Why Pete Fairbanks Makes Sense as the Diamondbacks’ Next Closer
The D-backs are in talks with free-agent closer Pete Fairbanks. Here’s why he fits Arizona’s bullpen needs, what concerns exist, and how the relief corps projects if they sign him.
The Arizona Diamondbacks appear to be making some headway in their search for a new closer. The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro reports that the team is engaged in discussions with Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks.
Fairbanks, 31, became a free agent after the Rays declined an $11 million club option for 2026. That came after a career-high 61 appearances in which he pitched to a 2.83 ERA and saved 27 games in 32 opportunities.
The D-backs were never in the market for the top names such as Edwin Diaz, Robert Suarez, or Devin Williams. Williams signed a three-year, $50 million deal with the New York Mets earlier in the week. With a mid-market team like Arizona strapped a bit for payroll space and needing to acquire at least one more starting pitcher, they were at best going to be able to shop in the next tier.
That leaves them looking at Brad Keller, Kyle Finnegan, Pete Fairbanks, and Emilio Pagan to become their next closer. Pagan has since re-upped with the Cincinnati Reds on a two-year deal, shrinking the market further.
Fairbanks gives you the best combination of prior experience (90 saves), age (32), and stuff of the remaining closer options. Per Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo of The Athletic, Fairbanks is looking at a similar deal to the one Ryan Helsley agreed to with the Orioles (two years, $28 million) and will make a decision this week. The Toronto Blue Jays and Miami Marlins were also listed as possible suitors.
Why Pete Fairbanks Makes Sense for the Diamondbacks
With A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez both recovering from midseason elbow surgery, the D-backs badly need a closer to stabilize their bullpen. With a lack of internal candidates, they were going to have to acquire someone to fill the role.
He still features a power arsenal, with a four-seamer that averages 97.3 MPH, a depthy slider (42.6” drop), a changeup, and a recently-developed cutter. The changeup isn’t a particularly useful pitch, hence the addition of a cutter. The cutter got good results (+3 run value) in just a sample of 42 pitches.
In the past three seasons, he’s saved 75 games and posted a 76/24 shutdown-to-meltdown ratio. Only Shelby Miller (16/5) and Andrew Saalfrank (13/3) fared better in 2025. Miller was dealt at the deadline, and is a free agent recovering from Tommy John surgery, and Saalfrank is expected to play a key role in Arizona’s bullpen moving forward.
His 2.83 ERA is backed up by the expected metrics, which focus solely on the quality of contact allowed, strikeout rates, and walk rates. His .220 xBA allowed and 3.07 xERA rank in the 77th and 87th percentile. He’s also coming off a career-low 7.4% walk rate in 2025. It marked the second straight season in which his walk rate sat below 10%, after hovering around 11-12% early in his career.
While Fairbanks isn’t an elite closer, he is a viable candidate for that role and makes the bullpen better. He features strikeout and walk rates that are better than the league averages, although not much more.
The goal is to solidify the ninth inning, then let the other roles sort themselves out, like in 2023. Kevin Ginkel, Andrew Saalfrank, and Ryan Thompson remain from their last playoff run. Left-hander Brandyn Garcia, who they picked up in the Josh Naylor deal, also emerged as a potential key arm at the end of the season.
Swing-And-Miss Concerns About Fairbanks
There is some concern about the 31-year-old’s long-term viability. After striking out 39% of hitters between 2022-23, he’s been around 24% the last two seasons. Considering the high-leverage nature of the closer role, it’s critical to have someone who can miss bats be the stopper.
One point in his favor is his chase and whiff rates rank in the 57th percentile, leading to above-average strikeout and walk rates. However, looking further into that, his ability to put hitters away with two strikes is problematic.
4-Seamer: 15.9%
Slider: 19.7%
Changeup: 20.7%
Cutter: 20.0%
Right now, I’d peg Fairbanks as a competent closer, but the D-backs will need to get more strikeouts out of him to make the acquisition worthwhile.
Bullpen Projection if the D-backs Sign Fairbanks
Fairbanks immediately slots in as the D-backs closer until further notice. His injury history makes that a fairly risky bet, with just one year of 50+ appearances.
The next spots to solve will be the high-leverage roles in the 6th-8th innings. Garcia and Saalfrank will likely compete for the top left-hander role, with the former’s high-octane stuff profiling better. Kevin Ginkel projects as the top right-handed option, although shoulder issues are more problematic than elbow issues these days.
Ryan Thompson figures to take on similar roles as in previous years. While he wasn’t as ground ball dominant in 2025 as he was in past seasons, he was still an effective arm.
That leaves three spots open for competition, although one of them will be a long reliever role. The D-backs will likely try to catch lightning in a bottle with minor league signings and rely on their depth for those spots.
Here’s the projected Opening Day bullpen in this scenario.
RHP Pete Fairbanks (Closer)
RHP Kevin Ginkel
LHP Brandyn Garcia
LHP Andrew Saalfrank
RHP Ryan Thompson
RHP Juan Morillo
LHP Philip Abner
RHP Bryce Jarvis (Long Reliever)