Diamondbacks and the Arbitration Filing Deadline

Today is the deadline (8 PM ET/6 PM MST) for teams and players to swap salary numbers for salary arbitration. Teams and players will move quickly to settle with a deadline moving up, with more teams employing the "file then trial" approach to the process. The Diamondbacks have utilized this approach under Mike Hazen, with Archie Bradley and Josh Rojas being notable cases.

To be eligible for salary arbitration, a player must accrue 3-5 years of service time or rank in the top 22% for those with two years. There are currently six arbitration-eligible players on the D-backs roster, all of whom signed one-year deals. They are listed in descending order for how much they'll make in 2024, along with their estimates.

1B Christian Walker: $10.9 million ($12.7 million estimate)
RHP Zac Gallen: $10.011 million ($10.9 million estimate)
RHP Paul Sewald: $7.35 million ($7.3 million estimate)
RHP Ryan Thompson: $1.35 million ($1.3 million estimate)
RHP Kevin Ginkel: $1.225 million ($1.4 million estimate)
LHP Joe Mantiply: $925K ($1 million estimate)

Walker is coming off back-to-back 30 home run seasons with a Gold Glove Award. In addition to his exceptional on-field play, he's taken on a big leadership role in the D-backs clubhouse. He hit .258 with 33 home runs and 103 RBI.

Gallen is coming off a second consecutive Top 5 finish for the National League Cy Young Award, finishing third in 2023. The D-backs Opening Day starter is a critical piece for their success over the next two seasons and has been the tone setter for the rotation. He made 34 starts with a 3.47 ERA in 210 innings.

Sewald is coming off a career-high 34 saves last season between Seattle and Arizona and was instrumental in the team's postseason run to the World Series. In the last three seasons, he's put up an ERA+ of at least 130 and stabilized the back of Arizona's bullpen. Sewald is the unquestioned leader of the D-backs relief corps.

Thompson was a great late season find by the D-backs, signing a minor league deal after getting released by Tampa Bay in August. He got his opportunity in the final five weeks of the season, allowing just one run in 13 appearances then a 2.31 ERA in the postseason. He described going through the process last year in this thread.

Ginkel broke out in 2023, proving himself to be a very capable bridge to Sewald. Pitching with fire and emotion, he has transformed into a big-time strikeout pitcher in high leverage situations. He finished with a 2.48 ERA and a 27.6% strikeout rate over 65 1/3 innings in the regular season and pitched 11 2/3 scoreless innings while striking out a third of the batters he faced.

Once a journeyman reliever, Mantiply has found a home in Arizona and has been a big part of their bullpen the past three seasons. While his 2023 season was marred by inconsistency and injuries, he had a solid finish to the season with a 3.86 ERA/3.64 FIP in the final two months and was scoreless in seven of his nine postseason appearances.

Overall, the D-backs saved $2.839 million compared to the estimates of their six arbitration-eligible players. Whether or not these extra savings on payroll could make a potential difference in adding another bat to the lineup remains to be seen.