Recapping One of the Biggest Weeks in Diamondbacks History

Between signing Jordan Montgomery, an injury to their closer, and the opening series win over the Rockies, it was an eventful week.

Jordan Montgomery (left) and Mike Hazen (right) pose for a photo in Montgomery's introductory press conference. Montgomery signed a one-year deal with the Diamondbacks. / Jack Sommers

The Diamondbacks won their first series of the season, capping off a very eventful week and perhaps one of the biggest in franchise history. Last week included major free agent signing, the team's ring ceremony Friday night, and injuries to key players that will be closely monitored.

Jordan Montgomery Signing Gives D-backs a Top-Flight Rotation

Late Tuesday night, it was reported that the D-backs had signed left-hander Jordan Montgomery. The left-hander was reportedly looking for a seven-year deal on the free agent market, but did not find any suitors that he preferred going to. Instead, he went to Arizona on a one-year deal plus a vesting option for 2025. If he makes 23 starts in 2024, he could make $50 million over the next two seasons while also pitching on a team expected to contend the next two seasons.

The deal rather came quickly for the D-backs, as an opportunity to make an impactful addition to the rotation still existed. General manager Mike Hazen and Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick both downplayed the injury to fellow left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez playing a role in the timing. Both pitchers should be back in the rotation by the end of the month. The target date for Montgomery is April 19th, when the team travels to San Francisco to play the Giants.

At full strength, this is what the D-backs rotation should look like:

1. Zac Gallen
2. Merrill Kelly
3. Jordan Montgomery
4. Eduardo Rodríguez
5. Brandon Pfaadt

Two other teams that were in the running until the end were the New York Yankees, the D-backs' next opponent, and the Boston Red Sox. The New York Post's Jon Heyman reported that Montgomery did not want to go to Boston due to their questionable commitment to win. The Yankees also had a four-year offer on the table that involved deferred money. His 2024-2026 salaries would have added up to $24 million, a million less than what he'll get from the D-backs this season alone.

D-backs Take Care of Business vs. Rockies

The D-backs opened their season by taking three of four against the Colorado Rockies. In their three wins, they played very well and capitalized on bad pitches and mistakes in the field. The pitching and defense was clean for much of the series, which also created some momentum for the team. It was imperative the team won a home series against a team many expect to finish in last in the National League West, coming off a franchise-worst 103-loss season. The fact the D-backs won the series and played mostly clean for the series is a good sign for the reigning NL champions.

The successful formula for Arizona has been the starting pitching. Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, and Brandon Pfaadt, all of whom stepped up in the postseason, each got a win over the weekend after collectively allowing just three runs in 16 2/3 innings. The D-backs got some timely defensive plays behind the trio, which has curbed offensive momentum for Colorado in key situations.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.'s 10 RBI is the most in franchise history for the first four games of the season. The last time a player had 10 RBI in a four-game series was Dominic Fletcher, who drove in 13 runs against the San Francisco Giants May 12th-15th of last season. Gurriel drove in a run in the first inning in all four of the games, as the D-backs put up a crooked number in all of them.

Championship Ring Ceremony

The D-backs celebrated their National League pennant with a ring ceremony Friday night.
Evan Longoria, who played third base for the D-backs last season, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Players, coaches, broadcasters, and front office staff all received National League Championship rings. Here's what the rings look like.

We personally LOVE the #EmbraceTheChaos with the snakeskin on the side. 🐍🔥 pic.twitter.com/URfWcILwGB

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) March 30, 2024

D-backs fans will have an opportunity to collect a replica of these rings later this season. The first 20,000 fans who attend the game August 10th will receive a replica ring as a giveaway. Not coincidentally, their opponent for that game is the Philadelphia Phillies. The D-backs defeated the Phillies in seven games in last season's National League Championship Series, coming back from down 2-0 and 3-2 in the series.

D-backs Facing Injuries to Multiple Key Players

The last week has seen injuries pile up to key players. Left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez suffered a left lat strain in a start against the Chicago Cubs on March 19th. Rodríguez has already begun his throwing program and has thrown out to 60 feet. Manager Torey Lovullo said the left-hander as asymptomatic and will continue to progress in his rehab. The next step will be to stretch out to 90 feet and eventually throwing on a mound. The faster they can get Rodríguez on the mound, the shorter the ramp-up period will be to get him ready to start major league games again.

The team wasn't so lucky with their closer Paul Sewald. Sewald is recovering from a low Grade 2 strain of his left oblique. Sewald felt soreness in the area about a week before the injury and spoke up about it. He was pulled from a scheduled appearance in March 20th, but after experiencing no pain for the next three days pitched again on the 23rd. After complaining of pain the next day, an MRI the following Monday determined an oblique strain. The team will have to weather the storm until their closer is back at some point in May.

Alek Thomas was removed after the third inning of yesterday's game with left hamstring tightness. Lovullo said they will continue to evaluate their center fielder and get imaging done. With Thomas on the mend, that puts Corbin Carroll in at center field and Jake McCarthy playing nearly every day in right. Should he need to go the injured list, the D-backs have Jorge Barrosa available as their only minor league depth in the outfield available.

In a piece of good injury news, Sunday was a big step forward for Randal Grichuk. He played seven innings in center field for Triple-A Reno, going 2-for-5 with a home run. Grichuk is expected to not take more than the minimum 10 days to recover. He was close to returning to action by Opening Day, but the team felt it would be better to have him ready to play in the outfield coming back. That prompted an IL stint and a rehab assignment in Reno. He's first eligible to return off the IL when the D-backs travel to Atlanta to play the Braves and should be back by the time they travel to Coors Field to take on the Rockies.