Diamondbacks Heavy Lifting Done for the Offseason
A deep dive on the Diamondbacks offseason and the choices they made to fortify their roster for the 2026 season.
As the offseason winds to a close, most of the heavy lifting is done. Pitchers and catchers will report to Salt River Fields on February 10th to start the 2026 season.
With a little bit of hindsight, it was pretty obvious from the onset that the Diamondbacks were handicapped financially entering the offseason. Injuries to Corbin Burnes, Justin Martinez, A.J. Puk, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. limited what they could do. The quartet combined for $53.6 million of Arizona’s 209.2 million payroll for 2026 (Cots), or 25.6%.
With injuries completely decimating the pitching staff, which will linger into 2026, D-backs GM Mike Hazen had some tough decisions to make. He chose to address the rotation and third base this offseason, at the expense of the bullpen.
If you look at his MLB additions in the offseason, here’s how they went.
RHP Merrill Kelly: 2 years, $40MM plus 2028 vesting option
RHP Michael Soroka: 1 year, $7.5MM plus $2MM more in incentives
3B Nolan Arenado: Arizona is responsible for $11MM over the next 2 years
RHP Taylor Clarke: 1 year, $1.55MM
In total, the club added about $34MM in payroll for the 2026 season. It wasn’t the perfect offseason, but that wasn’t going to happen anyway.
Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick was on Burns & Gambo back in September to explain the payroll situation. Kendrick stated that their payroll will be less than the $220 million figure from 2025, but still be competitive.
There are still two more possible moves the team can make before the season starts, according to Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro.
Trade for a reliever
Sign a right-handed-hitting first baseman
As we head toward the start of a new season, I examine the big stories of the week and why things played out the way they did in the offseason.
