It’s time to start looking at the decisions to be made with regard to the Diamondbacks for next year. Normally, I’d be starting off with a look at the team, player and mutual options to be exercised. But there’s only really one of note, and it is easily the least interesting kind (we’ll get to it later in this article). I suppose technically, we could include the Corbin Burnes opt-out option. When he signed the six year, $210 million contract, it included the ability to opt out after 2026. But he has
made only fourteen starts over the two years so far, and barely came back from injury this season. On that basis, here’s the SnakePit’s carefully considered opinion on whether Burnes will exercise the opt-out.
No.
Want a second opinion?
No, but in italics.
There. That’s all sorted, so moving on. There will be a fair amount of money coming off the books for the team, with many players from the final roster (or injured list) becoming free agents at the end of the season. However, a significant chunk of that will be earmarked, either for pre-contracted obligations, or for increases to our arbitration eligible players – we’ll be covering those in a future article. And, of course, players may be worth more or less money than they received in 2026, depending on their performance. Here are the men, in descending order of salary, mostly taken from the Baseball Reference contract page for the team. Might they be back in 2027?
Zac Gallen ($16.2m)
I am very tempted to go with “No, but in bold“, and leave it at that. The disaster which was the re-signing of Zac Gallen will hang around until the last of his deferred payment is sent in the middle of the 2034 season. Not many one-year deals include eight years’ worth of deferrals. Mind you, the Tigers will be paying Justin Verlander for his one-year deal through 2039, so Gallen’s not the record holder there. And while not one-year deals, the Dodgers will be writing checks to Edwin Diaz until 2047, and the Guardians to José Ramírez through 2051. That’s getting up ito Bobby Bonilla territory. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah: No, but in bold.
Michael Soroka ($7.5m)
This is the one mentioned above where there is a “mutual option” for next year, at $10 million, with a $1 million buyout. These are exercised incredibly rarely, because a player either does well and wants to test free-agency, or does badly, and the team goes in another direction. The last mutual option exercised which I could find was more than a decade ago, when Aramis Ramirez and the Brewers did so for 2015. And that was because Ramirez knew it would be his last season. Soroka will hit the free market, and get more than $10 million. But the team could certainly use a starter. Whether they pursue Soroka probably depends on how much Mike Hazen spends on a left-handed power bat.
Ryan Thompson ($3.95m)
Became something of a forgotten man, though of all the relievers used by Arizona in 2026, only Kevin Ginkel has made more appearances for the D-backs. Thompson had a solid start, with a 2.76 ERA and FIP through July 1st. But the subsequent month was a disaster, before going on the injured list in early September with a strained lower back. If those struggles were a result of the back problem, I’d certainly kick the tires on a return, regardless of what Reddit might think. Over his 174 appearances here, Thompson has an ERA+ of 120, and age 34, there’s probably still some gas left in the tank. However, Gambo has suggested it probably won’t be in Arizona.
Dennis Santana ($3.5m)
Santana had a dire start to the season in Pittsburgh, posting an ERA north of six across 44 appearances. After being released by the Pirates in late July, he was picked up by the D-backs and was significantly improved. He had a 4.20 ERA, much in line with his FIP (4.23). While that is still basically only league average, a similar price to the above is probably about the going rate for a middle reliever. His poor start might depress the market for the pitcher to a helpful degree. But he certainly would not be the worst free-agent signing called Santana, made by the Diamondbacks in recent seasons.
James McCann ($3.25m)
With hindsight, I could perhaps have included the signing of McCann as one of Mike Hazen’s best moves of last season. By pure WAR he didn’t move the needle much – 0.3 bWAR and 0.5 fWAR. But a backup catcher with an 111 OPS+ across 51 games is pretty good, and Torey Lovullo often spoke of McCann in glowing terms, especially in regard to his handling of the pitching staff. The salary figure above is an estimate, including playing time bonuses. I think McCann did max out, despite missing seven weeks with a strained quad. That’s never a good thing for a catcher, and he is now aged 36. But we’ve spent more on worse catchers previously, e.g. Carson Kelly in 2023.
A.J. Puk ($3.1m)
Almost exactly at this point last year, we were speculating whether the team might non-tender Puk, as he recovered from Tommy John. Turns out, they should have done so. Instead, he spent the entire year on the IL, his return proving elusive. If life was fair, after getting paid without pitching in 2026, A.J. should pitch without getting paid in 2027. However, life is not fair, so he’ll still get a check. By Opening Day, it will be close to two years since his last major-league appearance, and I’d not be surprised if he has to settle for a minor-league deal, to prove his health. That might be the only way Arizona takes him back.
Kevin Ginkel ($2.75m)
Safe to say Kevin has done pretty well for a 22nd-round draft pick. No pitcher has appeared in more seasons for the D-backs than Ginkel (and only two – Brad Ziegler and Andrew Chafin – have played more games). But he might lose that honor next year, when Merrill Kelly takes the field for his ninth campaign, because Ginkel may well be in pastures new. I do think Kevin took more fanbase flak than deserved, given an ERA+ of 101 this year, over a team-leading 74 appearances, and a better FIP than Taylor Clarke. Finally hitting free agency at the age of 32, this will likely be his best chance at a decent contract, and I expect him to get a nice payday elsewhere.
Taylor Clarke ($1.55m)
I might be cautious about resigning Clarke, despite a very impressive 2.96 ERA. His K-rate was flat-out terrible: just 5.5 per nine innings, ranking him 196th of the 200 pitchers with as many innings pitched [still ahead of Zac Gallen though…] Outside of a low walk-rate, his Baseball Savant page has a concerning amount of blue, including an xERA of a considerably less impressive 4.42. This year and last, he has benefited from a low BABIP of .228, compared to the MLB average of .293. While he did a good job of avoiding hard contact this season, I’m not sure he would be worth a market price perhaps 2-3 times what he earned this year.
Jonathan Loaisiga ($1.5m)
It’s always nice to put one over on the Yankees, and after they let him go last winter, the D-backs got a real bargain in Loaisiga. He was worth 1.7 bWAR, compared to 0.5 bWAR from 2022-25 combined in New York, courtesy of an ERA and FIP both below three. Johnny Lasagna is going to get paid, potentially a multiyear deal somewhere in eight figures. With the team’s limited resources, needs elsewhere, and Mike Hazen’s (understandable) aversion to paying big for relief help, I don’t see Arizona being in the competition. Hazen is more likely to be looking for Loaisiga v2.0 elsewhere than re-signing the original.
Ildemaro Vargas ($1.25m)
Vargas’s fifth go-around with the Diamondbacks was easily his most successful. He appeared in 142 games, far more than a previous career high of 95 (with the Nationals in 2024). That’s almost one-quarter of his entire career total since he first reached the major in June 2017. Ildemaro started at all four infield positions plus DH, was NL Player of the Month in April after batting .378, and is a Gold Glove nominee. On the other hand, after May 1 he had a .557 OPS, so that month was more fluke (.384 BABIP) than breakout. There may not be room for him on the Opening Day roster, with Tim Tawa having more upside as a utility infielder, though Vargas would be a nice depth piece.
What do you reckon? Who do you think will be back in 2027?
