Diamondbacks News
Q&A with D-backs president Hall on 2026 finish, future priorities
by Steve Gilbert [DBacks.com]Since the run to the World Series in 2023, the team has come within a game or two of making the playoffs the past few seasons while ownership has stretched the budget to try and get back. How do you expect the payroll to look in the coming season?
Hall: I do not think we need to spend at that level to win and believe it will come down. I realize I said the same before last season and we obviously increased,
but with so many young players, we should be able to better manage a Major League budget without sacrificing our competitiveness. In fact, we would only do so if we thought we would improve our results as well.
Diamondbacks Bring Back Outfield Prospect On New Deal by Alex D’Agostino [SI]
Arizona is re-signing outfielder A.J. Vukovich, the Aces officially announced on Sunday.
Vukovich had spent the last six seasons in the Diamondbacks’ system, after he was drafted 119th overall in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB draft.
He began to tap into his power swing in the 2023 season, slugging .485 for the Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles. He hit 24 home runs that season, albeit in an extremely offense-focused Texas League environment. That helped him end up at No. 14 on Arizona’s top 30 prospect rankings at the time.
Around the League
Tigers’ all-around star and Reds’ throwback slugger named Rookies of the Year by Manny Randhawa [MLB]
The Baseball Writers’ Association of America has named Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle the 2026 American League Rookie of the Year, and Reds infielder Sal Stewart the 2026 National League Rookie of the Year.
Pedro Martinez appeals for MLB resolution, reflects on effects of 1994 strike [ESPN]
“I feel for the fans, and I know when it’s good, and it’s good, baseball is good right now,” Martinez said Saturday, according to the Boston Herald. “So stop the crap around and get something done and don’t lock out baseball for the fans.”
In Boston for the Pedro Martinez Foundation’s 10th annual gala, Martinez said that “honestly speaking, I’m pissed” as he appealed to both players and owners to find a solution.
“Please, for the fans, both sides, figure it out, a good way to get it done, and do not lock out baseball,” Martinez said.
2027 Contemporary Baseball Era Committee Candidate: Joe Maddon by Jay Jaffe [FanGraphs]
Joe Maddon was the right manager at the right time more than once. A former minor league catcher who never reached the majors as a player, and who spent over three decades in various capacities within the Angels’ organization, Maddon didn’t get his first major league managerial job until he was 52 years old. As part of a new regime that took over a Tampa Bay team that had never won more than 70 games in the franchise’s eight-year history, Maddon clicked with a cutting-edge front office and helped mold a young squad into an American League powerhouse seemingly overnight. The Devil Rays won 66 games in 2007, Maddon’s second season, then — after a nominal exorcism that made them the Rays — 97 games and the AL pennant in ’08 before losing to the Phillies in the World Series.
Maddon led the Rays — a team that generally ranked near the bottom of the league in both attendance and payroll — to the playoffs four times in a six-season span from 2008–13, winning AL Manager of the Year honors twice. With his horn-rimmed glasses, his varied interests beyond baseball, and his understanding of statistical analysis, he emerged as an icon, a hip and literate nerd who could lead the game’s Davids into battle with Goliaths, or just recommend a nice merlot.
Best Fits For A Ketel Marte Trade by Anthony Franco [MLB Trade Rumors]
Teams are expected to lay the foundation for their offseason trade talks as the GM Meetings get underway. Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte is one of the biggest names available. The Snakes have more or less acknowledged that they’ll listen to offers on the three-time All-Star, who has clearly frustrated many within the organization by failing to show up for certain games over the years.
Marte has full control over his destiny, as he secured no-trade protection by reaching 10 years of service time (the last five of which have come in Arizona). He’s signed for another five years at a total of $87.5MM, covering ages 33-37. Marte is only making a $12MM salary next year, though, and $3MM of that is deferred.
That’s a fine salary even if he only repeats his league average .249/.316/.432 showing this year. If he bounces back some or all of the way to the player he was before, arguably the best second baseman in the sport, it’s a bargain for the on-field production. There’ll surely be teams that have trepidations about Marte’s work habits, and some might take him off their target list altogether, but the D-Backs should get some kind of interest given the star offensive upside he’s shown at his best.
