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Diamondbacks Rumors

D-Backs Select Four Players, Designate Tommy Henry

By Steve Adams | November 18, 2025 at 5:25pm CDT

The Diamondbacks have added four players to keep them out of the Rule 5 draft: pitchers Kohl Drake, Mitch Bratt and Dylan Ray and infielder Jose Fernandez. Arizona only had three openings on the 40-man roster, so they designated lefty Tommy Henry for assignment.

Henry, 28, pitched just 6 2/3 innings in the big leagues this year. He has 181 innings of 5.07 ERA ball under his belt in the majors but wasn’t going to be a factor on next year’s staff after undergoing Tommy John surgery in late June. Henry had a decent showing with the ’23 D-backs, tossing 89 innings of 4.15 ERA ball, and he posted similar numbers in Triple-A the following season. However, he was clearly pitching through something in 2025, posting an 8.12 ERA in 11 Triple-A starts before hitting the injured list and ultimately undergoing surgery.

Any team can now claim Henry, but he’d need to be carried on the 40-man roster all winter before the 60-day IL becomes available again in spring training. Given his lack of consistent big league success to date and that lengthy injury rehab, there’s a good chance he’ll pass through waivers unclaimed. If Henry becomes a free agent, he’ll be an option to sign with the D-backs or another club on a minor league deal. He still has four-plus seasons of club control remaining.

Drake is one of the prospects the D-backs acquired when trading Merrill Kelly to the Rangers this past July. The 25-year-old was an 11th-rounder in 2022 and has put himself on the prospect map with solid performances in each of the past two seasons (2.29 ERA across three levels in ’24, 4.23 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A this past season). Drake punched out more than 35% of his opponents in 2024 and more than 28% at higher levels in 2025. He sits 92-94 mph with his heater and has three secondary pitches as well as solid command. A big league debut in 2026 seems likely.

Like Drake, Bratt came to the Snakes in that Kelly trade. Texas drafted him in the fifth round back in ’21. He pitched 122 1/3 innings with a sharp 3.38 ERA at the Double-A level in 2025 and logged even more encouraging rate stats: 29.3% strikeout rate and 4.2% walk rate. As with Drake, he could get his first big league look next year, though the D-backs may want to give him some run in Triple-A before that point.

The 24-year-old Ray was Arizona’s fourth-round selection in 2022. The 6’3″, 230-pound righty out of Alabama pitched well for 10 starts in a pitcher-friendly Double-A setting before being torched for a 6.30 ERA through 18 starts in an exorbitantly hitter-friendly environment in Triple-A Reno. He set down 20.1% of opponents on strikes and issued walks at a 9% clip. Both are worse than league-average, but Ray draws praise for a smattering of roughly average offerings and could be a back-end starter or swingman.

Fernandez is an infielder — primarily shortstop and third base — who spent his age-21 season in Double-A this past year. In 511 plate appearances, he hit .272/.321/.454 (99 wRC+) with 17 homers, a dozen steals, a 20.4% strikeout rate and a 6.3% walk rate. This was the first season he’s shown any semblance of power, as he’d previously been touted more for his athleticism, raw tools and projection more than his performance. He’ll hope for a big season in Triple-A next year, and he could factor into the big league mix either at third base or in a utility capacity if he can manage that.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Transactions Dylan Ray Jose Fernandez (b. 2002) Kohl Drake Mitch Bratt Tommy Henry

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Nine Players Reject Qualifying Offer

By Steve Adams and AJ Eustace | November 18, 2025 at 3:07pm CDT

The deadline to accept the qualifying offer has passed. Four players — Trent Grisham, Gleyber Torres, Brandon Woodruff, and Shota Imanaga — chose to accept the one-year, $22.025MM deal and remain with their current clubs. The remaining nine players rejected the deal. They are: Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker, Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber, Blue Jays infielder Bo Bichette, Astros lefty Framber Valdez, Padres righty Dylan Cease, Phillies lefty Ranger Suarez, Mets closer Edwin Diaz, Diamondbacks righty Zac Gallen, and Padres righty Michael King. All nine are now free agents.

There’s not much surprise in any of the nine players who rejected. Tucker, Schwarber, Bichette, Valdez, Cease, Suarez and Diaz were all locks. Gallen may have given some brief thought to accepting after a rough showing in 2025, but he finished strong and has a track record as a high-end starter who’s garnered multiple top-five finishes in NL Cy Young balloting. King was hobbled by nerve and knee injuries in an odd season but was dominant in 2023-24 and through the first two months of the current season. He was healthy late in the year and fanned three in his lone inning of postseason work. He’ll test the waters in search of a multi-year deal as well.

