Diamondbacks Have Massive Roster Crunch Looming

With an overcrowded 40-man roster, the Arizona Diamondbacks have some tough decisions to make.

Oct 13, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen during workouts for their NLSC matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-Arizona Republic | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Arizona Diamondbacks have a looming 40-man roster crunch that they will have to deal with very shortly after the conclusion of the World Series. GM Mike Hazen and the Baseball Operations group will be busy figuring out a thorny set of decisions to make within the next two weeks.

As outlined in our offseason transaction calendar guide, players that are eligible to become free agents do so at 9:00 a.m. EST the day after the conclusion of the world series.

Related Content: Diamondbacks Guide to 2025-2026 Offseason Transaction Calendar

Five days after that, at the end of the quiet period, players on the 60-day injured list must be reinstated to the 40-man roster. The D-backs, with so many players on said IL, will have to find a way to make room for their return.

Diamondbacks' Injured Players Create Roster Crunch

Jun 1, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) reacts after an injury in the fith inning and leaves the field against the Washington Nationals at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images | Allan Henry-Imagn Images

The Diamondbacks' current 40-man roster stands at 39. Once Zac Gallen, James McCann, and Jalen Beeks are declared free agents, the roster will be at 36. There are nine players on the 60-day IL that need to be reinstated to the roster, eight pitchers and one position player.

Those include: Corbin Burnes, Kevin Ginkel, Tommy Henry, Justin Martinez, Cristian Mena, Christian Montes De Oca, A.J. Puk, Blake Walston, and Pavin Smith.

In order to make room, the team will need to place at least five players on Outright Waivers. According to the MLB Glossary

"If the player clears outright waivers without being claimed, his team has the option of assigning him outright to the Minor Leagues."

"However, players with more than five years of Major League service time can reject an assignment to the Minor Leagues, and players with more than three years of Major League service time, or who have been previously outrighted, may reject the outright assignment in favor of free agency in lieu of the assignment."

Many players have likely already been, or soon will be passed through waivers. The list of players that the team might consider to outright is long, with varying degrees of probability.

Who Will Diamondbacks Place on Outright Waivers?

Apr 1, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Kyle Nelson against the New York Yankees at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Higher-probability outright candidates would be pitchers Elvin Rodriguez, Gus Varland, Kyle Nelson, and infielder Connor Kaiser.

At least one more from the following list of players would be candidates to be outrighted as well: Pitchers John Curtiss, Casey Kelly, Tommy Henry, Austin Pope, and Taylor Rashi, along with infielder Ildemaro Vargas.

It should be noted that Nelson, Curtiss, and Vargas are all arbitration-eligible players, and thus will earn more than the league minimum salary if they are tendered contracts.

The D-backs are cutting payroll, so they also have a dollar crunch. That could factor into their decision process.

It's a nerve-wracking time for players on the roster bubble, waiting to find out their future status within the organization and in Major League Baseball. We here at Arizona Diamondbacks On SI will continue to track, report, and analyze all roster developments.

You can hear more about this topic at the Snakes Territory Podcast as well