Previewing the Diamondbacks Offseason Plan
During his recent press conference Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen spelled out the team's priority needs as he heads into a whirlwind offseason. The D-backs made it all the way to the World Series before bowing out to the Texas Rangers. That deep postseason run delayed some of their preparation for off season happenings. That's not to say the baseball operations staff weren't multi tasking. They were. With the GM Meetings set to begin on Tuesday in Scottsdale, the front office dove right into full off season mode immediately following the World Series. No rest for the weary.
Inside the Diamondbacks writers and analysts will be taking deep dives into potential free agent and trade market targets in the areas that Hazen identified. Those areas are starting pitching, right-handed bats, third base, and bullpen depth. Here is an overview of those areas as outlined by Hazen. It will be challenging. While ownership has indicated they will increase payroll, Hazen will need to be creative with trades and shrewd signings, as whatever the size of the increase, he will not just be able to go out and buy everything he needs.
Starting Pitching
Anyone who follows the team knows that the Diamondbacks lacked reliable starting pitching depth. Heading into the 2022-2023 off-season, Hazen spoke about the perils of depending on more than one or two rookie starters in the rotation. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly were clearly reliable as the number one and two. Promising young starters Ryne Nelson, Tommy Henry, and Drey Jameson had varying degrees of success during their 2022 call-ups. And Brandon Pfaadt was waiting in the wings. But Hazen wasn't keen on relying on more than one of those at a time.
It was hoped that Madison Bumgarner and Zach Davies would provide enough starts and innings in the three and four spots in the rotation to bridge to the younger starters. That didn't work out. Bumgarner proved wholly unable to recapture even a semblance of his former self. He was either unable or unwilling to make changes that were being suggested by pitching coach Brent Strom. Still on the hook for over $35 million for the remainder of 2023-24, the team felt compelled to release Bumgarner after just four non competitive starts in which he gave up 19 earned runs in 16.2 innings for a 10.26 ERA. It was that bad.
Zach Davies was a late sign just before spring training for low cost but never was able to get going in 2023. An early injury sidelined him and when he came back he was inconsistent and mostly ineffective. He made 18 starts and posted a 7.00 ERA. He was released on September 29th, not even a consideration for the postseason roster.
These two veterans combined for just 22 starts and 99 innings, posting a 2-8 record with 7.56 ERA. That left no fewer than 69 non Gallen/Kelly starts on the table that went to rookies and second year pitchers with little experience. The bulk of those went to Nelson, Henry, and Pfaadt. A handful went Slade Cecconi, Jameson, who was moved the bullpen and then got injured, and Bryce Jarvis. In total those rookies posted a 15-24 record and a 5.24 ERA.
By mid season Torey Lovullo was reduced going with bullpen games several times a month. Much to the consternation of many, he was forced to do so in game four of the NLCS and game four of the World Series, the latter of which was an unmitigated disaster. The bullpen games weren't out of some misguided attempt at using analytics, as many decried, it was simply because Lovullo didn't have any other options.
Hazen tried to acquire starting pitching at the trade deadline and by his own admission of regret, failed to do so, deeming the costs too high. While trade deadline pitching costs are notoriously high to begin with, the cost of starting pitching is not going down by much this off season. Jim Bowden of the Athletic canvassed every team, and no fewer than 16 are looking for starting pitching. With that much competition in the market, this will be the most challenging area to address.
Right-Handed Bats
Heading into the 2022-23 offseason the lineup was overly left-hand dominant. Hazen set out to change that, bringing in Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to play Left Field and DH, Evan Longoria to platoon at third base, and Kyle Lewis as a possible DH option. Lewis didn't work out, getting hurt and then not performing in MLB when given the chance. Hazen later picked up Tommy Pham at the trade deadline, providing more right-handed pop.
Gurriel had a good season, with 61 extra base hits, 82 RBI and played good defense too. Longoria got off to a decent start, but got injured, turned 38, and slumped upon return from the injured list and all the way through the post season. Pham performed well, even if somewhat streaky, and was a good clubhouse presence to help drive younger players. All three of these players are now free agents. Most fans would like Gurriel to return, but the cost may be prohibitive. Longoria said he would still like to play, but the team may choose to move on. Pham could possibly be brought back on a one year deal. He is a good all around player, but oft injured and will be 36 next year. If he pushes for a multi year deal, the D-backs would likely pass. Lewis is arbitration eligible and with a potential $1.6M salary estimate, is a non tender candidate. So it will be back to the drawing board for Mike Hazen to acquire some right-handed hitting.
Third base
It was hoped that the platoon of Josh Rojas and Longoria at third, with Emmanuel Rivera waiting in AAA as depth, would give the D-backs a solid enough production base at the hot corner. Rojas slumped, got demoted, then got traded. As mentioned Longoria got hurt and then slumped. Rivera came up, got hot, then slumped. The net result is the D-backs had a .644 OPS from their third basemen against a .719 OPS average for the position, ranking 27th in MLB. There is overlap between filling a right-handed need and the third base need perhaps.
Bullpen Depth
With the addition of closer Paul Sewald, the D-backs bullpen was much improved starting in September and into the post season, at least until the World Series. There is still a need to upgrade with one or two more good arms. Some of the youth that was hoped would be ready to step in last season, such as Justin Martinez or Carlos Vargas, did not materialize, as they were unable to harness their stuff. Their minor league work does not indicate they'll be ready in early 2024 either, so the team will need to look outside the organization for help.
Stay with us over the following week as we delve into the markets to see how Mike Hazen might be able to improve the club.
