The Diamondbacks fell just short of the playoffs, as arguably the league's best-hitting team was let down by subpar pitching. Fixing the pitching will be a priority, but Arizona will also have to fill what could be several prominent holes in the lineup.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Corbin Carroll, OF: $102MM through 2030 (includes $5MM buyout of $28MM club option for 2031)
- Eduardo Rodriguez, SP: $66MM through 2027 (includes $6MM buyout of $17MM vesting option for 2028)
- Ketel Marte, 2B: $49MM through 2027 (includes $3MM buyout of $13MM club option for 2028)
- Lourdes Gurriel Jr., OF: $32MM through 2026 (includes $5MM buyout of $14MM club option for 2027; Gurriel can opt out of contract after 2025 season)
Option Decisions
- Jordan Montgomery, SP: $22.5MM player option
- Eugenio Suarez, 3B: $15MM club option ($2MM buyout)
- Joc Pederson, DH: $14MM mutual option ($3MM buyout)
- Merrill Kelly, SP: $7MM club option ($1MM buyout)
- Scott McGough, RP: $4MM mutual option ($750K buyout)
- Randal Grichuk, OF: $6MM mutual option ($600K buyout)
2025 financial commitments: $55MM ($123.5MM if all players with options remain on the team)
Total future commitments: $249MM ($317.5MM if all players with options remain with the team)
Arbitration-Eligible Players (projections from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)
- Zac Gallen (5.100): $14.1MM
- A.J. Puk (4.124): $2.6MM
- Ryan Thompson (4.095): $2.9MM
- Kevin Ginkel (4.033): $2.3MM
- Joe Mantiply (4.029): $1.6MM
- Kyle Nelson (3.076): $800K
- Geraldo Perdomo (3.015): $2.1MM
- Pavin Smith (3.015): $1.6MM
- Non-tender candidates: Nelson
Free Agents
The 2023 Diamondbacks won 84 games to sneak into the last NL wild card spot, then went on a magical postseason run that took them to a World Series appearance. This breakout performance emboldened the D'Backs to spend to new heights, as the club's Opening Day payroll of just under $163.4MM was by far the largest in franchise history. Topping their 2023 payroll by over $47.1MM bought the Snakes five more regular-season wins, but this time it wasn't enough to even reach October --- a 2-5 record in their last seven games left the D'Backs tied with the Braves and Mets on 89 wins, but Arizona fell behind both teams on tiebreakers.
It was a crushing ending for a team that saw several of its investments from last season pay off handsomely, except almost all of the success came on the offensive side. The re-signed Lourdes Gurriel Jr., newcomer free agents Joc Pederson and Randal Grichuk, and trade acquisition Eugenio Suarez joined with the rest of the mighty lineup to lead all of baseball with 886 runs scored.
Unfortunately, the Diamondbacks also had the fifth-most runs allowed (788) of any team in the league. Arizona ranked 25th in bullpen ERA (4.41) and 27th in rotation ERA (4.79), as the team's approach to building both pitching units backfired.
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That Montgomery contract is another warning about the danger of bad contracts
It’s also a warning about signing a mediocre pitcher after a career year that sports an era north of 4
His ERA has been south of 4 in all other seasons in which he’s made more than 20 starts, and had improved in the 3 seasons leading up to this one. Don’t act as though he’s some unproven scrub
I think its a bigger warning to pitchers who hold out into the regular season. Rare for sp without a normal spring to have good years.
Let’s be real, the biggest warning is the one Ken Kendrick knew all along when he approved the signing of Montgomery… I assume
Let’s be real. You are mad the Yankees made a bad trade and let Montgomery go.
Montgomery is a good pitcher. Boras was the problem.
Monty was terrible in 2024, regardless of the reason.
Ryan Helsley for Druw Jones. That would be fun.
No way.
I think the Diamondbacks had the best offseason of any team in baseball last year. It didn’t all work out but I liked their decision making at the time they made them.
This year their needs are pretty specific. They need a 1b either Walker or someone else. They need pen help and they need to upgrade their rotation. Montgomery looks like a good change of scenery candidate to me. Perhaps trade for Helsley or Devin Williams.
I’d much rather gamble on Monty returning to form. They’d take a pretty large haircut to trade him.
They should keep Walker on two years. Not too many righty 1Bs out there, and they tend lefty.
Helsley or Williams, I’d be inclined to go with Martinez. He’s shaky, but with 5 years of control, if he can handle it, he becomes a huge asset.
If money matters, and it always does, trading Montgomery can help with that. Boston could use him.
You can’t have too many good relievers.
The key is to focus on the pitching of the Roger Beshens Football Slider pitch to all players in the organization such as Pfaadt, Ginkel, Puk, Martinez.
In May 2018, Roger Beshens didn’t claim to be the creator of the non traditional slider he named Football Slider instead he mentioned he motivated numerous ML pitchers to adopt his technique, leading to a significant number doing so.
2018 was the first time in MLB history that it recorded more strikeouts than hits.