Now that this nonet has rejected qualifying offers, they’ll all be subject to draft compensation. Interested teams will need to surrender a draft pick (or multiple picks) and, in some cases, space from their bonus pool for international amateurs in order to sign any of this group. The extent of that draft compensation depends on the revenue-sharing and luxury tax status of the new team. MLBTR broke down which pick(s) each club would forfeit by signing a “qualified” free agent last month.

Similarly, the compensation for each player’s former club is dependent on revenue-sharing and luxury tax status — as well as the size of the contract signed by the player in question. MLBTR also ran through the compensation each team would receive if their qualified free agents turned down the offer and signed elsewhere.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Chicago Cubs Houston Astros New York Mets Newsstand Philadelphia Phillies San Diego Padres Toronto Blue Jays Bo Bichette Dylan Cease Edwin Diaz Framber Valdez Kyle Schwarber Kyle Tucker Michael King Ranger Suarez Zac Gallen

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Diamondbacks Outright Christian Montes De Oca

By Anthony Franco | November 17, 2025 at 11:53pm CDT

The Diamondbacks outrighted reliever Christian Montes De Oca, according to the MLB.com transaction tracker. That drops Arizona’s 40-man roster count to 37.

Montes De Oca is a 26-year-old who made his big league debut this past season. Arizona first called him up in May but didn’t get him into a game before optioning him back out. He came back up in early June as the extra pitcher for a doubleheader in Cincinnati. Montes De Oca tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings of mop-up ball, striking out two while issuing a walk.

That ended up being his only MLB appearance of the season. Montes De Oca went on the injured list with elbow inflammation a few days later. The Snakes subsequently announced that he was headed for surgery on a seemingly unrelated lower back injury. Montes De Oca finished the season on the injured list but needed to be reinstated onto the roster at the beginning of the offseason.

Montes De Oca didn’t enter the professional ranks until his age-22 season. He has pitched to a 4.34 earned run average in 186 2/3 innings over parts of four minor league seasons. He has punched out a quarter of opponents against a serviceable 8.1% walk rate. He’ll remain in the system as a non-roster player and figures to get an invite to big league camp if he’s healthy next spring.

Tomorrow evening is the deadline for teams to add players to the 40-man to keep them out of the Rule 5 draft. Mitch Bratt and Kohl Drake — the top two pitching prospects acquired from Texas for Merrill Kelly — will both need to be added to the roster. Dropping Montes De Oca gives them an extra spot in case they want to keep someone like Double-A outfielder Gavin Conticello, Triple-A starter Dylan Ray or former third-round pick Jacob Steinmetz out of the draft.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Transactions Christian Montes De Oca

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D-backs’ GM Downplays Payroll Concerns

By Steve Adams | November 17, 2025 at 4:40pm CDT

Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick has already publicly indicated that his team’s payroll will decline from the franchise-record $200MM set in 2025, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the front office is handcuffed in terms of its ability to pursue additions this winter. General manager Mike Hazen recently pushed back on the idea that he might have to subtract some salary via trade, telling Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic:

“I don’t really feel that way, honestly. That’s not the impression I have. Are we going to be doing what we did last offseason? Probably not. But I don’t think I have zero wiggle room or avenues to pursue players.”

RosterResource currently projects the Snakes for about $143MM in 2026 payroll, and that’s before potential non-tenders among the arbitration class. Injured lefty A.J. Puk, who underwent UCL surgery this summer, is projected for a $3.3MM salary (via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz) but might not even pitch next season in his final year before free agency. Righty Kevin Ginkel ($3MM projection) posted a 7.36 ERA in 25 2/3 MLB innings. Outfielders Alek Thomas ($2.2MM projection) and Jake McCarthy ($1.9MM projection) both had well below-average seasons at the plate; McCarthy, in particular, was one of the 20 worst hitters in MLB, sitting with the 18th-worst wRC+ mark among the 348 hitters who tallied at least 200 turns at the plate.

Assuming some of that group departs, the Diamondbacks will find themselves with a $135-140MM projection for next year’s Opening Day payroll. Even if ownership plans to scale back payroll by as much as $25MM — and that’s just an arbitrary number for illustrative purposes — Hazen could reasonably have as much as $40MM to spend on next year’s payroll alone.

