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The D-backs have made some moves this off-season – notably the signing of free-agents Merrill Kelly and Michael Soroka to bolster the rotation (I wonder how long it’ll be before I stop wanting to call him Sorotka?). But it feels like there is still a lot of work to be done,
if the team truly expects to compete in the Upside Down this year. We’re now little more than a month from pitchers and catchers reporting to Salt River Fields, and most of the areas which were identified as weaknesses at the end of last season, are largely untouched. Hence last week’s question, where we asked you which area needed to be made a priority.
I guess the good news is, the second most-popular area of concern has been addressed, albeit through doing nothing. Ketel Marte has been taken off the market, no team being willing to meet the (understandably) high asking price for our star second baseman. But, a little like the re-signing of Merrill Kelly, that doesn’t make the team any better for 2026. With that now off the board, there’s no doubt what is the biggest issue remaining: the bullpen, which received almost half of all the votes, even including the Marte responses. It’s not surprising, considering our relief struggles have been well-documented, and it was arguably the worst part of the team in 2025.
Certainly, the window to sign a top-tier closer has closed, and with Marte off the board, it seems unlikely the team will be getting one through trade. The relief market has definitely been a seller’s one this winter: compared the ‘Crowd Source’ results here to the actual contracts, though Hazen has never been one to pay for saves (and I, for one, would agree with that decision). But that lack of even any lower-tier signings is harder to explain. Of the top twenty free-agent relievers, the only one unsigned is Seranthony Domínguez. Otherwise, you’re almost into the AARP bullpen for established arms, looking at the likes of Justin Wilson (38), Ryan Pressly (37) and David Robertson (41).
But there are other areas, too. Sure, maybe we could patch up the outfield by moving Blaze Alexander there. Except, that then raises the question, who’s going to play third base? Are we fine with Jordan Lawlar, and no particular backup option past a 23-year-old with a career OPS+ of 33? Or the Pavin Smith/Tyler Locklear platoon at first? [Actually, I kinda am, since I don’t share the raging and irrational hatred of Smith fostered in some sections of the fanbase] I’m not sure what the “something else” is though, since whoever voted for that did not explain themselves in the comments, as requested! They now have another chance to do so.
There is still time. Remember, at this point last year, we had not signed Shelby Miller, John Curtiss or Jalen Beeks, relievers who ended up combining for almost three bWAR out of the Arizona bullpen. As indicated when I wrote up the current Opening Day roster, I can’t believe that the 26 men who’d be there right now, will be the same 26 who are there on March 26. So we’ll see what Mike Hazen does to improve the team over the next couple of months.
