade deadline. The ripple effect that leaves Walker as the odd man out according to the Locked on Astros Podcast is Carlos Correa pushes Issac Parades off of 3^rd and so with Jeremy Pena and Carlos Correa, the right side of the infield is locked. The Jose Altuve in left field experiment has been a failure and moving him back into 2^nd base opens up Left field and DH for Yordan Alveraz. The only spot left for Issac Parades would be first base and thus Christian Walker is the odd man out. This would also free up significant payroll for the Astros who still owe him 40 million over the next 2 seasons. Essentially for the Dbacks, this would be a pseudo free agent signing as the Astros could get a low level prospect or 2, and free up payroll and in return cover a portion of Walkers contract for 2026. Lets say they eat 10 million of 2026, that leaves 10 million left for the Dbacks to pick up in 2026 and they instantly add a middle of the order bat, a gold glove defender, and a clubhouse leader that was so sorely missed. Welcome home Christian! I am surely to catch some heat for this one as there has been regression in Walker’s defense and offense over the past couple of seasons. However, Walker finished the season strong after an abysmal start in Houston. I also just don’t think there is a better option out there at 1B to be honest. So for me it comes down to another season of Pavin Smith and wild card Tyler Locklear? Or Christian Walker? I’ll take Walker and bet on a resurgence at a familiar place.
Acquire Steven Kwan from the Clevland Guardians- Kwan is no stranger to trade rumors and his name has appeared in several rumors already this offseason as someone who is likely to be moved. Kwan was just a league average hitter in 2025 with a 96 OPS+, but he was still worth 3.7 WAR due to his elite outfield defense. Im not exactly sure what the Dbacks would have to give up to land someone like Kwan as he generates much of his value on the defensive side of the ball, but that fits perfectly with Hazen’s defense boosting portion of his run prevention plan he has spoken about. Kwan is set to make 8.5 million in 2026.
Sign James McCann to a 1 yr $5.8 million dollar deal– McCann clearly took a leadership role in this clubhouse last season, and the Dbacks desperately need a backup catcher due to Gabi Moreno’s lack of durability.

Acquire Jo Jo Romero from the St. Luis Cardinals- If you are looking for Mr. Consistent out of the bullpen, Romero is your guy. In the last 2 seasons Romero has pitched in 130 games out of the pen and has limited the opposition to just a 2.70 ERA during that time. He is your prototypical trade candidate as he is heading into his final season of club control in a fairly obvious rebuild candidate in St. Louis. He is set to earn 4.4 million dollars and could be had for a modest return.

Trade Jake McCarthy to the Rays for Mason Montgomery– The Tampa Bay Rays have been very open about their primary focus of the offseason being outfield. Erik Neander their president of baseball operations came out and said as much at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas saying the outfield is where they are going to be spending most of their time and energy this offseason. Unfortunately for the Rays, outfielders are going to be at a premium this offseason on the open market due to scarcity. Because of this, I think the Dbacks need to act and trade McCarthy or Thomas. My hope is that McCarthy will be enough to fetch at least a high upside reliever like Mason Montgomery. Montgomery struggled mightily to throw strikes in 2025 issuing a 12.9 BB% leading to a 5.67 ERA and several demotions to AAA to try and figure things out. However, when he did put it all together, he was nearly unhittable averaging 99 mph with 20” of IVB on his 4 seam and missing bats at an elite 35.8% whiff rate and 30.1 K%. This is the type of high upside reliever arm the Dbacks need to be seeking this offseason in my opinion, and if you can take advantage of a bleak OF market to do so, I think you do it.
Acquire Seth Halvorsen from the Colorado Rockies- The Colorado Rockies quite simply have no need for a reliever like Halvorsen with as many holes as they need to fill and as far away from contention as they are. I believe they will look to move one of their only assets with real value to build their core and the Dbacks should look to trade from an area of depth here like middle infield. Halvorsen, like Montgomery, offers some real upside from the right side with a lightening fast arm averaging 100 mph but struggled with control and wound up pitching to a 4.99 ERA. When he is in the zone however, he also pitched to an elite 52.6 GB% and 29.4 whiff %. Both good metrics to look at for high leverage reliever potential.

Well there you have it. According to my rough napkin math I finished within a million dollars of the $50 million dollar budget I set and I was able to boost the bullpen with a proven closer, add one of the more consistent relievers in the game, and add 2 high ceiling back end of the bullpen arms with big league experience. I was also able to fill the 2 rotation spots with veteran presence and a young controllable starter with upside. I was also able to add some defense at first base and left field while adding some pop as well with Walker.

This exercise is far from perfect but it was fun to do and I think this team would be a contender. The limitation of the above is not knowing the exact budget and not knowing how other teams value the Dbacks prospects which is impossible to know. Id like to think they have the prospect capital to achieve the above trades but it is almost impossible to tell. What do you all think?

Lineup

SS. Perdomo

RF. Carroll

2B. Ketel

1B. Walker

C. Gabi

3B. Blaze

LF Kwan

CF Thomas

DH Adrian Del Castillo/Pavin Smith’/Tim Tawa

Starting Rotation

Merrill Kelly