All of this pushes back somewhat against the notion of a potential trade of star second baseman Ketel Marte. Hazen has already called trading Marte or any of his star hitters “unlikely,” although because he’s acknowledged that he’ll hear offers as a matter of due diligence, some optimists have clung to the idea that Marte might be available.  Trading him would bring a haul of talent, but it’d also just create another hole which needs to be filled.

Arizona’s shopping list this winter is lengthy, to say the least. Hazen & Co. will need to add at least two starters to a rotation that currently consists of Ryne Nelson and a pair of pitchers who struggled badly in 2025: righty Brandon Pfaadt and lefty Eduardo Rodriguez. Corbin Burnes underwent Tommy John surgery in June and will miss most or all of next year. Zac Gallen is a free agent. Most of the organization’s top pitching products heading into 2025 pitched poorly and/or suffered an injury this past season. The bullpen needs a nearly complete overhaul.

In a separate piece, Piecoro suggests that reunions with Gallen and fellow righty Merrill Kelly (whom the D-backs traded to the Rangers back in July) seem unlikely if the two indeed command the type of $17MM+ annual values many (MLBTR included) have predicted for both pitchers. There’s no firm indication that either is squarely off the table, to be clear, but the D-backs need to add at least two starters and relievers apiece, and that’s to say nothing of the infield corners or the bench. Young sluggers Tyler Locklear and Jordan Lawlar could get looks at first base and third base, respectively, but neither has proven himself in the majors. Lawlar has also been getting a look in center field, which stands as another potential area of need after Thomas struggled so much with the bat in 2025 (and really, in his overall parts of four MLB seasons to date).

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Arizona Diamondbacks Merrill Kelly Zac Gallen

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At Least Seven Teams Have Inquired On Ketel Marte

By Steve Adams | November 12, 2025 at 3:57pm CDT

While general manager Mike Hazen has characterized the trade of a star hitter from his roster as “mostly unlikely,” teams are still going to make an effort to pry second baseman Ketel Marte loose this winter. John Gambadoro of 98.7 Arizona Sports reports that at least seven teams have inquired with the D-backs about Marte’s availability in recent days. Hazen has said publicly that he’ll at least hear interested teams out as a matter of due diligence — “I still have to do my job,” he told Gambadoro just yesterday — but that’s far from the same as calling other clubs and initiating Marte conversations on his own.

Marte, 32, is coming off a trio of monster seasons in Arizona. Dating back to 2023, he’s slashed a combined .283/.368/.519 with 89 home runs, 77 doubles, 11 triples, 19 steals (in 24 tries), an 11.2% walk rate and just a 16.7% strikeout rate. Marte’s paltry 14.9% strikeout rate in ’25 was his lowest since a 13.7% mark back in 2019. On top of that excellent production, he’s owed $102.5MM over the next six seasons — an eminently affordable rate in today’s game. (The sixth year on that commitment is an $11.5MM player option.)

All of that makes a compelling case for Arizona to simply keep Marte and continue to build around him, outfielder Corbin Carroll and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo. All three have cemented themselves as star-caliber talents, thanks in no small part to Perdomo’s sensational breakout showing in 2025. All three are signed long-term and locked in through at least the 2030 season.

At the same time, the D-backs have a crowded payroll and need significant help on the pitching side of the equation. Corbin Burnes will miss most or all of 2026 following Tommy John surgery performed back in June. Zac Gallen is a free agent. Merrill Kelly was traded at the deadline. The D-backs’ top two relievers, A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez, both had UCL surgery earlier this year as well.

Presently, their rotation includes veteran Eduardo Rodriguez, coming off back-to-back seasons with an ERA just over 5.00, and 27-year-old righties Ryne Nelson and Brandon Pfaadt. Nelson had a breakout performance in 2025, but Pfaadt’s longstanding home run troubles continued as he pitched to a 5.25 ERA in 176 2/3 innings. The D-backs don’t have any other healthy starters who’ve logged even a full season at the MLB level. Twenty-eight-year-old Tommy Henry, who had UCL surgery back in June, is the only other starting pitcher on the 40-man roster with more than 105 MLB innings under his belt. He has a 5.07 ERA with worse-than-average strikeout and walk rates.

By all accounts, the D-backs still hope to contend around a core including Carroll, Perdomo, Marte, Nelson and standout catcher Gabriel Moreno. They’ll need to add at least two starting pitchers to the equation and bring in multiple relievers. They also lack clear solutions at the two infield corners and could use another outfielder — particularly with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. sidelined by a late ACL tear.