I agree. I’ll never argue with the process of signing “good” free agents to short-mid term contracts when your team is coming off a breakout season, instead of standing pat. Don’t totally agree with the E-Rod deal, just not a fan of him, but he’ll most likely get good again near the end of his deal when he’s looking for another check.
Did the Dbacks have a better off season than the Mets? Manaea. Severino. Iglesias. Bader. JDM. T Taylor. David Stearns. Carlos Mendoza.
How about in season acquisitions? Winker. Stanek. Maton. Torrens.
Montgomery isn’t going anywhere (snakes are stuck w/ him and his K) and the Snakes can’t afford Walker at 3/$70m w/o neglecting many other needs. Maybe he takes a lot less to stay, unlikely. Lot’s of 1b options and the snakes need to fill numerous holes w/ about $30M to do it. Hazen must make numerous economical FA signings this offseason. The Montgomery signing really devastated the budget and flexibility this offseason. Trades are likely coming. Alek Thomas and/or Adrian Del Castillo might be on their way out. Farewell year for Gallen.
Without Strom the Dbacks won’t improve.
Strom maximized his potential among all available pitchers.
Strom lacks control how minor league pitchers are trained to assist the Major team.
Losing him is awful! Torey kills this team!
The Dback’s Front Office has become somewhat overconfident with their recent successes in 2023, especially with the careless signing of Erod who would not in any way be a top 3 starter for a serious World Series run. Montgomery doesn’t fit in the current blueprint as a starter or reliever.
Firing Strom won’t improve the teams performance as Lovullo’s management of the relief pitchers was quite careless, additionally, Stroms choices, were often ignored.
Brent Strom didn’t have complete control over the pitching decisions the Front Office did. The decisions made by the Front Office resulted in Strom being fired.
Off season strategy all teams.
The key is to focus on the pitching of the Roger Beshens Football Slider pitch to all pitchers in the organization such as the one Puk, Ginkel, Martinez, Pfaadt throw.
Monty and Erod aren’t going to help the Dbacks, Pfaadt and Nelson are the ones you want in the playoffs. The Dbacks won’t get there because of Erod and Montgomery. The Front Office doesn’t understand this.
The Dbacks made a mistake by letting go of Brent Strom. They should have kept him and hired Roger Beshens as a consultant to help improve the Football Sliders for the minor league teams.
Who is Brent Strom?
The Front Office was incompetent and not open to hearing what Strom had to say. They even advised a pitcher not to pitch a specific slider, which was shared among the other pitchers and led to Stroms dismissal.
A six minute video shows, Strom, Fetters, and Carlslon and eleven Dback pitchers taking unsolicited advice from Roger Beshens in Spring Training. Two of them gave signaled to stop as Ryne Nelson was getting ready to pitch. Nelson seemed unhappy because he thought they would guard his area. Roger Beshens Tweeted that Ryne Nelson may throw his football slider very soon. At some point in the year Nelson was advised by the Front Office to only throw the cutter and not the slider pitch. Despite this Nelson disobeyed and threw the slider three times out of frustration during a game he lost 13-0.
The interference by the front office regarding Ryne Nelsons pitching approach, specifically advising Nelson not to throw a certain slider, significantly undermined Brent Stroms authority as a pitching coach, ultimately leading to a breaking down of trust. This situation likely contributed to Stroms dismissal, reflecting the complexities and challenges that arise when internal decisions clash with coaching strategies.
A pitcher who is having a hard time, (Cecconi, 7 losses) and doesn’t listen to advice from a skilled pitching coach should not be accepted.
All Cecconi had to do was move off the left side of rubber to the the right side and his pitches would play much better. He wanted nothing to do with it. You get a few guys like that an you miss the playoff by a game. Probably closer to 10.
Oh goodie! The slider conspiracist is back again. SO glad to see you again ya big weirdo. Hurrah!!
To me, Ryan Mountcastle for Montgomery and a young pitcher makes a lot of sense. Dbacks get payroll relief and a 1B replacement. Os get a bounce back candidate and a second depth starter. Os have payroll to take on and Mayo and OHearn at 1B. As long as Nelson or Pfaddt are included, it’s fair value.
Hazen, Lovullo and the analytical department’s game strategy decisions were a disaster, leading to Brent Strom losing his job.
If the Dbacks won like 85 games and made the playoffs Hazen would’ve been satisfied, Strom, Fetters and Carlson would have stayed another year.
Which team would want Monty or Erod for the playoffs in 2025?
They aren’t even top 3 and please anyone that uses them in the bullpen doesn’t know how to run a team but ruin a team.
It was a miracle the Dbacks won 89 games with all those pitching injuries. They won’t have another 30-10 run again that was just an anomaly. How can you fire Strom with a 89 win season and all those injuries? That’s what happens when the Front Office wants to call the shots. There was no reason to fire anyone other than Lovullo who couldn’t manage the relief pitching ALL year long.
In an 89 win season with 26 blown saves and missing the playoffs in a 3 way tie with Atlanta and the Mets is very frustrating. Get rid of some of these BS guys and sign or trade for a solid closer and other bullpen help.