👋 GOOD MORNING
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025 — Happy Wednesday! More to come on the D-Backs’ offseason activity below, but first I wanted to quickly call out the Mercury’s acquisition yesterday. The season doesn’t kick off until May, but this team is going to look much different than what fans have seen the past few years.
ESPN first reported the ​Mercury acquired forward Alyssa Thomas​ from the Connecticut Sun, and though she was a pending free agent, league rules required a trade if she was to leave for another team. The 32-year-old veteran has played all 11 seasons of her WNBA career in Connecticut, and provides an immediate boost to the lineup as a six-time All-Defensive Team recipient, and five-time All-Star.
She averaged 10.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game last season, and is the league’s all-time triple-double leader. With Brittney Griner reportedly signing a deal with Atlanta, as well as the uncertainty around Diana Taurasi’s future, the addition is much-needed.
On to the show!
Did the D-Backs Get Better or Worse This Offseason?
It’s almost that time.
Pitchers and catchers are set to report to Spring Training in mid-February, and games will kick off shortly thereafter. The D-Backs were the best offense in baseball last season, but despite winning five more games than their NL Pennant-winning team in 2023, they failed to make the playoffs after sputtering in the season’s final few weeks.
Even so, there’s plenty of cause for optimism heading into the 2025 campaign; a few of their moves even captured national headlines this winter.
D-Backs Lost Important Players in Key Positions
First, the bad news — if you haven’t been paying attention since the end of last season, there are a number of familiar faces who have since left.
First Baseman Christian Walker: Walker signed with the Houston Astros, and there’s no way around it, it hurt to see the back-to-back-to-back Gold Glove winner and local favorite walk away from a team he spent eight years with. He hit .251 with 26 home runs and 84 RBI last season, and his production on both sides of the ball will assuredly be missed in 2025.
First Baseman Josh Bell: Bell signed a one-year deal with the Washington Nationals, returning to the team he played with in 2021 and 2022. He hit .249 with 19 home runs and 71 RBI in 41 games last season, providing depth behind Walker in his only year in the desert.
DH Joc Pederson: Pederson signed with the Texas Rangers after declining his option in Arizona. He made the most of his opportunity in his one season with the D-Backs, helping the league’s best offense with a .275 batting average and 64 RBI. His departure has left a big question mark at the DH position for the Diamondbacks, as the 32-year-old did not play a single out in the field in 2024.
Infielder Kevin Newman: Newman signed a one-year deal with the L.A. Angels in November, and the utility player is coming off his best statistical season in batting average (.278) since the 2019 season. He recorded 28 RBI with eight stolen bases in 2024, so the D-Backs’ infield depth took a hit, though they’re still pretty well situated with stars Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo.
RHP Slade Cecconi: Cecconi was part of the trade that brought first baseman Josh Naylor to the desert, and Arizona was never quite able to find the right spot for him last year. The 25-year-old posted a 5.75 ERA in 13 starts, and it was even worse out of the bullpen at 10.13 in 16 innings of work.
RHP Paul Sewald: The closer’s departure to Cleveland leaves a deficit in Arizona’s late-game bullpen, but Sewald isn’t exactly coming off a stellar season. His 2024 ERA of 4.31 was higher than the 3.12 mark set in the 2023 season, despite pitching fewer innings (39.2 in 2024 vs. 60.2 in 2023).
None of the moves were terribly surprising, but left a few sizable holes to address, especially if the team looks to keep pace with the wildly-spending Dodgers in the West. It should also be noted that outfielder Randal Grichuk, along with pitchers Scott McGough and Brandon Hughes remain free agents.
Key Offseason Acquisitions to Fill the Gaps
The work is not done, but any ‘big splash’ moves seem increasingly unlikely, sans a blockbuster deal that would include starter Jordan Montgomery. That said, the D-Backs added some valuable assets through both the trade market and free agency, including:
First Baseman Josh Naylor: Arizona acquired Naylor from the Gaurdians in a thrilling offseason trade, obtaining the left-handed hitter from Cleveland in exchange for Cecconi and a draft pick. The 27-year-old has hit .262 with 84 home runs in his career, and recorded 108 RBI and 31 home runs last season. Naylor’s arrival certainly cushions the blow in losing Walker to free agency.
Infielder Grae Kessinger: Kessinger was acquired from the Astros in exchange for righty Matthew Linskey, who has yet to pitch in the Majors. The 27-year-old Kessinger has been used very little in his two-year MLB career, compiling a .131 batting average with one home run in 61 plate appearances.
Catcher René Pinto: Pinto was claimed off waivers from the Orioles earlier this month, making him the fourth catcher currently on the roster. The 28-year-old is a career .231 hitter, but has appeared in just 82 games over his three-year Big League career.
RHP Corbin Burnes: Burnes was an incredible, if not shocking, addition as a free agent out of Baltimore, having just finished a 15-9 season with 181 strikeouts, a 2.92 ERA and 1.096 WHIP. The 30-year-old veteran spent six seasons in Milwaukee before pitching for the Orioles last season, and the six-year deal he just signed with the D-Backs is likely to shore up a rotation that failed to live up to expectations last year. Burnes won the Cy Young Award in 2021, and has finished in the top-8 of voting in each of the last five seasons.
RHP Seth Martinez: Martinez was claimed off waivers from the Astros, and is a local product out of Peoria who was drafted out of ASU by the Athletics in 2016. The 30-year-old has only seen 137 1/3 innings of work over his four-year career, posting an ERA of 3.59 and WHIP of 1.272, and will likely be counted on to chew innings for a bullpen that ranked 25th last season with a 4.41 ERA.
The most glaring work is still in Arizona’s bullpen, and the options are limited considering the D-Backs’ payroll remains considerably higher than its opening-day mark of $163 million last season, and that was the highest benchmark since the team’s inception in 2000. It’s impossible to keep up with the likes of the Dodgers, but any hope of keeping pace in the NL West will hinge on an improved bullpen performance.
Work Remains as Expectations Tempered Heading into Spring Training
From an offensive perspective, the D-Backs seem primed to make an impact following last year’s breakout season. There’s solid production and leadership that’s well-represented from players like Corbin Carroll, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Eugenio Suárez, Marte and Perdomo, among others, but the rotation will need to universally perform better if Arizona hopes to reach the postseason heights it achieved in 2023.
A starting rotation that features Burnes, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt and Jordan Montgomery (assuming he’s not traded) still has all the promise of the world on paper, and don’t discount righty Ryne Nelson, who was solid all last summer and into the fall.
There are still some loose ends to tie up, but chin-up, baseball fans. It won’t be long until your favorite players are back on the field.
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