It’s a daunting task on the surface — and one that’s made even trickier by the fact that owner Ken Kendrick has already acknowledged that payroll will drop below last year’s franchise-record levels. Thanks largely to their surprising signing of Burnes, the Snakes logged an Opening Day payroll north of $190MM. RosterResource currently projects them for about $143MM in 2026 commitments, though that number could drop depending on what happens with their arbitration class. Puk, projected for a $3.3MM salary, will likely be non-tendered given that he’ll be a free agent next winter and had UCL surgery in late June. Right-hander Kevin Ginkel ($3MM projection) and outfielders Jake McCarthy ($1.9MM) and Alek Thomas ($2.2MM) could all be non-tender or trade candidates after disappointing seasons.

Those arbitration decisions won’t move the needle all that much, however — not when there are this many holes to fill. Trading Marte wouldn’t be popular but could net multiple big leaguers — presumably at least one in the rotation — and trim $15MM from next year’s payroll. The D-backs would be hard-pressed to claim they’re better in 2026 without Marte than they are with him, however, and they understandably appear to prefer keeping him and building out the club with a lighter payroll target than in ’25. Robust interest notwithstanding, it seems likely that they’ll hang onto Marte barring a massive return that also frees them to more aggressively attack the free-agent market.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Ketel Marte

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Hazen: Trade Of Star Hitter “Mostly Unlikely”

By Anthony Franco | November 11, 2025 at 6:47pm CDT

As the Diamondbacks enter an offseason that’ll be focused on addressing the pitching staff, there’s been some speculation about them trading away a star hitter. Bob Nightengale of USA Today wrote on Monday that the Diamondbacks could shop second baseman Ketel Marte before he gets to 10 years of service time and locks in full no-trade rights two weeks into next season. Under the CBA, any player with 10 years of service, the past five of which have come with one team, cannot be traded without their consent.

Arizona general manager Mike Hazen has addressed Marte’s status from this week’s GM Meetings. Hazen downplayed the idea that the Snakes were looking to move Marte, albeit with the caveat that he wouldn’t fully shut the door on conversations. “It’s what happens. Everyone checks in on your better players,” the GM told The Burns & Gambo Show on Arizona Sports. “They’re coming after your better players. … He’s one of our best players. We have some of the top position players in all of baseball on our roster and we need those players to be good next year.”

Hazen added that he “(has) to listen to what people say.” He noted that the team’s need for multiple arms in both the rotation and bullpen requires a general open-mindedness to trade conversations. However, it doesn’t seem they’re viewing a Marte deal as the best way to accomplish that. Hazen told The MLB Network’s Jon Morosi that while the club has gotten calls on Marte and their other star players, “it’s mostly unlikely” that a trade of that magnitude would happen.

The Diamondbacks have signed Marte to three separate extensions. The most recent of those came in April and has Marte signed through the 2031 season. There’d been trade speculation following midseason reports that some of the three-time All-Star’s teammates were frustrated with his work habits. Manager Torey Lovullo seemingly has a close relationship with Marte and defended him publicly. Hazen seemed similarly disinclined to trade the second baseman when asked about the possibility in August.

“Ketel is one of, if not our best player,” Hazen told Wolf & Luke of Arizona Sports at the time. “He’s a superstar in this league. You win with superstars in this league. Yes, I do know it’s a team game and putting a team together to win baseball games is also equally important. That’s on us to figure out what the right mix of players is.

Two years ago, we went to the World Series with this player on our team. … So this mindset of where he is on our team and his inability or ability to help us win is hard for me to just take that. … Where this lays down at his feet and where it’s coming from now is a little bizarre to me. I’m not ignoring the inconsistencies with some of the things that have happened. He’s addressed those things. We’ve addressed those things with him.

We’re not blind to having an imperfect clubhouse and an imperfect roster. … I’m also in a job and position to put players on the field that can win you baseball games, because ultimately that’s what this comes down to. We are going to put the best team on the field every single day we can.”

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Arizona Diamondbacks Ketel Marte

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Diamondbacks Sign Aramis Garcia To Minors Contract

By Mark Polishuk | November 8, 2025 at 12:49pm CDT

The Diamondbacks have re-signed catcher Aramis Garcia to a new minor league deal, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports.  Presumably the new contract contains an invitation for Garcia to attend Arizona’s big league Spring Training camp, just like the previous minors deal Garcia signed with the D’Backs almost exactly one year ago.

