Brooks Raley Could Bolster D-backs Left-Handed Reliever Depth

With the injury to A.J. Puk, the Diamondbacks have seen their left-handed reliever depth thin out over the weekend. As of the time of this writing, Jalen Beeks is the lone lefty in the bullpen.

That in itself could present a problem when it comes to bullpen construction. It limits the amount of flexibility that manager Torey Lovullo has when trying to attack certain parts of the lineup. It leaves them vulnerable to stretches of left-handed hitters in the lineup, especially if a right-handed starter has a short start or Beeks isn't available to pitch that game.

Looking at their internal options, there isn't much to choose from. Joe Mantiply has to spend 15 days in the minors on his optional assignment. Kyle Nelson is in extended Spring Training and is nowhere close to a major league mound. When they made their roster moves on Saturday, they passed on both Kyle Backhus and Jake Rice in favor of three right-handed pitchers despite both pitchers sporting sub-2.00 ERAs in Triple-A Reno.

So most likely the Diamondbacks will need to make external additions to bolster their left-handed reliever depth on the major league roster. At this point in the season, the trade market is non-existent for any established relievers. So they'll have to take a look at the free agent market, which in itself is a risky proposition, as these relievers didn't have a normal Spring Training.

One left-handed reliever who is still available on the free agent market is Brooks Raley. The former Met appeared in only eight games in 2024 before going on the injured list with elbow issues and eventually needing Tommy John surgery. He underwent surgery on May 30, with an internal brace augmentation of the ligament to shorten the recovery time.

Nearly 11 months after surgery he is already throwing again, as Will Sammon of The Athletic reported that he threw a bullpen session in front of 12 teams. There's no reporting linking the Diamondbacks as one of those teams, but given how thin their depth is right now, it wouldn't be a surprise if they were.

Raley is a matchup lefty with tremendous success in shutting down left-handed hitters, who have a career .191/.263/.293 slash line against him. He leads with a low-80s sweeper, a platoon-heavy pitch, that averaged a 2956 RPM spin rate in 2023. Opposing hitters batted .174 with a .217 slug, backed by a .174 xBA and .225 xSLG against his sweeper.

He also features an upper-80s sinker, a changeup, and a cutter, so his arsenal is similar to Mantiply's. The changeup is his main secondary offering against right-handed batters, although he mixes the entire arsenal as opposed to being exclusively a sinker/sweeper pitcher against lefties.

Since he had the internal brace put in, plus less ramp-up time needed as a reliever, it's much more likely to be on the shorter end of the typical 12-15 month recovery period from surgery. That likely puts Raley's potential return to the major leagues toward the end of the first half of the season. He would still need rehab outings in the minor leagues.

While that timeline isn't necessarily beneficial for the Diamondbacks in the short term, his track record may be worth gambling on to add a potential impact arm from the left side. There is a risk with signing a 36-year-old reliever coming off a major arm injury, but looking at their left-handed reliever depth they may need to make a move sooner rather than later.