Diamondbacks Sign Former Nationals Pitcher

The Arizona Diamondbacks take a chance on this reliever.

Sep 29, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Derek Law (58) walks back to the dugout against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

The Arizona Diamondbacks have made another potential addition to their bullpen. According to a recent report from FanSided's Robert Murray, the D-backs have signed former Washington Nationals righty reliever Derek Law.

It's a minor league contract for Law, and will come with an invite to big league Spring Training. The deal is worth $1.5 million, but with a set of incentives that could raise the total value to $2 million.

The incentives are heavily split up and are entirely dependent on how many games Law pitches. They begin at 20 games, and increase in small margins every five additional games — all the way up to 55.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Sign Derek Law

Sep 7, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Derek Law (58) throws to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-Imagn Images | Philip G. Pavely-Imagn Images

Law has a decent history of success in his eight-year MLB career. For his career, he owns a 3.69 ERA and 4.00 FIP. Though he struggled in the middle years of his career, his past two seasons have been two of his best.

Law pitched to a 3.60 ERA in 55 innings with the Reds in the 2023 season, then followed that up with a high-volume workhorse load in 2024, pitching 90 innings and posting an impressive 2.60 ERA with a 3.32 FIP.

But Law began the 2025 season on the Injured List with an elbow flexor strain. After making a few rehab appearances, he was ultimately forced to undergo surgery on that elbow and miss the entirety of the season — a familiar fate of D-backs pitchers recently.

Law sports a four-seam fastball that climbs into the mid-to-upper 90s, but his primary pitch is a relatively-straight low-90s cutter. He pairs that with a slider, and also throws a changeup, sinker and curve, used sparingly.

The signing is the latest additions to Arizona's bullpen, which has notably lacked a high-profile addition this offseason. The D-backs have signed Taylor Clarke and Jonathan Loáisiga, but have not swung for true late-inning reliever. Law joins the list of somewhat under-the-radar signings that could carry high upside, but come with little to no risk.

Arizona has had some amount of success with moves like this, such as the signings of Shelby Miller and Jalen Beeks ahead of 2025. On paper, however, the bullpen remains an area of weakness, with no true closer option available until Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk return from their respective elbow surgeries, which could be quite late in the 2026 season.

Law certainly has some upside, both in terms of overall success and stuff. Whether his stuff and command remain intact following a significant injury remain to be seen.