Gabriel Moreno’s hand injury last June opened the door for Garcia to twice have his contract selected to the Diamondbacks’ active roster, though both of those promotions were soon followed by Garcia being designated for assignment and then outrighted off the 40-man roster.  Garcia had the right to elect free agency after either of those outrights but he chose to remain in the organization on both occasions.  He also was on track for minor league free agency once the season was over, but his time on the open market was pretty short, as he’ll now head back to the Diamondbacks.

Garcia’s time on the big league roster saw him appear in just two games in 2025, and he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his only four plate appearances.  Between not playing in the majors at all in 2023 and going hitless in seven PA (over three games) with the Phillies in 2024, it has now been over three years since Garcia’s last MLB hit, which speaks to his career path as a journeyman.  The catcher has hit .208/.245/.321 with 10 home runs over 331 career PA in the majors, suiting up with five different teams at the MLB level (and three more at the minor league level) since Garcia debuted during the 2018 season.

The D’Backs apparently liked what they saw from Garcia, both in his cups of coffee in the majors and in his more extended time at Triple-A Reno.  With the caveat that the Pacific Coast League is a very hitter-friendly environment, Garcia had an impressive .266/.385/.481 slash line in 296 PA for Reno in 2025.

As it stands right now, Moreno and Garcia are the only two catchers in Arizona’s organization with any big league playing experience, since James McCann is a free agent.  This makes Garcia the default as Moreno’s backup, but the Diamondbacks will surely add to their catching ranks between now and Spring Training, likely sending Garcia back to a Triple-A depth role once again.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Transactions Aramis Garcia

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12 Diamondbacks Players Elect Minor League Free Agency

By Charlie Wright | November 7, 2025 at 9:16pm CDT

TODAY: Pope, Curtiss, Kelly, Nelson, and Kaiser all elected minor league free agency, according to the Reno Aces’ official transactions page.  In addition, Matt Mervis, Cristian Pache, Matt Foster, and Tristin English also elected free agency.  Of that quartet, only English (a third round pick for Arizona in the 2019 draft) received any big league playing time with the D’Backs in 2025, and the others were in the organization on minor league contracts.

NOV. 6: The Diamondbacks have announced a handful of roster moves. Infielder Ildemaro Vargas, catcher James McCann, and left-hander Jalen Beeks have elected free agency. Right-handers Austin Pope, John Curtiss, and Casey Kelly, left-hander Kyle Nelson, and infielder Connor Kaiser were outrighted off the 40-man roster. Arizona’s 40-man roster now sits at 38 players.

Vargas just wrapped up his third stint with the team. The versatile utilityman debuted with the Diamondbacks in 2017. After playing a minor role across three seasons, Arizona designated him for assignment in 2020. The DFA led to a trade to the Twins, though Minnesota would also designate Vargas for assignment less than a month after acquiring him. The Cubs scooped him up off waivers for the final month of the season. Vargas went through a similar set of transactions in 2021, just in a different order. He was claimed off waivers by the Pirates in May, then designated for assignment a couple of weeks later. Pittsburgh worked out a trade that sent Vargas back to Arizona.

Washington gave Vargas his longest look to date. The Nationals signed him as a minor league free agent in May of 2022. He hit .280 in 53 games with the team. Washington gave Vargas semi-regular playing time over the next two seasons. He topped 300 plate appearances for the first time in 2024. Vargas signed a minor league deal to return to Arizona this past offseason. He appeared in 38 games with the team in 2025. Vargas has spent time at all four infield positions, plus left field and right field. He’s also made five appearances in mop-up duty on the mound, hilariously allowing just two earned runs in five innings. The 34-year-old’s extreme versatility could get him another gig this offseason.

Arizona added McCann after Atlanta cut him loose in June. He appeared in 42 games for the team, filling in behind the plate after Gabriel Moreno went down with a hand injury. The 34-year-old posted a solid 110 wRC+ in limited action.

Beeks ended up being a decent find for the Diamondbacks. They signed him just before the season began, and the veteran lefty contributed a 3.77 ERA over 57 1/3 innings. Beeks missed time with a back injury, but still managed to make 61 appearances, including two as an opener.

Curtiss is the only member of the DFA group to make a significant impact at the MLB level in 2025. He appeared in 30 games with the big-league club, recording a 3.93 ERA. Curtiss has bounced around frequently since debuting in 2017, pitching for eight different teams.

