Why a Lack of D-backs Bullpen Moves Shouldn't Surprise Fans

We probably should have seen this coming.

Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen (left) speaks to the media with Diamondbacks head coach Torey Lovullo after the team was eliminated from playoff contention at Chase Field in Phoenix on Oct. 1, 2024. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As the 2025-26 MLB offseason has progressed, many fans of the Arizona Diamondbacks have wondered why the team has not made any moves to upgrade their weakest area, namely the bullpen.

As closers and other high-leverage relievers have come off the free agent board one by one, people have been left wondering what the D-backs' plans are. Will the they miss out on all the best relievers available and be forced to cobble together a bullpen on the cheap once again?

Returning to general manager Mike Hazen's comments at the end of season, a more careful parsing reveals that is likely exactly what his plans are.

With the exception of some rumored interest in Pete Fairbanks, the D-backs have not been credibly linked to any of the relievers that have already signed or are still out there.

Mike Hazen's Comments on September 30

Arizona Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen introduces new starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez during a news conference at Chase Field on Dec. 12, 2023. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

I asked a simple question of Hazen at his end-of-season press conference: is getting a closer a priority for you this offseason?

After a long pause, Hazen's first word was a reluctant "probably."

He went on to say, "I think having a closer has definitely set up some of our better bullpens. We had three of them this year. They all got hurt."

That's fair. First A.J. Puk, and then Justin Martinez went down with elbow injuries. Prior to the injuries they were in a shared closer's role. The plan was for Torey Lovullo to play the matchups. That approach was actually quite effective for the first few weeks of the season.

Through April 17, Puk pitched in eight games, and had four saves and two holds. He did not blow a lead and posted a 3.38 ERA. Through that same date, Martinez recorded two saves, three holds, and had not allowed a run.

The co-closer plan was actually working like a charm. But then Puk suffered an elbow injury on April 17 and did not pitch again in 2025. Martinez had to be shut down for five days from that date, and when he returned April 23 experienced a bizarre phase of velocity loss. An injured list stint followed, and not too long after he came back, he too went down with a season-ending elbow injury.

Meanwhile Shelby Miller stepped into the breach and began closing games. A non-roster invitee, Miller made the team out of spring training on a cheap contract.

He had some success and also some blowups, and he ultimately suffered an elbow injury as well. He recorded 10 saves and eight holds, but also blew five save chances. Still, Miller had a 1.98 ERA when he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers and overall was effective before he became injured.

Despite Miller's efforts, the bullpen was in shambles from April 18 onwards, as injuries and poor performance continued to stack up. By the time the season was over, the D-backs were once again near the bottom of all bullpen rankings and metrics, as they yet again missed the Postseason.

Beyond the injuries, however, it is in Hazen's further comments from that September 30 press conference that we glean a closer look into what he was thinking about this offseason.

"I wouldn't have told you that Shelby Miller was going to be a closer this year, so what you would perceive as me going out and getting a closer is probably a little more gray to that."

Clearly, he was telling us here that he did not necessarily enter this offseason looking to get an established closer, per se, but rather get a pitcher or pitchers that could step into the role at some point. Hazen acknowledged that having a closer does make the bullpen easier to set up, however.

"I think setting up the bullpen from the ninth inning moving forward makes a lot of sense. I think it's been where we've had success. We'll see where that takes us," Hazen said.

"I think we have more to do than just the closer in the bullpen, but I do think how we set up the roles moving forward and having the talent to sit in those roles, we're going to be fixated on pitching going into the offseason, sure, both off starter and reliever."

To date, Hazen has not added any relievers to the major league roster at all. A smattering of minor league signings is all that's been accomplished up to this point on the bullpen front.

As reported by Alex D'Agostino on December 20, Hazen is not overly concerned with the pace of the reliever market. He still sounded confident he will be able to execute the necessary upgrades. But the more the offseason progresses, the more unlikely it seems he'll be able to make significant upgrades.

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Meanwhile, the projection systems are not overly optimistic about the options they currently have on the roster. In fact FanGraphs depth chart projections rank the D-backs bullpen at 27th in MLB as of this writing.

It will take at least two significant upgrades to the bullpen to move the needle on paper for the Arizona Diamondbacks. And it's getting increasingly harder to see where those improvements are coming from. There is still time, but not a lot.