Nelson has been a part of Arizona’s bullpen in recent years, but he only appeared in three games this past season. Pope debuted in September, making a two-inning appearance against the Dodgers before heading back to Triple-A Reno. Kelly pitched in two games in August. Kaiser had a couple of brief stints with the big-league club, going 2-for-18 across 11 games.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Transactions Austin Pope Casey Kelly Connor Kaiser Cristian​ Pache Ildemaro Vargas Jalen Beeks James McCann John Curtiss Kyle Nelson Matt Foster Matt Mervis Tristin English

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Diamondbacks Outright Four Players

By Anthony Franco | November 5, 2025 at 11:35pm CDT

The D-Backs outrighted four players off the 40-man roster, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Right-handers John Curtiss and Casey Kelly, lefty Kyle Nelson, and infielder Connor Kaiser all went unclaimed on waivers. They can all elect free agency and will presumably do so within the next day or two.

Nelson is the only member of that group who spent more than one season with Arizona. The Snakes claimed the 29-year-old reliever off waivers from Cleveland over the 2021-22 offseason. Nelson pitched to a 2.19 ERA across 43 appearances during his first season in the desert. His numbers tailed off in 2023 and he hasn’t been much of a factor over the past two seasons. Nelson missed most of the ’24 campaign due to thoracic outlet syndrome. He only made three big league appearances while allowing more than a run per inning over 42 Triple-A games this year.

Curtiss signed a minor league contract with the Snakes over the offseason. They called him up in late June. He tossed 36 2/3 innings across 30 MLB appearances. Curtiss managed a respectable 3.93 ERA but only punched out 17% of batters faced. The 32-year-old righty carries a 4.03 ERA across 145 1/3 innings over parts of eight seasons. This amounts to an early non-tender instead of a projected $1.2MM arbitration salary.

Kelly and Kaiser got cups of coffee as late-season stopgaps. The 36-year-old Kelly pitched in a pair of games in August, pitching around a hit and a walk to work 1 2/3 scoreless innings. He spent most of the year working out of the rotation at Triple-A Reno, pitching to a 5.63 ERA with a well below-average 11.5% strikeout rate over 115 innings. Kaiser, who turns 29 in a few weeks, played in 11 games after his contract was selected in August. He picked up his first two big league knocks. The Vanderbilt product is a glove-only middle infielder who hit .236/.345/.406 with a 27.5% strikeout rate in Triple-A.

The cuts get Arizona’s 40-man roster to compliance for tomorrow’s deadline. Teams need to reinstate all players from the 60-day injured list by Thursday. The D-Backs had been at 44 players including those who’ll come off the injured list.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Transactions Connor Kaiser John Curtiss

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Diamondbacks Decline Elvin Rodriguez’s Club Option

By Mark Polishuk | November 4, 2025 at 9:32am CDT

The Diamondbacks declined their $1.35MM club option on right-hander Elvin Rodriguez for the 2026 season.  A press release from the MLBPA broke the news by adding Rodriguez to its updated list of free agents, and reporter Francys Romero added the detail that Rodriguez is already receiving interest from teams in Asia.

Rodriguez is no stranger to playing overseas, having already spent parts of the 2023-24 seasons in Japan with the Yakult Swallows.  He delivered a 2.77 ERA over 78 innings in Nippon Professional Baseball, which led to a one-year split contract with the Brewers last winter to mark his return to MLB.  The deal contained both the club option and a $900K salary for Rodriguez’s time in the majors in 2025, which ended up being 19 2/3 innings of 9.15 ERA ball with the Brewers and Orioles.

Milwaukee was dealing with a ton of rotation injuries early in the season, which opened the door for Rodriguez to make the Opening Day roster and make two starts over his six total appearances for the Brew Crew.  After being designated for assignment in July, the O’s claimed Rodriguez but DFA’ed him as well in early September, upon which Arizona stepped in for another waiver claim.  The Diamondbacks didn’t give Rodriguez any looks on their active roster, and his time in the organization will now end after four Triple-A appearances.

Rodriguez made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 2022, and his total resume in the bigs consists of a 9.40 ERA over 52 2/3 total innings.  The righty allowed a whopping 21 homers within that small sample size, and keeping the ball in the park has been a consistent issue for Rodriguez even in his minor league career.  Notably, Rodriguez allowed just a single home run over 45 innings with the Swallows in 2024, which may be why he could again be considering leaving North American ball.  A deal with an international team would surely represent more guaranteed money for Rodriguez than a contract with an MLB team, as Rodriguez is likely facing just minor league offers this winter.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Transactions Elvin Rodriguez

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